CAEP
Annual Plan

Produced: Aug 15, 2023, 10:28 PM UTC - By cara Vienna

37 North Orange County Regional Consortium for Adult Education (NOCRC)
CONSORTIUM APPROVED

2023-24

Plans & Goals

Executive Summary

North Orange County Regional Consortium for Adult Education (NOCRC) will continue to progress on the strategies outlined in its 2022-2025 Three-Year Plan through its 2023-24 annual plan. NOCRC's objectives for 2023-24 are supported by its vision to focus on addressing the educational needs of adult learners in the region by developing and delivering innovative and inclusive programs and courses that will build and strengthen computer literacy, industry-relevant career skills, self-advocacy, and interpersonal communication abilities. This will be achieved through ongoing NOCRC activities.


During the 2022-23 program year, NOCRC continued regionalizing its annual CAEP activities submitted in the three-year plan. NOCRC identified the English Language Learner student barrier as its target priority, and NOCRC made progress toward this priority by continuing to professionally develop and hire qualified faculty and staff to develop and implement academic programs and services and reestablish and maintain community partnerships. Additionally, NOCRC made strides toward fulfilling its vision by building industry relationships and outside partnerships that support skill building and employment, creating awareness and opportunities for adult learners transitioning into college and/or career, and training adults to help K-12 students by providing trauma-informed education. Moreover, activities included the purchasing and using tangible equipment and software that further enhanced the efforts of faculty and staff, thus amplifying the experience of adult learners served by NOCRC. Furthermore, NOCRC hosted an in-person Partners' Breakfast event in February 2023 to re-engage students, community members, and partners to gather feedback from the community on its needs and discuss how NOCRC members can meet these needs.


In the 2023-24 program year, the NOCRC annual plan will be focusing on its primary goals to increase students' participation and enrollment, growth and advancement in educational functioning level (EFL) gains; persistence and completion in current and imminent programs and Certificates; transition to postsecondary CTE, credit courses, and employment and reestablish offsite classes through community and K-12 district locations. NOCRC will continue to focus on meeting its objectives (1) re-engaging with community partners to offer instructional courses at offsite locations within neighborhoods and communities to eliminate barriers for any students who are unable to travel to main campus sites; (2) utilizing an early alert system to identify students who may require additional support so that these students may be monitored by counselors, instructors, and other staff members who may be identified as part of the student's success network; (3) providing software tools to students to support their basic skills and language acquisition; (4) increasing computer and software essentials course offerings to enhance digital literacy among adult learners; and (5) offering instructional courses and support services focusing on transition to postsecondary education. To stay competitive, keep up to date on the industry standards, and support the development of high-level technical skills that adult students need upon entering the workforce, NOCRC will continue to purchase relevant classroom equipment and offer support services for career exploration and employability skills. Additionally, NOCRC will continue to focus on managing data collection efforts across the consortium to maintain relevant data and records for reporting and supporting student progress

Regional Planning Overview

The three adult education providers within the consortium, North Orange Continuing Education (NOCE), North Orange County Regional Occupational Program (NOCROP), and Garden Grove Adult Education (GGAE) continue to offer programs and courses to address the specific needs of the adults within their institutions while focusing on improving the integration and effectiveness of their services and improving the transition rates into postsecondary education and the workforce.

In its second year of implementation of the 2022-25 Three-Year Plan, NOCRC plans to implement strategies focusing on increasing enrollment, retention, completion, and transition.

NOCE intends to increase enrollment by re-engaging with existing community partners and developing new partnerships to offer instructional courses at offsite locations within neighborhoods and communities such as community centers, churches, K-12 campuses, etc. NOCE strives to eliminate barriers for any students who may be unable to travel to main campus sites by offering courses at locations that are much more accessible to adult students. Courses are offered in various modalities (in-person, online, and hybrid) to provide the flexibility to fit the needs of adult learners. Additionally, to increase retention efforts at NOCE, the second year of the implementation will also focus on enhancing the utility of the Starfish early alert system to reach out to more students who may have been identified as requiring additional support in their courses. NOCE will continue to implement the utilization of several software to support student progress and completion. To meet the needs and demands of the 21st century, NOCE will increase its offerings of computer and software essentials courses through its Career Technical Program (CTE) to improve digital literacy in adult learners. In addition to offering targeted instructional courses, NOCE will provide support services focusing on transition to postsecondary education, career exploration, and employability skills.


