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CAEP Annual Plan: 2022-23 44 North Coast Adult Education Consortium

Status: Consortium Approved

California Adult Education Program : Annual Plan : 2022-23 Produced: Sep 14, 2022, 09:04 PM UTC Prudence Ratliff

44 North Coast Adult Education Consortium

Plans & Goals

Executive Summary

The North Coast Adult Education Consortium (NCAEC) serves all of Humboldt and Del Norte counties as well as parts of several neighboring counties. Membership includes three K-12 districts, and one Community College District. Various other K-12 districts, community agencies, and adult education support, partner and collaborate with the Consortium. With the collaboration of school districts, business partners, and county agencies, the services for adult education will be prioritized and aligned to meet the regional needs according to the California Adult Education Program (CAEP). 

In 2022-23, the NCAEC will implement improvements in adult education offerings with an emphasis in ESL and high school equivalency courses, which is consistent with the consortium’s three-year adult education plan activity of providing outreach to adults who need ESL services or earn a high school equivalency. The NCAEC will also work to transition students to credit programs along a career pathway when they have enrolled. The K-12 Consortium members will seek out professional development for CASAS testing and assessment as well as for the development of classes with the focus of rebuilding programs and enrollments to pre-pandemic levels. These points are in support of the three-year plan’s activity of professional development to improve the effectiveness of service.

To achieve these ends, the NCAEC has made substantial progress during the prior program year through the following activities: The NCAEC has learned about skill gains in adult basic education, ESL, workforce preparation, and CTE programs through attendance in professional development activities. ESL course offerings have been expanded at College of the Redwoods to include a track to credit-bearing classes. Among these credit-bearing classes is a multilingual issues-focused English 1A which will connect to themes and objectives in non-credit ESL classes, thereby providing a smooth transition to credit-bearing classes. To clarify and explain adult education course offerings, a student development advisor has been hired to connect students to credit-bearing classes at the college and CTE Healthcare offerings include connections between noncredit-bearing programs such as Certified Nursing Assistant and Medical Assistant into Nursing credit programs. The student development advisor and instructors reinforce these credit-bearing classes as a “next step” for students in non-credit classes. As an incentive for students to enroll in face-to-face College of the Redwoods classes free childcare was piloted in the summer 2022 and will continue throughout the 22-23 academic year. Additionally, the NCAEC continues to develop relationships with various social service and employment agencies and attend professional development opportunities. The Adult School staff have been meeting with WestEd and the Targeted Technical Assistance coach to receive professional development on TOPSPro and CASAS testing. They have also been exploring ESL curriculum to improve their courses in meeting the needs of the students.

For the upcoming year, the NCAEC will continue to address the educational needs of the community by increasing access for Adult Education students, developing a marketing plan for recruiting students, and continue to attend professional development offerings.

Regional Planning Overview

The NCAEC will work together in marketing strategies to reach out to the ESL community and promote the offerings of all members of the Consortium. Promotion materials will be created with all programs offered by members of the Consortium to recruit students. Consortium members will link their informational websites for easier access to these materials. The link between Adult School education and credit-bearing college classes will be strengthened with the addition of the student development advisor role who will work to advise students transitioning from non-credit to credit-bearing classes. Also, a clearer course sequence in non-credit ESL classes at College of the Redwoods, which will be promoted through the aforementioned materials, will ease the transition to credit-bearing classes for ESL students. The addition of childcare for face-to-face Adult Education classes at College of the Redwoods obviates another obstacle for student success.

ESL teachers and the student development advisor will make monthly visits to ESL community organizations to make service inquiries of students and service providers. This information will be used to create more accessible classes and to strengthen existing networks. The Consortium will share this information with its members.

The Adult School members will seek out professional development in CASAS testing and assessment and develop consistent teacher observation and evaluation tools and student input surveys related to program effectiveness.

