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CAEP Annual Plan: 2022-23 46 About Students Regional Consortium, Riverside

Status: Consortium Approved

California Adult Education Program : Annual Plan : 2022-23 Produced: Sep 13, 2022, 05:57 PM UTC Lijuan Zhai

46 About Students Regional Consortium, Riverside

Plans & Goals

Executive Summary

The ABOUT STUDENTS Regional Consortium for Adult Education serves the western region of Riverside County. The cities and communities which are provided adult educational services by the members and partners of the consortium include Corona, Eastvale, Highgrove, Home Gardens, Jurupa Valley, Mead Valley, Moreno Valley, Norco, and Riverside. The ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium consists of 8 members: Alvord USD, Corona-Norco USD, Jurupa USD, Moreno Valley USD, Riverside CCD, Riverside COE, Riverside USD, and Val Verde USD. 


As the ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium members continue to rebuild from the effects of the pandemic, the current levels of service are addressing the needs of the region’s adult learners. Each school is providing in-person classes, and there are online and hybrid options available also. The consortium’s community college district, as well as some schools, established several virtual activities designed to increase connections with students and provide support to students in achieving their goals. As part of the ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium, several strategies were implemented and several successes were demonstrated. To inform the Riverside region of the adult education programs and services provided, the ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium partnered with News and Review to create a multi-purpose publication focused on information, outreach, and advocacy. The ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium partnered with N&R Publications to create a digital newspaper, social media posts, and video that could be shared with several layers of the community including local legislators, educational leaders, community partners, and students. The publication was designed to share student stories of success, showcasing both the work of the consortium members as well as the contributions of their community partners. It also emphasized the why and how adult education is the economic engine that will power our state's recovery from the pandemic. In March 2022, ABOUT STUDENTS held its first Professional Development Day since 2018, and support staff, teachers and administrators were in attendance.


In order to meet the identified regional needs, the ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium established clear goals, assigned roles, and determined responsibilities in order to execute the plan, monitor progress, and provide continuous support to students in the region. The ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium is dedicated to working together to support the objectives, activities, and outcomes identified in the Three-Year Plan. The selected Objectives and Activities include Address Educational Needs, Improving the Integration of Services and Transitions, and lastly, Improving the Effectiveness of Services.


The ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium will focus on the following goals for Program Year 2022-23: 


  • Cultivate mutually-beneficial industry and community partnerships that create meaningful opportunities and pathways for students.


  • Provide equitable, inclusive, quality instruction and support services that maximize student achievement and success.


  • Attract, retain, and develop skilled, dedicated student-centered administration and staff who are empowered to use forward-thinking and creativity to promote success.   


Members of the consortium are committed to sharing, continuing, and expanding successful practices that will strengthen our regional adult education programs.

Regional Planning Overview

The ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium members identified the targeted strategies to implement in 2022-23 from the five goals in the 3-Year Plan. Based on the strategic plan, a timeline for implementation guides the activities and strategies recognized by the members. The ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium will address three of the goals by implementing some of the activities and strategies of the plan. The consortium members have agreed to provide support and resources to implement the following strategies during the 2022-23 school year: recruit business partners who need to upskill their workforce in order to increase partnerships and opportunities for students; gather and share proven best practices, related to onboarding to ensure a streamlined, clear, and manageable process for all students; and provide ongoing training and support to promote and develop a positive school climate and culture.  


Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

The ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium currently offers several short-term CTE courses and has existing partnerships with community organizations. However, based on the needs identified in the BW Research report, there is still a significant need to increase the number and type of short-term CTE course offerings in the region. The consortium members have identified strategies that are intended to increase student enrollment numbers and increase the number of CTE program offerings. A commitment has been made for the schools to more extensively advertise their programs through a variety of media including, but not limited to, print media, social media, billboards, movie theaters, radio, and local television networks. These efforts will be completed both at an individual school level and consortium-wide. Progress and results of the various campaigns will be analyzed and discussed during monthly consortium business meetings. 

The consortium has also identified the need to cultivate mutually-beneficial industry and community partnerships that create meaningful opportunities and pathways for students. There will be an emphasis placed over the next three years to continue efforts in developing partnerships with other agencies that provide services to adults including Riverside Workforce Development Board, Economic Development Department, Chamber of Commerce, and local businesses.

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

It was critically important to the ABOUT STUDENTS Member Representatives to include planning input from various regional stakeholders who possess a significant influence, or interest, in the success of the region’s adult education programs. These stakeholders included students, school staff, district administration, and community partners.  Online surveys were created for each of these stakeholder groups and the results were tallied and reported within the Stakeholders Views section of the Strategic Planning Briefing Book (SPBB). In January the official representatives of each consortium member scheduled individual meetings with the third party to identify critical issues facing the consortium. These results are also included in this section. 