NOCROP as a CTE adult education provider will continue to offer industry-specific courses to meet the needs of adult students seeking to gain skills to prepare for employment. NOCROP will continue implementing marketing and outreach efforts to increase community awareness of its CTE offerings and enrollment. To ensure ongoing student support, NOCROP will increase counseling hours, focusing on providing help with college and career guidance. With a focus on providing the most current, innovative, and industry-relevant technology in the classrooms to ensure that all students can develop hands-on skills, NOCROP will ensure that classrooms are equipped with cutting-edge, industry-standard equipment. Upon completion of courses, NOCROP will also support students in supplementing the cost of various medical certificates and licensure.


To support the implementation of the three-year plan and reach its targeted goals of increasing the number of adults who become participants with 12 or more hours of instruction and improving student persistence, GGAE plans to continue providing access to the Burlington English software to enrolled students in its English as a Second Language (ESL) program. GGAE intends to purchase additional licenses to offer opportunities to increase students' language proficiency and increase student mastery of competencies and engagement, thus leading to improvement in completion. Additionally, GGAE plans to continue offering digital technology support through access to computer labs and encouraging students to engage in the Burlington English software's Career Exploration and Soft Skills components to prepare them for transition.


Additionally, to improve the effectiveness of services, NOCRC will continue to focus on managing data collection efforts across the consortium to maintain relevant data and records for reporting and supporting student progress. In-depth support training will be provided to consortium members and staff around CAEP data and accountability, and an annual evaluation report will be developed to assess the Effectiveness of CAEP-funded activities.



Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

Through exploring various data sources during the development of the three-year plan and through an ongoing assessment of current offerings, NOCRC identified multiple gaps in service to be considered in meeting North Orange County's regional needs.


The analysis of North Orange County's census data provided insight into demographic populations that could be targeted within the scope of the California Adult Education Program to receive programs and services. NOCRC identified adults with disabilities, adults who speak English less than well, adults with an educational level less than college, and adults who are unemployed as its target populations. NOCRC further identified the potential to target intersectional people, including unemployed or underemployed adults with limited English proficiency. For example, within the adults with disabilities population, the employment rate is only 20 percent. NOCRC seeks to offer courses and services that prepare more adults with disabilities to enter the workforce. Additionally, census data revealed that 52 percent of adults with limited English proficiency have less than a high school, and only 46 percent are employed. Thus, these are populations that the NOCRC ESL with the other advisory groups. 

Upon assessing the Orange County Region's Strong Workforce goals and the recent labor market information, NOCRC identified a more substantial need to provide programs and services focusing on the need to prepare adults in the region through means such as industry certifications, portable skills training, establishing relationships with local organizations that would allow opportunities for externships, and targeting of sustainable industries. New and revised NOCE and NOCROP programs such as Dental Assistant, Medical Assistant, Nursing, Personal Care Aide, Pharmacy Technician, A+ Certification Training, Information Technology (IT) Fundamentals, IT Support, Swift Programming, and Quality Assurance for Medical Devices are in line with the local job prospects in Orange County's top four key industry sectors: healthcare, information technology, advanced manufacturing, and hospitality.

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

To identify the adult education needs within the North Orange County region and the gaps in the current adult education programs and services offered through the consortium, NOCRC examined and synthesized data from multiple sources.


During the three-year plan preparation, NOCRC utilized the resources provided by the CAEP Office, such as the CAEP 2021 Fact Sheets and the Adult Education Pipeline (AEP) LaunchBoard. The Fact Sheets provided a census used to examine the key demographic characteristics of the adult population within NOCRC consortium boundaries. The data were used to determine the proportion of adults within the region who need adult education services based on their educational attainment (below high school diploma), English language ability (limited English), and/or employment status (unemployed). Additionally, NOCRC examined the Labor Market Information provided on the Fact Sheets, the 2021-24 Orange Regional Planning Unit Regional Plan, and the 2021-24 Strong Workforce Program Orange County Regional Plan to examine the knowledge and skills deemed desirable by employers for industries expecting to develop in the region.