All agencies will continue to develop and maintain relationships with the America’s Job Centers of CA within their county location and attend webinars and statewide conferences when available. The targeted technical assistance coach will work with each member to obtain professional development related to data collection, reporting, and networking.  


Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

The primary gap between need and services offered was access to career pathways that lead to credit-bearing programs. In addition, there is a need to provide programs that assist students in completing a high school equivalency and/or high school diploma. Students being released from the Humboldt County Correctional Facility need assistance in continuing their education.

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

The 2018 Humboldt County Workforce Development Survey Report details the results of employer surveys and interviews completed in 2017 and 2018, including those working in targeted industries Employers reported major difficulty with filling positions that require an advanced degree (51% of respondents), with the reverse being true for positions requiring a high school degree or less. The 2009-2019 Targets of Opportunity study conducted by the Employment Development Department, confirmed these findings. Simply, students in adult education programs had no clear pathway to credit-bearing programs.

Recent survey info also supports the conclusion that HiSET, high school diploma, and ESL programs are the top two educational needs in the community to transition to credit-bearing classes. According to surveys conducted with the community, 39% of adult learner respondents said that they would benefit most from jobs skills training and 24% said they’d benefit from earning a high school diploma. In this survey, adult learners also reported their interests: 24% said they are interested in job skills training and 21% were interested in ESL classes. Two members of the Consortium offer the opportunity to sit for HiSET tests. College of the Redwoods has a program in the Humboldt County Correctional Facility that provides inmates with classes in ESL, HiSET preparation, among other subjects and HiSET testing. The correctional facility and Project Rebound have identified a need to provide a pathway for these students to continue their education.  

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

Effectiveness in non-credit to credit enrollment will be measured through non-credit student enrollment in credit-bearing classes as well as through progress along certificate programs. Effectiveness of addressing high school equivalency gaps will be measured through the use of enrollment in test prep classes and test completion data available through the test service ETS. The Adult Schools will use CASAS data to measure progress in both ESL as well as the number of certificates and diplomas earned. Finally, release fairs are planned in collaboration between College of the Redwoods and the Humboldt County Correctional facility to broaden access to classes, including credit-bearing classes after inmates are released. The effectiveness will be measured by the number of students who continue with noncredit or credit courses after release.  

Address Educational Needs

2022-23 Strategies

ESL Community Outreach

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Community Outreach to Adults who need ESL Services

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • Progress: Participants with Educational Functioning Levels Gains ESL (AE 400 - ESL)
  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)

To determine the overall need for ESL services in the community, ESL instructors and the student development advisor will meet with ESL community members to provide information on access to these services. These meetings will take place formally and informally through interviews with students and area agencies and will result in strengthening community connections and building a network. Instructors and advisor will synthesize and apply this information in monthly ESL community of practice meetings to consider the situation with respect to current course offerings, not irrespective of location, time, and modality. Community of practice findings will be reported to the Consortium through the student development advisor and steps will be taken to improve access and improve service throughout the district. These reports will also offer an opportunity to share best practices and curricula, if needed. The outcome will be an increase in student access to ESL courses and, through these, credit-bearing courses, as well as the ongoing development of an ESL service providers’ network.

The plan will support strategies to support ESL students, provide a pathway to credit-bearing classes and create a network of ESL service providers to better develop resources to meet the ESL community’s needs. The educational needs of this community will be met by connecting to other support services, providing and clarifying connections to credit classes and offering advising to students in ESL classes.


Marketing Plan Development

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Create a Consortium Wide Marketing Promotion

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)

Consortium members are currently lacking an effective means of sharing offerings (classes and services) with other members. The Consortium will meet with a marketing consultant to develop a marketing plan that identifies the best ways to disseminate information and recruit interested students who may be unaware of these offerings. These meetings will allow members of the Consortium to develop the best ways to become more aware of each other’s offerings and to promote all offerings in and out of classes via instructors and advisors. Promoting course offerings in new ways and creating a broader network for promotion will increase visibility of classes offered by the Consortium and lead to increased enrollment.


