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CAEP Annual Plan: 2020-21 51 South Bay Consortium for Adult Education

Status: Consortium Approved

California Adult Education Program : Annual Plan : 2020-21 Produced: Aug 10, 2020, 03:44 PM UTC Alecia Kelley

51 South Bay Consortium for Adult Education

Plans & Goals - Consortium Approved

Executive Summary
SBCAE’s mission is to deliver innovative adult education programs designed with human-centered values, and realize an effective, more easily navigable system, where there are safe and supportive spaces, and where there is no wrong door. This mission statement, expressed in SBCAE’s Three Year Plans, and visualized in the Universal Pathways Linking Adult Education and Community College Model, remains the operating framework for 20-21. Given the addition of new member representatives to the Steering Committee, we will start the year with a review of the mission statement and operational model, adjust the model to new realities and align our collaborative vision. 2019-20 accomplishments include updated charter language to foster transparency and accountability among members, increased capacity for data collection, reporting and analysis through the establishment of data community of practices and regular data study sessions. Year one of three-year plan implementation focused on inventorying programs and identification of alignment opportunities. A milestone was the establishment of consistent high school graduation requirements. SBCAE also built on its immigrant integration efforts through the expansion of a partner referral network and contributions to AB2098 implementation. SBCAE’s priority goals include operationalizing changes to the charter, a program alignment focus on CTE and career pathways, and capacity building on alternative program delivery. We will also strengthen referral processes to partner organizations and boost outreach efforts.All 20-21 goals are consistent with the goals of the Three Year Plan. However, the current context marked by COVID-19 and economic crisis, budget uncertainty and societal debate on racial injustices call us to respond in a strategic, equitable and fiscally conservative manner. All SBCAE members will start 20-21 in distance learning, likely continuing this delivery format well into the program year. Members are working to develop new master schedules, adapt course content and train staff. We anticipate digital learning capacity, both for students and staff, to be an ongoing challenge. SBCAE will support member efforts by creating a consortium wide distance learning community of practice, as a venue for best practice sharing. We will also increase efforts to provide students with access to free/low cost technology.The economic impact of COVID-19 is felt disproportionately by the communities served in adult education. SBCAE’s role in economic recovery is reflected in a three-prong approach: 1) Stabilization through support services: eliminate barriers to participation and success by connecting to on-campus resources or safety-net services available in the community2) Prioritizing short-term CTE pathways that have high-employment and earnings potential, in partnership with community members and employers3) Position ourselves as a key regional player through participation in regional workforce development networksSystemic racial injustices have contributed to the economic divide in Silicon Valley. The achievement gap, digital divide and housing crisis, already present before COVID-19, have been exposed and exacerbated. Through regular strategic planning processes, SBCAE has established a practice of evaluating regional need, including focused attention on minority populations. SBCAE’s immigrant integration work is linked to the finding that we do not serve a homogenous student body, but rather seek to customize programs and supports to the needs of different population groups and individuals. For the upcoming year, we commit to using demographically filtered student data to inform decision making. The current public debate is an urgent reminder to evaluate how we contribute to persistent racial injustice. Member districts have already initiated professional development plans that include cultural competency and implicit bias training. All of our efforts this year will happen against a backdrop of budget uncertainty. Even though CAEP funding has been restored to 19-20 levels, SBCAE members expect budget uncertainty to continue into the program year, and therefore have adopted a fiscally conservative mindset. We seek to reaffirm tiers of priority established in response to the prior economic downturn to help guide allocation decisions. An ongoing review will be made of how member resources support the goals and objectives of the Regional and Annual plans, as well as an appraisal of resources and structure for consortium-wide supports. Responding strategically, effectively, and authentically to the needs of the community we serve will continue to be our guiding principle. Doing so under unprecedented and challenging circumstances, collaboration and leveraging of resources among member districts and community partners will be imperative.
Regional Planning Overview
Building on, and consistent with, SBCAE’s three-year regional planning process, the development of the 2020-2021 annual plan included comprehensive data review and stakeholder input. Multiple data study sessions were held with SBCAE’s Steering Committee members, consultation council, transition specialists, faculty work groups and other consortium staff. Collectively, the group reviewed student enrollment and outcome data, fiscal data and labor market information. Responding to the unique circumstances of this and next program year, the consortium developed and administered a COVID-19 impact survey among members. Survey results were aggregated and presented to the Steering Committee. Members were also engaged in a comprehensive review of the accomplishments and challenges of the fourteen projects of the 2019-2020 annual plan. Said data review and study informed the development of emerging priorities for the new program year, which were further refined through a series of annual plan retreats, roundtable discussions and individual stakeholder conversations. Annual plan priorities were informed by and are responsive to current COVID-19 public health recommendations, ongoing public debate around systemic racial injustices and ongoing budget uncertainties. As has been our practice in previous years, SBCAE’s annual plan is internally organized into project areas, each including specific goals and activities. The eight project areas for the 2020-2020 program year build on prior year’s projects (organizational structure, data and accountability, professional development, seamless transitions, support services) and address the immediate needs of our community and members (CTE focused program alignment, alternative (online) delivery and outreach). Each project will be guided by Steering Committee members, following the two-system representation principle. Prior to, or during the first weeks of the 2020-2021 program year, project work plans will be developed that will include specific activities, milestones, timelines and indicators of success. Progress towards meeting annual plan goals, as measured by agreed upon indicators of success, will be reported on and reviewed regularly with all stakeholders in public meetings.

Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Educational Attainment and English Language Proficiency:Overall regional need can be viewed through the lens of livability in the South Bay. Looking at income inequality, the need for English Language Proficiency, housing affordability and the challenges faced by immigrants highlight the critical need for economic mobility and adult education. An analysis of general demographics for Santa Clara County highlights income inequality. In 2019 the population of Santa Clara County was counted as 1,927,852 and from 2011-2019 unemployment decreased steadily from 9.3% to 2.5%, however not all employment provides equal opportunity. In 2018, median Silicon Valley income was $126,606, an increase of 6.36% in just one year. By contrast, an estimated 229,000+ adults over the age of 25 have not completed high school and an additional 279,000+ adults over the age of 25 have completed high school only. This effectively removes over 500,000 adults from accessing the jobs that are most prevalent and afford the ability to live in SCC, namely jobs in the following fields; Computer & Mathematics occupations, Management Occupations, Office and Administrative, Sales and Business and Financial Operations. Language barriers further complicate access beyond school completion level. Approximately 21.1% of people in Santa Clara County aged 5 or older have limited English proficiency. It is also estimated 18.2% of SCC residents are non-US citizens. In 2018-19 Adult Education enrollment in ESL programs was 43% of total enrollment in Silicon Valley. Even more challenging are the barriers facing the undocumented population of Santa Clara County. Estimates for undocumented immigrants in Santa Clara County vary between 138,000 to over 200,000, with an estimates as high as 81% being over the age of 25 and an estimated 38% of undocumented immigrants over the age of 5 speak english “not well”/”not at all”. For all of these residents, maintaining a foothold in the region is increasingly difficult as residency in Santa Clara County and San Jose in particular is extraordinarily expensive. 7.3% (139,074) of SCC residents are flagged as living in poverty (2018) but this is based on the national thresholds of approximately 18-20K/year for a family of 2 with 2 or fewer children, for the purposes of Housing in SJ-Sunyvale-Santa Clara HUD Metro FMR area, a household of 2 earning anything less than 89,750 is considered “low income”. Contrasting that to housing costs, between 2017 and 2018, median property value increased 14.3% and less than 10,000 housing units in SJ are designated as affordable family housing units.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
These metrics were gathered from publicly available data from the following sources including; the US Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, sanjoseca.gov, datausa.io (which leverages the Bureau of Economic Affairs, Census Data and others), the Migration Policy Institute, the 2018 Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), the Kaiser Permanente 2019 Santa Clara Community Health Needs Assessment the Valley Transit Authority Brief.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
As a consortium, student level data on demographics, program enrollment and barriers to employment will be tracked and studied to examine key metrics related to the success of adult students in achieving their stated goals within and between Agencies. Further, quarterly data study sessions at the consortium level will continue as a mode of regular data review with members and stakeholders.

