CAEP
Annual Plan

Produced: Aug 14, 2023, 07:59 PM UTC - By Ken Lippi

29 Marin Adult Education Program Consortium
CONSORTIUM APPROVED

2023-24

Plans & Goals

Executive Summary

Marin Adult Education Program Consortium will focus on: HSD/HSE attainment (with special emphasis on Newcomer Students in San Rafael), ESL, CTE, and parent/child success programs. While many classes have returned to in-person instruction, many students continue to benefit from distance and hyflex instruction.  All three models continue to be implemented.  Additional support for Parent / Child success programs will be implemented in the newly-formed Spanish Literacy course offered to adults at Davidson Middle School by the Marin County Office of Education.  Instruction will continue in technological literacy.  CTE instruction continues in Home Care Aide Basics via Tamalpais Adult School, the Education 2 Career- Construction partnership training program provided by College of Marin and Canal Alliance, and College of Marin's newly implemented OSHA-10 certification course. ESL classes continue to have waitlists and personnel are being sought after to increase enrollment opportunities.

In the 22-23 school year, the Marin Consortium:

  • Provided technology education to 378 students via Tech 4 Life
  • Provided ESL instruction to 2241 students 
  • Provided ABE instruction to 211 students
  • Granted High School Diplomas to 83 students
  • Granted GED / HSE certification to 146 students
  • Provided CTE / Pre-Apprenticeship instruction to 100students

Primary goals for this year are to:

  • Increase access to adult education programs for underserved adult learners in Marin County
  • Increase enrollment in ESL programs by hiring more staff and offering distance, in-person, and hyflex models to meet the needs of students
  • Increase ease of access to programs for FISE students in order to access Diploma programs and to provide ESL and ABE instruction
  • Grow partnerships with professional organizations in the fields of healthcare and construction in order to provide pathways to careers with livable wages in Marin County
  • Provide CTE in the fields of healthcare and bus driving in order to provide pathways to careers with livable wages in Marin County 
  • Add staff and sites as needed to meet student demand
  • Increase access to testing sites by adding Pearson Vue certification to additional agencies
  • Offer additional support to families via parenting classes 
  • Increase social media presence by forming a MAEP Consortium Instagram presence
Regional Planning Overview

MAEP reviews Marin County in four geographic areas: North Marin, serviced by Novato Adult School; Central Marin, served by San Rafael Adult School; South Marin, served by Tamalpais Adult School; and West Marin, served by Shoreline Unified School District. MAEP members review and assess demographic census data to identify communities of need as well as high school graduation rates as posted in CDE Dataquest. The cities of San Rafael and Novato are home to the largest number of Hispanic/Latinx individuals who also have the highest census response rate of a language other than English spoken at home. CDE Dataquest reflects that San Rafael City Schools have the lowest high school graduation rate in the county at 80.1%. Based on these statistics, MAEP has prioritized HSD completion for aged out Newcomer students in San Rafael along with continued ESL instruction via their newly developed Bridge Program that works to incorporate credits from home countries into graduation requirements and to offer seamless transition into Adult School once students have aged out of high school. Novato Adult School focuses on ESL instruction, HSD, and HSE preparation. Tamalpais Adult School’s programs match Novato Adult with the addition of short-term CTE. Rural West Marin has a smaller number of Hispanic/Latinx residents but still a high need for ESL classes. Member College of Marin is centrally located and offers post-high school, free, non-credit ESL instruction. Similarly, member Marin County Office of Education is centrally located to offer parent/child success instruction.  For this coming year they have implemented Spanish Literacy instruction, and they continue to fund technology education for the entire county via Tech 4 Life. The forced transition to on-line learning brought by COVID has engendered some positive student experience, and MAEP schools have remained pivoted to provide in-person, distance, and hyflex instruction. For example, in rural West Marin, using on-line classes enabled students to continue their studies without having to drive long distances at night on country roads to attend class. Each member is making their own instructional decisions on incorporating on-line and in-person instruction to accommodate their students’ needs and preferences 


Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

ESL instruction remains a regional need in Marin County, especially in the Canal neighborhood of San Rafael and in the city of Novato where higher numbers of immigrants live. The consortium has been strategic in placing classes throughout the county with Tam Adult serving southern Marin, San Rafael Adult serving aged out newcomers in Central Marin, Novato Adult serving North Marin, and Shoreline Unified serving West Marin.