Professional Development

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Professional Development

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)

To improve the effectiveness of services, all consortium members will attend webinars and conferences related to adult ed. offerings. Consortium members will also work with the Targeted Technical Assistance Coach to obtain professional development related to data collection, reporting, and networking. Through attendance in adult education professional development offerings Consortium members will develop a network with other consortia throughout the state and share information. Through this increase in communication, Consortium members will continue to learn how to close gaps in offerings and access. TOPSPro and CASAS professional development will ensure that the consortium is in compliance with reporting requirements and provide an accurate measurement of student success and progress. Finally, the ESL instructors from all member agency along with some community program instructors are meeting on a semester basis to share information and best practices in their offerings.

Improve Integration of Services & Transitions

2022-23 Strategies

Community outreach to adults in need of ESL services

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Community Outreach to Adults who need ESL Services

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

To improve the integration of services and transitions for ESL students in the community, ESL instructors and the student development advisor will meet with ESL community members to provide information on access to these services. These meetings will take place formally and informally through interviews with students and area agencies and will result in strengthening community connections and building a network. Instructors and advisor will synthesize and apply this information in monthly ESL community of practice meetings to consider the situation with respect to current course offerings, not irrespective of location, time, and modality. Community of practice findings will be reported to the Consortium through the student development advisor and steps will be taken to improve access and improve service throughout the district. This will include the steps a student needs to transition from Adult School to credit college courses. These reports will also offer an opportunity to share best practices and curricula, if needed. The outcome will be an increase in student access to ESL courses and, through these, credit-bearing courses, as well as the ongoing development of an ESL service providers’ network.

The plan will support strategies to support ESL students, provide a pathway to credit-bearing classes and create a network of ESL service providers to better develop resources to meet the ESL community’s needs. Improvement of integration of services and transitions for this community will be met by connecting to other support services, providing and clarifying connections to credit classes and offering advising to students in ESL classes. Finally, through this network the process and procedures for transition to college from adult school will be clearly presented to consortia members and instructors. The outcome will be an increased knowledge of how students transition to credit bearing courses.


Marketing Plan Development

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Create a Consortium Wide Marketing Promotion

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)

Consortium members are currently lacking an effective means of sharing offerings (classes and services) with other members. The Consortium will meet with a marketing consultant to develop a marketing plan that identifies the best ways to disseminate information and recruit interested students who may be unaware of these offerings. These meetings will allow members of the Consortium to develop the best ways to become more aware of each other’s offerings and promote all offerings in and out of classes via instructors and advisors. Promoting course offerings in new ways and creating a broader network for promotion will increase visibility of classes offered by the Consortium and lead to increased enrollment. Students enrolled in CTE as well as ESL, high school diploma and high school equivalency will be exposed to the offerings from all consortia members. The outcome will be an increase of awareness among current students, possible students and the community regarding the services and classes available throughout Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.


Professional Development

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Professional Development

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)

To improve the integration of services and transitions, all consortium members will attend webinars and conferences related to adult ed. offerings. Consortium members will also work with the Targeted Technical Assistance Coach to obtain professional development related to data collection, reporting, and networking. Through attendance in adult education professional development offerings Consortium members will develop a network with other consortia throughout the state and share information. Through this increase in communication, Consortium members will continue to learn how to close gaps in offerings and access. TOPSPro and CASAs professional development will ensure that the consortium is in compliance with reporting requirements and provide an accurate measurement of student success and progress to inform strategies from year to year. Finally, the ESL instructors from all member agency along with some community program instructors are meeting on a semester basis to share information and best practices in their offerings.