Regional Need #2

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
COVID-19 Impact on regional economy:Massive spikes in unemployment have occurred as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, but these effects have been particularly acute for adults with any education level below college, immigrants, and adults working in specifically related sectors; hospitality, construction, retail and education and social assistance. Due to the recency of these effects, data must be examined at the national level to help inform the context at the regional level. Nationally as of the end of May, unemployment for U.S born men and women with only a High School diploma say unemployment rates of 11.9% and 14.8% respectively. For immigrants, this number increased to 15.1% and 21.9%. Unemployment rates for those without a High School diploma are even higher; 15.3% for U.S. born men, 22% for U.S. born women, 17.3% for Immigrant men and 22.5% for Immigrant women. Not all employment sectors are equally affected. U.S. born workers are showing the following rates of unemployment; 10.9% in Construction, 33.8% in Leisure and hospitality, 15.6% in retail, and 11.8% in education and social assistance. Unsurprisingly, these numbers increase for immigrants; 15.1% in Construction, 38.4% in Leisure and hospitality, 19.9% in retail, and 16.9% in education and social assistance sectors. Regionally, based on reporting from May-June, the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara area numbers mirror these national trends. In aggregate, overall unemployment as of May was 11.2%, compared to the 2019 estimate of 2.2%. This translates into an overall reduction of 126,000 non-farm jobs, with leisure and hospitality losing 48,000, Education and Social Assistance 12,300, Construction down 9,100 and Trade, Transportation & Utilities losing 18,300. It's also important to be mindful that these numbers are likely undercounted as official unemployment rates include only people who are actively seeking work or on layoff with a clear expectation of being recalled to a job which result in undercounting during the pandemic where stay-at-home orders make it hard to search for work and result in uncertain prospects. National estimates as of May indicate that young adults, those with a high school education, and those with less than a high school education may have unemployment rates that are undercounted by as many as 2.7, 3.1 and 1.1 million respectfully. Finally, looking at unemployment does not fully capture the economic impact, as it does not include those who remain employed but have seen their income streams contract. Nationally, 27% of adults reported having taken a pay cut and by early April that number had increased to 33%.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Metrics from the previous section were collected from; the Pew Research Center, the Migration Policy Institute, the American Institute for Research and CA.gov EDD LMI reporting on the Santa Clara County Labor market.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Closing this gap can be achieved by successfully increasing the offering of (and subsequent enrollment in) programs in the vein of short term CTE in relevant industries based on the opportunities available in the South Bay. Particular attention and emphasis will be placed on job placement tracking and surveying employment outcomes as part of CAEP and WIOA data collection.

Regional Need #3

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
COVID-19 IMPACT on SAFETY NET needs:COVID-19 impacts to employment have precipitated such an unprecedented demand for support services that existing programs and providers have been stretched far beyond previous capacities. Aside from unemployment as discussed above, food security has become an primary concern for many people in the South Bay. In April, Second Harvest Food Bank was delivering approximately 2 million meals per week, a 45% increase from February. The organization received an average of 1,000 calls per day to it’s food connection hotline in April, compared to 150 calls per day pre-pandemic, and this number has continued to grow. The Santa Clara County Social Services Agency reported applications for CalFresh, a federally funded state food assistance program, was 4,000 in March and 8,000 in April. Community survey and anecdotal data from Consortium Transition Specialist reenforce food security concerns, as well as pointing out other troubling data points, particularly housing concerns. Catholic Charities recently completed a survey of 555 Parishioners, sampled from three parishes in the San Jose area; 40% of respondents did not believe they would be able to pay June rent. 49% anticipated entering homelessness as of January 2021. Notably, 69% of respondents were unemployed with only 48% anticipating they would have a job to return to when shelter-in-place ends. Childcare is also a challenge with 38% of respondents indicating that they had unmet childcare needs and 20% indicating this unmet childcare need would prevent them from returning to work. Clearly, the housing data is particularly troubling. At this time, specific enumerated trends and early indicator data are currently hard to establish however, if employment prospects continue to lag and if eviction freezes and back rent supports are not in place, an unprecedented number of families are at risk for homelessness. Due to these gaps, it is critical that service providers form and/or strengthen their information sharing networks, which will enable more accurate information about available services to disseminate to those in need more quickly. Additionally, relationships between service providers will enable more complete data sharing and advocacy.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
These metrics were obtained from recent reports by CalFresh, Mercury News, a SBCAE COVID-19 Impact survey and Catholic Charities Parish Survey.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Effectiveness in ameliorating this gap will be measured by the ability to maintain and strengthen the SBCAE Community Connections network of support service organizations. Continuing to hold regular meetings and update and share the resource catalog will be critical. Additionally, the ability to quickly make referrals from SBCAE to those organizations and a plan at each Agency to provide students with the opportunity to be connected with resources they might need will be formalized.