How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?

College of Marin has noticed an increased need in ESL and literacy skills in students entering community college. According to CAEP's 2021 Fact Sheets, Marin County has 7,844 residents with limited English.  Of those, 45.3% have less than a high school education.  Since community colleges no longer perform placement testing, they are seeing the number of struggling students increase. In offering CTE coursework, the demand for bilingual Spanish instruction continues to increase. According to 2020 census data, 21.1% of Marin County residents speak a language other than English at home.

How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?

The adult schools will continue their schedule of CASAS assessments in order to track student progress and improvement in English and mathematics. At the San Rafael Adult School, all students are required to continue ESL instruction while enrolled and until they graduate. Communication with College of Marin will continue to gauge the level of student readiness for community college. Assistance from MAEP's dedicated consortium adult education counselor continues to be important in this area.  We can track this effectiveness using pre- and post- test scores, enrollment numbers across programs and agencies, HSD and HSE graduation rates, and by tracking the number of co-enrolled college + adult school students.

Regional Need #2

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

Providing CTE in order to qualify students for entry-level jobs in growing, well-paid industries continues to be a high priority for the Marin Consortium.  The areas of healthcare and construction continue to be high-growth employment areas with strong wages in Marin county. Partnerships are needed and fostered to provide industry-specific apprenticeships. Digital Literacy is a high-need area in Marin County and MAEP is working with Tech 4 Life in order to fulfill that need.  In the area of developing entry level jobs with viable career paths, the MCCD has partnered with Canal Alliance to offer noncredit introduction to construction classes (Education 2 Career- Construction) while TUHSD provides a Home Health Care Aide course as we;; as Introduction to Healthcare Pathways. Career Technical Education program development aligns with regional workforce needs and targets career pathways that provide a livable wage, with the goal to focus on industries that pay a minimum of $25 hourly. 

How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?

Using monthly EDD labor outlook reports, classes have been built around projected labor needs. Tam Adult School has been successful with a Home Care Aid course, even making a successful transition to full Zoom instruction during COVID. This course is designed for entry level employment but maps to dental assisting, medical assisting, and nursing, all offered at College of Marin. COM has begun to offer a Certified Nurse Assistant course, another entry level position which maps to COM health courses, as well as a Golden Gate Transit bus driver apprenticeship program. Marin County Office of Education offers and Instructional Aid Bootcamp in which participants can learn about working in a public school as an Instructional Aid. All school districts in Marin need Instructional Assistants, positions with competitive pay and benefits. Construction job demand is being met by COM and partner Canal Alliance and the Marin Building Trades.

How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?

Members continue to track participants and employment outcomes for these short-term CTE classes via the Core Performance surveys. CASAS is updated when employment is secured. Some CTE offerings culminate with a job fair for all successful graduates of a program.

Regional Need #3

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

Parent-Child Success: The Marin County Office of Education, in conjunction with Marin school districts and community partners, support adult education training classes, workshops and activities for parents, guardians and adults who support K- 12 students. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, the disparity of lack of digital literacy and access to technology came to light among Marin’s historically underserved community members in the LatinX community. There is a targeted focus on digital literacy as a major component of the Parent-Child Success program in the county. Digital literacy skill building is concentrated in districts with large populations of newcomer families and adults in need of support and bilingual services via MAEP's partnership with Tech 4 Life. Emphasized when the pandemic hit, the need for technology assistance for parents and guardians to support student success was apparent. All schools had their own programs developed, quickly, to meet this need, however, challenges continue to exist for adults who do not have a personal device other than a phone to use, or no access to the internet.  Community partner Canal Alliance made extensive improvements in internet connectivity in the Canal neighborhood of San Rafael.  However, other areas, such as rural West Marin, continue the hard work of improving access to the internet.  Also, improving adult literacy among newcomer families with students in county schools has been identified as a factor in improving student success.  As literacy is generally more easily accomplished in one's home language, and as the majority of newcomer families in the county are Spanish speakers, the consortium has identified a need for Spanish literacy services which will begin in fall of 2023.