Improve Effectiveness of Services

2022-23 Strategies

Community outreach to adults in need of ESL services

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Community Outreach to Adults who need ESL Services

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

To improve the effectiveness of services for ESL students in the community, ESL instructors and the student development advisor will meet with ESL community members to provide information on access to these services. These meetings will take place formally and informally through interviews with students and area agencies and will result in strengthening community connections and building a network. Instructors and advisor will synthesize and apply this information in monthly ESL community of practice meetings to consider the situation with respect to current course offerings, not irrespective of location, time, and modality. Community of practice findings will be reported to the Consortium through the student development advisor and steps will be taken to improve access and improve service throughout the district. This will include the steps a student needs to take in order to move from K-12 to credit college courses. These reports will also offer an opportunity to share best practices and curricula, if needed. The outcome will be an increase in student access to ESL courses and, through these, credit-bearing courses, as well as the ongoing development of an ESL service providers’ network.

The plan will support strategies to support ESL students, provide a pathway to credit-bearing classes and create a network of ESL service providers to better develop resources to meet the ESL community’s needs. The effectiveness of services for this community will be met by connecting to other support services, providing and clarifying connections to credit classes and offering advising to students in ESL classes. The outcome will be student improvement in the grasp of the English language as well as a persistence in the programs. Students often will enroll in as many ESL classes as they are able to attend. With all three consortia members offering ESL courses students have the opportunity to gain these skills much faster.


Marketing Plan Development

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Create a Consortium Wide Marketing Promotion

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)

Consortium members are currently lacking an effective means of sharing offerings (classes and services) with other members. The Consortium will meet with a marketing consultant to develop a marketing plan that identifies the best ways to disseminate information and recruit interested students who may be unaware of these offerings. These meetings will allow members of the Consortium to develop the best ways to become more aware of each other’s offerings and promote all offerings in and out of classes via instructors and advisors. Promoting course offerings in new ways and creating a broader network for promotion will increase visibility of classes offered by the Consortium and lead to increased enrollment. Students enrolled in CTE as well as ESL, high school diploma and/or equivalency will be exposed to the offerings from all consortia members. The outcome will be an increase of awareness among current students, possible students and the community regarding the services and classes available throughout Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.


Professional Development

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Professional Development

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)

To improve the effectiveness of services, all consortium members will attend webinars and conferences related to adult ed. offerings. Consortium members will also work with the Targeted Technical Assistance Coach to obtain professional development related to data collection, reporting, and networking. Through attendance in adult education professional development offerings Consortium members will develop a network with other consortia throughout the state and share information. Through this increase in communication, Consortium members will continue to learn how to close gaps in offerings and access. TOPSPro and CASAS professional development will ensure that the consortium is in compliance with reporting requirements and provide an accurate measurement of student success and progress. Finally, the ESL instructors from all member agency along with some community program instructors are meeting on a semester basis to share information and best practices in their offerings.

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.

Per the NCAEC bylaws, The Consortium formally meets on a quarterly basis or more frequently as needed to develop the annual activities aligned to the related funding distribution schedule which was approved at the annual meeting where the allocation amounts were voted on. Each Consortium member has agreed to spend their allocations to address the strategies described in the annual plan that were developed through the 3 year plan.  

An approach to incorporating remaining carry-over funds from prior year(s) into strategies planned for 2022-23.

The Consortium will develop and submit a CFAD annually. On average, the Adult schools have about 15-20% carryover each year, while the college member has about 30% carryover each year. The Consortium will reevaluate our funding needs annually and discuss what is needed to lower the carryover each year as well as strategies to spend down funds in a timely manner. This will be discussed as part of our annual by-laws review.

Certification

Del Norte County Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Randy Fugate

09/11/2022 07:00 PM PDT

Eureka City Schools - Member Representative

Approved by Mr. Brad Albee

09/14/2022 02:02 PM PDT

Northern Humboldt Union High - Member Representative

Approved by Jack Bareilles

09/10/2022 05:52 PM PDT

Redwoods CCD - Member Representative

Approved by Prudence Ratliff

09/14/2022 02:04 PM PDT