Additionally, NOCRC hosted discussions through monthly consortium executive committee meetings and multiple open planning sessions to gather input from various stakeholders regarding how well the current programs/services are meeting the needs of adults within the region. NOCRC continues to gather and assess quantitative data and qualitative student experiences in CAEP program areas to identify barriers to program entry and students' ability to sustain participation.

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

To measure the Effectiveness of NOCRC's progress toward meeting its mission of supporting members in delivering regionally relevant academic programs and support services for adult students to reach their personal and professional goals, NOCRC conducts an annual evaluation of the approved activities through NOCE's Office of Institutional Research and Planning (OIRP). Student-level data is analyzed to determine the number of students served by each activity, and students are tracked over their academic journey to determine retention, success, completion, and transition rates.

NOCRC's internal annual evaluation report utilizes local data and locally defined metrics, including student headcount, enrollment, and cross-enrollment among multiple CAEP program areas. Outcomes such as measurable skills gains, local and state-approved awards completion, and transition to credit-bearing programs are assessed to determine student progress throughout the consortium. Additionally, local qualitative information is gathered from students and stakeholders through surveys, interviews, and focus groups to provide a more holistic picture of the services NOCRC provides and the progress the consortium is making in meeting the needs of the adults. The quantitative and qualitative data are used to inform decision-making processes for NOCRC's future planning.

NOCRC also utilizes additional data resources provided by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and CASAS TOPSpro. On a larger scale, NOCRC uses the data on the Student Success Metrics, AEP LaunchBoard, and the metrics for initiatives, including the Student Equity and Achievement Program and Strong Workforce Program, an overarching view of NOCRC's Effectiveness. Furthermore, NOCRC uses reports provided by CASAS to assess the EFL and literacy gains, program retention, and student milestone achievement.


Address Educational Needs

2023-24 Strategies

Garden Grove Literacy Gains

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Garden Grove Adult Education Literacy Gains

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

Garden Grove Adult Education (GGAE) will use CAEP funds provided through NOCRC to continue using Burlington English (BE) Licenses. Due to the successful implementation of the BE software within GGAE's ESL program, GGAE also plans to purchase additional licenses for greater access to ESL classes, which will lead to improved students' language proficiency as demonstrated by learning gains and course completion. The licenses, also known as "seats," are used in ESL classes to support student progress in pronunciation, comprehension, and technical skills, further empowering them through literacy gains and improved basic skills. BE lessons also provide opportunities for students to prepare for the transition to other adult-education programs and career exploration.  

The GGAE Data team will routinely generate CAEP summaries and BE progress reports to analyze student learner outcomes. GGAE will calendar professional-development time for instructors to review student learning data and strategies for best teaching practices. 

Improve Integration of Services & Transitions

2023-24 Strategies

Disability Support Services

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Disability Support: Instructional Offerings

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)

NOCE's Disability Support Services (DSS) program will network and outreach with community partners to identify partner locations and other community centers that can provide class space and increase referrals to the NOCE DSS programs. DSS will work with the NOCE and NOCRC marketing teams to identify student populations from around the state who will benefit from the unique offerings provided by DSS. Few college districts offer the breadth and depth of NOCE's educational offerings for adults with disabilities.  

DSS has created a robust Distance Education program to reach students who, for various reasons, cannot attend in-person classes. DSS expects to work with several partners during the 2023-24 program year to expand offerings at the community at offsite locations such as: 


My Day Counts 

Goodwill of Orange County 

Leisure World 

West Anaheim Therapeutic Residential Center 

The Braille Institute 

Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Medical Center (Project SEARCH)) 

CAEP funds are braided with other resources to enable the NOCE DSS program to expand instructional offerings, focus on educational programming that better meets the needs of students, develop courses that will likely lead to enrollment growth, and support students who have disabilities as they seek to be included in higher educational programs and employment. 