Regional Need #4

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Digital Divide:The COVID-19 pandemic forced the suspension of nearly all face to face instruction and has deeply underscored the digital divide. An oft used term, we consider the digital divide to consist not only of the presence or absence of access to broadband internet in the home but also whether or not a household has access to sufficient numbers and types of devices AND the sufficient knowledge of how to use this technology to effectively participate in purely online curriculum. Despite being located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the likelihood of the absence of broadband in the home is highly correlated to household income. Any number less than 100% connectivity represents households that can not fully participate in online education and 55% of low-income San Jose residents are unconnected. In 2018, less than 80% of households in the East Side Union High district had broadband access, with 20% of students being ELL and 48% qualifying for FRPL. Overall in San Jose, 95,000 residents lacked internet access at home. Clearly, household income is also an indicator of the likelihood a household possesses the necessary technology to effectively participate in online learning; PC’s, laptops, cameras microphones, tablets etc. Further, simply having access to the necessary devices is insufficient, knowledge of how to use these devices as well as a variety of software platforms is also required. The availability of devices must go hand in hand with the availability of curriculum that addresses the use of these devices. Students are not the only ones who lack access to technology, the rapidity of SIP also brought to light the gaps in technology and software skills on the supply side of education delivery. In a recent SBCAE COVID-19 impact survey to Agency Directors, feedback was received that a large proportion of disengaged students listed lack of access to computers or internet as a reason for disengaging from their curriculum when SIP began. Also, administrators all over the state have lauded the efforts of their faculty to pivot their curriculum to a digital format and to gain a mastery of a wide variety of online platforms at breakneck speed.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
These metrics were gleaned from the SBCAECOVID-19 impact survey, Edsource, COVID-19 Educator forums and the San Jose Digital Inclusion Fund.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
The ability to measure effectiveness in closing this gap will come from the increasing formalization of student information gathering specifically targeted to maximize Agency understanding of individual student needs for technology. Whether or not resources can be refocused on providing technology to students in need, availability of curriculum to address platform proficiency gaps, and connecting students to support in connecting bandwidth to their homes. Further, it is critical to maintain close contact between SBCAE Agency administrations to ensure best practices in use of online learning platforms and that consortium-wide economies of scale can be leveraged if possible. Formal support and Professional Development for faculty and administration must include support on necessary technology and distance learning methodologies. Lastly, continued participation in educator community resource sharing across California is needed to ensure the use of best practices in the wider education community and to share what has been successful for SBCAE.