How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?

Known lack of internet access was well documented in the county and programs to resolve this issue continue today. All school districts did their best to provide devices to families who needed them with loaner programs.  MAEP is currently surveying adult ed members and providers to evaluate interest in short-term technology classes for adults. These classes, which can be taught in English and Spanish, will build upon the courses offered by K12 school districts who trained parents on web-based systems used by local districts for on-line learning, tracking student work, and communicate with the school. These trainings will be focused, skill-building courses on topics such as Chromebook basics, how to be a Zoom participant, using email, accessing your student's school portal, Google Workspace, and Microsoft Suite.  Local K-12 schools have also identified a lack of parental literacy as a determining factor in child-students' success.

How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?

The consortium is currently working with Technology 4 Life, a company which offers short term instruction on a variety of topics mentioned above, who will provide small, in-person classes, with a maximum of 15 students. Instruction can be provided in Spanish or English. Marin County Office of Education continues to focus on parent/student success and supports Technology 4 Life for all consortium members. In addition, MCOE is funding an Adult Literacy in Spanish course which begins in fall 2023, with a possible second cohort planned depending on student interest and outcomes. Student participation will be documented in CASAS. 

Regional Need #4

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

High school diploma / high school equivalency programming is offered by three MAEP members: TUHSD, SRCS, and NUSD. SRCS offers a high school diploma program to Newcomer high school students who age out of SRCS without attaining a high school diploma. San Rafael City Schools educates the majority of the high school newcomer students in the county. Tamalpais Adult School and Novato Adult School serve adult school students county-wide who are working towards high school diploma / equivalency.

How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?

CDE data continues to reflect the lowest high school graduation rate in the county is in the San Rafael City Schools district. The consortium prioritizes high school diploma completion for aged out Newcomers who will also continue with ESL instruction while enrolled at SR Adult School. Tam Adult School and Novato Adult School offer ABE and ASE instruction to adults who can continue their studies in English. Novato Adult School is currently looking for a bilingual Spanish teacher who can teach GED prep in Spanish. 

How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?

Student enrollment and progress will be documented in TOPSPro as required. The consortium has seen a trend developing of graduating over 75 students per year. Concurrently or upon graduation, students are encouraged to enroll at College of Marin to explore academic and vocational programs.

Address Educational Needs

2023-24 Strategies

ESL Instruction

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Monitor student data on progress and outcomes

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)

The consortium has worked to provide ESL classes in all four areas of Marin County for the past six years. Options for in-person and distance learning classes exist within the county and will continue to be offered. Requests from stakeholders for career-related ESL classes is being evaluated in order to complement the CTE classes that are offered in the consortium. A shared bi-lingual Transition Counselor meets with students regularly at all member sites to support and inform about available ESL classes in Marin County, higher education, and pathways to local community colleges. The consortium has reallocated funds to support hiring more ESL teaching staff at the sites that have the biggest waiting lists.  Funds have been allocated to teach adult Spanish Literacy.


CTE Instruction

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Increase marketing and outreach

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)

A shared Transition Counselor meets with students regularly at member sites to provide referrals to student support services, outreach on adult education programs in Marin County, and to support and inform about higher education and pathways to local community colleges. 

Tamalpais Adult plans to continue the successful Introduction to Healthcare Pathways and the Home Care Aide Basics course targeting English language learners. MCOE offers a boot camp for individuals interested in becoming Instructional Aids (many openings are available throughout the county). Shoreline Unified will offer a Food Handler certification class to serve workers in the local daycare centers as well as in local restaurants. College of Marin will support Construction classes at Canal Alliance (CBO) and has begun its Certified Nursing Assistant program and a Golden Gate Transit Bus Driver apprenticeship program. Digital literacy upskilling is a focused goal to minimize lack of access to education.