Within the Environmental Scan section of the SPBB, several significant informational sources were gathered for the members to analyze and evaluate current trends within the regional consortium. Further, to ensure that the CAEP-funded programs would be in alignment with other service provider plans in the greater Riverside area, several strategic planning documents were included in this section including District Strategic Plans, and WIOA Title II Continuous Improvement Plans (CIP), and Carl Perkins Applications. Regional demographic and employment statistics from American Community Survey (ACS), Economic Development Agency (EDA), and Employment Development Department (EDD) were included in the section. Annual student demographic, enrollment, and completion data from TopsPRO Enterprise (TE) was critical in focusing on the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the consortium members’ ability to successfully serve students. The ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium also used research and analysis conducted by BW Research Partnership, the report obtains valuable information on economic and labor market data, a comprehensive demographic profile of the region’s potential adult education students and benefits, and a preliminary assessment of current educational and training offerings. Additionally, the consortium members review enrollment and outcome data provided by the TOPSpro Enterprise system and the college data system to evaluate the effectiveness and consider growth areas. Through these resources, the ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium identified the gaps in services and the needs of the region.   Finally, the results of a Gap Analysis, which would highlight service priorities and needs within the various consortium communities, were included within the SPBB.

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

The key outcome to address this goal is the increase in the number of student referrals received from these other agencies and the increase in program offerings that were a direct result of these interactions. Each agency will provide targeted professional development opportunities to its faculty and staff to ensure that registration and enrollment procedures are streamlined, effective and inclusive. The effectiveness of this strategy will be determined by each agency and reports of progress will be shared and discussed during monthly business meetings.   To increase the persistence rate of the adult students within the region, the members have identified two important strategies to implement. Individually, and as a consortium, student performance data will be analyzed to identify student needs and provide ongoing professional development that will focus on improving the classroom experience for students and staff.  In an effort to offset the barriers that prevent many adult students from enrolling or attending regularly, members will establish partnerships with other agencies to provide support services such as childcare, transportation, and student success workshops. These partnerships could be developed with community agencies, school districts, and county agencies. This strategy will be evaluated by the number of partnerships created, and the breadth of student barriers addressed through the partnerships. The ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium currently offers several short-term CTE courses and has existing partnerships with community organizations. However, based on the needs identified in the BW Research report, there is still a significant need to increase the number and type of short-term CTE course offerings in the region. The consortium members have identified strategies that are intended to increase student enrollment numbers and increase the number of CTE program offerings. A commitment has been made for the schools to more extensively advertise their programs through a variety of media including, but not limited to, print media, social media, billboards, movie theaters, radio, and local television networks. These efforts will be completed both at an individual school level and consortium wide. Progress and results of the various campaigns will be analyzed and discussed during monthly consortium business meetings. 

Address Educational Needs

2022-23 Strategies

Increase RCCD advisor hours on each campus to promote transition and dual enrollment.

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Student Success/Goals

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

The consortium members have identified the tremendous need to increase the number of adult students who transfer to the community college from the other member schools. There is also an interest in expanding the number of students who dual enroll. To address these needs, the members have agreed that a critical strategy is to increase, or make more consistent, the community college advisor hours on the other members' campus.


Implement a universal student survey for programs/course completions to gather student input

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Student Success/Goals

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)
  • Maintain a minimum of 96.6% of students who Strongly Agree/Agree that the programs they are enrolled in will help them meet their educational goals in the annual survey. 
  • Maintain a minimum of 98.9% of students who Strongly Agree/Agree that the programs they are enrolled in will help them meet their career goals in the annual survey. 
  • Maintain a minimum of 95.9% of students who indicate they Strongly Agree/Agree people of all cultures or differences are included and respected in their school/college in the annual survey. 
  • Maintaining a minimum of 95.5% of students who indicate they Strongly Agree/Agree with my school/college makes me feel included and respected in the annual survey. 
  • Maintain a minimum of 92.5% of students who indicate they Strongly Agree/Agree they are comfortable talking to fellow students and teachers about my background and cultural experiences in the annual survey. 
  • Maintain a minimum of 95.3% of students who indicate they Strongly Agree/Agree teachers and staff treat all students fairly all the time in the annual survey. 

Explore opportunities for accelerating learning to increase the number of completers.

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Student Success/Goals

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)
  • Increase the # of completers by +5% in year 1. 

Share best practices, related to onboarding to ensure a streamlined process for all students.

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Student Success/Goals

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

It was agreed that reconvening the data team activities to align all consortium members' reporting practices and processes was of vital importance. This will ensure that all members share a common understanding of data collection and reporting definitions. In order to provide better services for their students, members will analyze data to identify ways to improve instruction. 

Improve Integration of Services & Transitions

2022-23 Strategies

Recruit business partners to upskill their workforce to increase partnerships and opportunities.