Improve Effectiveness of Services

2023-24 Strategies

Career Technical Education: Data & Accountability

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Career Technical Education: Data & Accountability

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)

To continuously support recently employed staff members using NOCROP's Student Information System, Orbund, NOCROP plans to utilize CAEP funds to provide professional training. The training sessions will bring all staff to the same level of understanding and build shared knowledge on running demographic reports, enrolling and surveying students through the online student information system, and supporting adult education students through their classes. In conjunction with providing training and development to support staff, NOCROP plans to use CAEP funds for a Student Information System (SIS) Specialist. The SIS Specialist will assist in student enrollment and data collection and maintain adult student data, including instructional hours, barriers to employment, and CAEP outcomes in the Orbund student information system. The SIS Specialist will also manage exporting data from Orbund and import it into CASAS TOPSpro, thus improving the integrity of data submitted for quarterly reports.

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.

All CAEP funds will continue to be evaluated and assessed through the consortium and State's processes. CAEP disbursements will continue to be managed by NOCCCD, the fiscal agent for NOCRC, and CAEP through NOCE. Also, NOCRC will continue to use its local bylaws and CAEP metrics to assess the progress of its funded activities best to ensure adequate academic and student support in our community. As CAEP metrics change and actions are complete, we will hold monthly, quarterly, and mid-year CAEP fund reviews to ensure compliance with timely expenditures. 


NOCRC will continue to invest funds into developing and maintaining remote instructional programs and creating outcome-driven services for adult learners in the North Orange County region. According to the established consortium's processes and practices, all new CAEP-funded strategies must demonstrate their alignment with the NOCRC three-year and annual plans and lead to their completion. All existing strategies are evaluated annually as to achieving the objectives leading to the completion of the three-year and annual plans and producing CAEP outcomes. Each NOCRC advisory group had the opportunity to assess and, if needed, eliminate strategies that have been completed or are no longer relevant to the current needs of our adult learners.


NOCCCD will remain the Fiscal Agent for NOCRC and will continue to support all regional adult education providers fiscally and administratively.

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

The consortium aims to continue with standard grant practices and a carryover percentage that aligns with State regulations. NOCRC bylaws and current budgetary procedures have ensured the "good use of funding" for CAEP activities. They will continue integrating flexible processes to ensure timely expenditures while adjusting to community needs.


According to the established consortium's decision-making processes, unspent funds allocated to NOCRC members for specific activities are made available to all other consortium members for one-time requests if the funds are no longer needed for the original activities. This ensures equitable distribution of carryover funds and their timely expenditure. One-time proposals are evaluated based on their alignment with the three-year and annual adult education plans and the consortium's regional and members' institutional priorities.


Additionally, NOCRC practices the first-one-in-first-one-out principle. All ongoing CAEP activities will be paid through carryover funds until funding is entirely spent. Pending NOCRC Executive Committee approval, the 2022-23 budget will be revised to include expenses for the permanent positions proposed as ongoing activities starting the 2023-24 fiscal year. These permanent positions will be multi-funded, thus demonstrating leveraging of regional resources.


All NOCRC funds will be spent on time and in compliance with the State and the NOCCCD fiscal policies. Lastly, NOCRC Executive Committee voting members approved the NOCRC Budgetary Guidelines for NOCRC advisory groups to ensure full and timely expenditure funds according to the regional priorities and NOCRC decision-making guidelines.


NOCRC will amend its Decision-Making Guidelines (bylaws) to include procedures ensuring compliance with the 20% carryover threshold as mandated by the State. The process of amending the Decision-Making Guidelines will be transparent and equitable and include input from all consortium members.

Certification

Anaheim Union High - Member Representative

Approved by Araceli Chavez

08/15/2023 08:29 AM PDT

Fullerton Joint Union High - Member Representative

Approved by Sandra Layana

08/15/2023 10:32 AM PDT

Garden Grove Unified - Member Representative

Approved by M'Liss Patterson

08/14/2023 01:55 PM PDT

Los Alamitos Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Mrs. cara Vienna

08/15/2023 03:27 PM PDT

North Orange County CCD - Member Representative

  • Director, California Adult Education Program
  • jmanjarrez@noce.edu
  • (714) 462-9579
Approved by Valentina Purtell

08/14/2023 01:28 PM PDT

North Orange County ROP - Member Representative

Approved by Jennifer Pesavento Ed.D.

08/15/2023 09:44 AM PDT

Orange County Department of Education - Member Representative

Approved by Fatinah Judeh

08/14/2023 01:30 PM PDT

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Dominique Polchow

08/14/2023 02:39 PM PDT