HSD / HSE Instruction

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Increase marketing and outreach

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)

HSD/HSE programs are available in North, Central, and Southern Marin. The San Rafael Adult School, which focuses on aged out Newcomer students, will expand entry level courses for SIFE students and collaborate with COM and SRCS comprehensive sites to develop possible CTE. This focus will assist in accurately developing educational plans for students to move through their high school and adult school studies smoothly. Tamalpais and Novato Adult Schools serve a larger number of students for both HSD and HSE. A shared Transition Counselor meets with students regularly at all member sites to support and inform about higher education and pathways to local community colleges. 

A simple web page that offers information about all Marin Adult Ed programs and is easy to find will fill an awareness gap. We will use google key words to better lead individuals to this site, as well as better market this site on other collateral material. The site will also be provided in Spanish. 


Adults Supporting Children

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Monitor student data on progress and outcomes

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)

Adults Supporting Children: MAEP is working with Technology 4 Life(Tech4Life) in 2023, which offers short term courses in using a Chromebook, phone apps, email, and Google Workplace programs. MCOE will sponsor these classes this year for all members. Tech4Life is able to offer classes in Spanish and English on a variety of topics. Shoreline Unified will continue work with the Parent Services Project (CBO) to boost internet access in West Marin and short term classes for adults in using technology.  MCOE is also funding a Spanish literacy course to help parents of children in county schools be better able to support their children's school success.

Improve Integration of Services & Transitions

2023-24 Strategies

Integration

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Increase marketing and outreach

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)

San Rafael Adult School will continue HSD for aged out Newcomers. In 22 – 23, an adult ed lead teacher/program manager was hired to work with the district high schools to identify students who will benefit from a 5th in high school vs those who should transition to the adult school to complete their diploma requirements. Eligible students can enroll in both the high school and adult school if they are 18+ years of age. Spring transfers into the adult school will be offered. Previously enrolled students in San Rafael Adult School can return as space permits. 

Tamalpais Adult School has hired a part-time two-year Assistant Director to support ESL, CTE, GED and Diploma expansion between 2023-2025.

Offering ESL via distance learning has been effective in rural West Marin where small towns are far apart and driving is primarily on two lane highways. Tamalpais Adult continues to offer a distance learning option. Trade-specific ESL instruction will continue to be a priority in CTE classes.

A part-time consortium-wide outreach coordinator was hired in October of 2022 to help grow industry and trade partnerships to facilitate the flow of students into the workforce, and the transition counselor continues to work to facilitate the transition of students from HSD / HSE into higher education.  College of Marin is offering courses in certified nursing assistance and in the Golden Gate Transit driver apprenticeship, and will continue its partnership with Canal Alliance's construction program.

Improve Effectiveness of Services

2023-24 Strategies

Improved Effectiveness

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Monitor student data on progress and outcomes

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)

MAEP is continuing to  fund a part-time Program Outreach and Data Analyst position which will focus on recruiting and directing students to courses and data collection and analysis to benefit program success and improvement for all Marin County adult education members and partners. Contacts have been established with a new Career Point Marin office, Marin County Probation, Marin County Jail, and the District Attorney and Public Defender offices. Continued contact with these agencies will assist potential students not only with educational planning but services to address barriers to employment. The consortium participated in the Public Defender’s, “Clean Slate,” workshop where attendees could talk to educational and service providers and have an evaluation performed to assess if criminal records could be “cleaned” through expungements. 

HSE in the Marin County Jail is provided through 5 Keys and is supported through the Marin County Office of Education. In addition, the consortium has begun to explore offering HSE programs to 18-21 year-olds who are accepted into a program at the County Juvenile Court.  MAEP will continue to have a dedicated adult education counselor who will serve all students throughout the county. This position will be supported by College of Marin and has been successful in transitioning eligible students from adult school to community college and CTE programs. 