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Industry/Community Partnerships

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

The ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium members agreed upon several strategies that were developed to improve the effectiveness of services. The results of community partner surveys will be reviewed, and members will adjust instructional and administrative practices, when reasonable and appropriate, to better meet the needs and expectations of community partners. Strategies have also been adopted that are intended to improve consortium members' relationships with existing business/community partners and to increase the number of partnerships. Accomplishing this will improve the effectiveness of the consortium’s services by increasing the education and training opportunities for the region’s adult students. Consortium members will recruit business partners who need specific training that will upskill their existing employees.

  • Increase the # of partnerships by +5% in year 1.
  • Increase the # of industry/community partnership survey responses received in the annual survey by +10% in year 1.
  • Increase the # of referrals from partners by 2 in year 1.

Survey community partners and adjust practices as necessary to meet their needs and expectations.

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Industry/Community Partnerships

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

The ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium members agreed upon Maintaining a minimum of 86% of community partners that indicate they Strongly Agree/Agree that the relationship meets their established needs and expectations in the annual survey.



Explore additional grant opportunities to fund more career pathways.

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Industry/Community Partnerships

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

There is a tremendous need within the region for the expansion of current CTE training programs, and to establish new training programs. Some of these needed programs are extremely costly to develop and maintain. The consortium will seek grant opportunities to subsidize such programs. 


Improve Effectiveness of Services

2022-23 Strategies

Student-centered school-wide activities to create an inviting, inclusive and supportive school

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

People and Culture

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

The members established coherent strategies to address the needs of adults; members will first create a school-wide event based on student input (Multicultural Day) that will cultivate an inviting, inclusive, and supportive school climate. Members will also provide ongoing training and support to promote and develop a positive school climate and culture. 



Provide ongoing training and support to promote and develop a positive school climate and culture.

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

People and Culture

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

By focusing on People and Culture, all members will be able to retain and develop skilled, student-centered administrators and staff who are empowered to use creative and forward-looking approaches to promote student success.

  • Increase % of faculty and staff that indicate they Strongly Agree/Agree the professional development offerings available are useful to their professional growth in the annual survey.
  • Increase % of faculty and staff that indicate they Strongly Agree/Agree their department regularly explores new ideas to address identified student learning needs in the annual survey.

Conduct CALPRO's Self-Assessment and the Management Competencies to determine individual PD needs.

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

People and Culture

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)
  • Increase % of faculty and staff that indicate they Strongly Agree/Agree the professional development offerings available are useful to their professional growth in the annual survey.

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.

Members of the ABOUT STUDENTS Consortium utilize the planned allocations to provide instruction and support services in accordance with CAEP guidelines. Allocations will be spent in direct alignment with the goals identified in the 2022-23 Annual and 3-Year Plans. Funding to support personnel and program development and expansion is the focus of the majority of planned expenses. The consortium is determined to designate funding resources to prepare students for academic growth, transition, or workforce. Increasing student persistence and retention, connecting with the community through outreach and student support services. The funding allocation will be spent exclusively on the described activities, which will advance the consortium’s goals of preparing students for higher education and the workforce. All members of the consortium allocate their CAEP funds to provide instruction and support services to students enrolled in basic skills, secondary education, English as a Second Language, and short-term Career Technical Education programs

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

An approach to incorporating remaining carry-over funds from the prior year(s) into strategies planned for 2022-23. Consortium members utilize carry-over funds from prior years to complete activities planned in program development. Quarterly, members received regional reports that inform them of the percentage of annual expenditures by the agency to assist with fiscal management and reduction of carryover funds. As directed by the CAEP Office, members expend funds with the “first in, first out” process. Members are currently evaluating the fiscal impact of the pandemic and establishing plans to target resources in priorities that align with the 22/23. Annual Plan. Some priorities include the hiring of additional staff and instructors, purchasing equipment and materials that can support varying instruction modalities, investing in technical professional development for all staff, and capitalizing on outreach expenses that will promote programs to students most in need with the legislative approval of 6.56% COLA, members’ allocations will be increased based on the previous percentage of regional allocations. Carryover funds will be spent down to adjust to increasing costs of operations and used to maintain and sustain the programs and services which have been established.

Certification

Alvord Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Craig Shiflett

09/13/2022 10:20 AM PDT

Corona-Norco Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Thoibi Rublaitus

09/13/2022 08:03 AM PDT

Jurupa Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Annamarie Montanez

09/12/2022 08:34 PM PDT

Moreno Valley Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Elsa Magana

09/13/2022 10:52 AM PDT

Riverside CCD - Member Representative

  • Associate Vice Chancellor of Educational Services and Institutional Effectiveness
  • lijuan.zhai@rccd.edu
  • (951) 222-8620
Approved by Lijuan Zhai

09/13/2022 10:57 AM PDT

Riverside Co. Office of Education - Member Representative

Approved by Ms. Lucie Gonzalez

09/12/2022 03:02 PM PDT

Riverside Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Rachel Bramlett

09/12/2022 02:55 PM PDT

Val Verde Unified - Member Representative

Approved by John Parker

09/12/2022 03:34 PM PDT