Fiscal Management

A narrative justifying how the planned allocations are consistent with the annual adult education plan which is based on your CAEP 3-year plan.

Marin Community College District (MCCD) will continue to serve as the fiscal agent for the consortium. 2022 - 23 fund evaluation and distribution is as follows: 

COM: In addition to Strong Workforce funds, MCCD will leverage district funding supplemented with CAEP funding to advance noncredit ESL programs and activities, noncredit, Short-Term CTE, and the courses and programs serving Adults with Disabilities. COM has been approved by the state of California to offer a Certified Nursing Assistant course, and has begun a partnership with Golden Gate Transit to facilitate a driver-apprenticeship program.  COM continues its partnership with Canal Alliance to offer construction courses.  COM uses allocated funds to support the consortium-wide adult education counselor.

MCOE: CAEP funding will supplement general funds to support adults caring for K12 students in an Alternative Education program, provide help to 18-year-old students in a modified “5th-year” program in attaining a high school diploma/equivalent, and to continue Para-educator Trainings for adults hoping to work in K12 schools. MCOE will use limited CTEIG/Strong Workforce funding for CTE classes that will include adult students. MCOE will fund Technology 4 Life instruction for adults through all consortium members.  MCOE will fund a Spanish Literacy course to support parents of students in county K-12 schools

NUSD: In addition to CAEP funds, NUSD will use CALWORKS and periodic grants to help eliminate barriers for adult ed students. Support has included curriculum material, Chromebooks, and fee waivers for testing. NUSD will also leverage funding to continue providing ESL, Basic Skills, and HSE classes.

TUHSD: Modest funding outside of CAEP includes WIOA Title II, in-kind donations for classrooms at co-located offsite locations, and a small reserve including CALWORKS funding and fees collected from Pearson Vue test center examinees. TUHSD leverages all available funding in the operation of its WASC accredited school to provide free classes in CTE, ESL, and HSE. 

SRCS: CAEP funds will provide in person instruction to Newcomer SRCS students and formerly enrolled students to earn a high school diploma. SRCS also uses CAEP funding to offer non-credit ELD classes to SRCS adult school students in order to improve English skills for college or career opportunities. District funding provides necessary infrastructure for Adult School operations. 

SUSD: CAEP funds will provide ESL classes through the Marin County Public Library, short-term ServSafe CTE classes, and classes in effective use of technology to aid families in accessing SUSD student portals. The library will provide in-kind classroom space. 

An approach to incorporating remaining carry-over funds from prior year(s) into strategies planned for 2023-24.

MAEP updated its bylaws to include statements regarding funding evaluation of both annual allocations and carry-over funds.  Members with an excess of 20% carry-over funds have made plans to re-allocate the monies to other members in need or to spend on upcoming programs, including the Spanish Literacy class.  Members with funding which can be allocated to other members have always been in practice in Marin County. This enables members to offer additional courses and assist with purchases of educational materials. Year-to-year enrollment data is evaluated by members in order to gauge progress, outcomes, and funding decisions. Discussion on fiscal solvency and deliverables of MAEP members is regularly discussed at monthly meetings. 

Certification

Marin CCD - Member Representative

  • Program Coordinator- Workforce Projects
  • kantokhin@marin.edu
  • (415) 457-8811 ext: 8183
Approved by Alina Varona

08/14/2023 11:44 AM PDT

Marin Co. Office of Education - Member Representative

Approved by Ken Lippi

08/14/2023 12:59 PM PDT

Novato Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Jennifer Marsh Russell

08/10/2023 11:15 AM PDT

San Rafael City High - Member Representative

Approved by Tyler Graff San Rafael City Schools

08/10/2023 01:42 PM PDT

Shoreline Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Alice Enochs

08/10/2023 11:08 AM PDT

Tamalpais Union High - Member Representative

Approved by Jaemi Naish

08/10/2023 12:27 PM PDT