Regional Need #5

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Systemic Racial inequities:Leveraging Launchboard to compare the percentages of our top four racial demographics (Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic and White) in regard to ASE and CTE program participation to program completion. For Asian students, ASE participation versus outcomes is 16% (participation) to 10%(completion), for Black or African American students 4% to 5%, Hispanic students 63% to 62%, and white students 11% to 13%. CTE for Asian students 32%(participation) to 36%(completion), Black or African American students 4% to 4%, Hispanic students 36% to 38%, and White students 14% to 9%. Though relatively similar percentages are observed, deeper statistical analysis must be performed to check for significant differences across disparate denominators. Further, program enrollment must be compared to regional populations to ensure equity of access. Previously existing consortium wide data reporting has consisted of the examination of program enrollment, and year long outcomes, for the purposes of studying trends across years and between agencies. This critical push for a lens on equity highlights the need to grow the analytical capacity of the consortium by creating a framework for analyzing course level data such that demographic comparisons can be made. In doing so, at the consortium level, it will enable the examination of discrete outcomes and provide the ability to observe the presence of differences along demographic groups.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
These metrics were obtained by examining Launchboard regional data. The plan going forward for an equity analysis of Consortium was designed by completing an examination of existing consortium wide data structures and their current capabilities.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
The successful establishment of a persistent data consortium wide data set for course level enrollment will be the foundation for further analysis, the establishment of benchmarks and provide concrete metrics upon which to build our understanding of institutional equity.

Gaps In Service

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Maintain Capacity to serve Adult Learners in Central Santa Clara County:Just as anywhere else in the State of California and the United States as a whole, the coronavirus public health crisis and ensuing economic impact have laid bare longstanding inequities and disproportionate access issues in the South Bay Consortium for Adult Education’s service area. Many of the statistics referenced in our first and second Three Year Regional Plans for Adult Education are still painfully true today: too many adults in our community lack a high school diploma; there is a consistent need for immigrants and refugees, both newcomers and longtime members of our communities, to improve their English language skills and have access to the tools they need to successfully integrate into civic and economic life; there is a widening gap between low-income and high-income earners, as well as an increased need for upskilling and reskilling pathways for those not yet making a family sustaining wage. The impact of COVID-19 on our lowest income, primarily black and brown populations’ opportunities for social and economic mobility is now even greater, and makes an efficient, strategic and collaborative response even more urgent.Existing funding levels for adult education were insufficient to meet the regional need before the pandemic. An uncertain funding environment spurred by an economic recession, coupled with rapidly changing public health guidance will greatly impact our consortium’s ability to provide much needed services to our community. Two strategies in SBCAE’s 2020-2021 Annual Plan will specifically encourage the maintenance of our collective capacity to offer and deliver services:1) Prudent fiscal management, including leveraging of resources2) Digital capacity building, both for providers and students3) Increase SBCAE’s visibility at affiliated K-12 school districts, community based organizations and in the community at large.Given the anticipated unpredictable budgetary picture throughout the course of the program year, SBCAE will have a conservative approach to consortium-wide spending, by reviewing consortium-wide functions and allocations, consolidating functions where possible and seeking cost-saving options for consortium-wide events. Our members will seek to identify existing resources within the system that can and should be leveraged to deliver a regionally coordinated adult education model. Building on existing partnerships with community based organizations, workforce development boards and public libraries, we will continue to invest in mutually beneficial partner relations to provide the best services possible to adult learners in our region.Public Health guidance in Santa Clara County from the onset of the pandemic has advocated bold measures to restrict in person gatherings that can contribute to the transmission of COVID-19, including in-person instruction. As of the writing of this plan, both SBCAE’s Community College District members will provide 100% online instruction in the fall, possibly longer. Adult School members are awaiting final guidance from public school districts but will likely provide the majority, if not all, classes online. This poses significant challenges related to digital capacity of providers and learners, which SBCAE will seek to alleviate by investing in a robust professional development plan, seeking donations of hardware, software, connectivity devices for providers as well as students, and a strong focus on digital literacy throughout program areas.With the majority of SBCAE’s programs and services being delivered virtually, we will need to increase our efforts to maintain visibility in our communities. A first strategy to achieve this will be to enhance our online presence by updating and maintaining our existing websites (sbcae.org and Open Doors South Bay) to reflect the most up to date information about available adult learning opportunities. Leveraging our network of community partners, we will be more intentional about outreach to targeted populations that could benefit from our services.
Strategy #2
Establish SBCAE as a key player in regional economic recovery:Adult Education plays a critical role in the regional workforce development and immigrant integration ecosystems. From the onset, the consortium model has enabled SBCAE members to frame its services to the community in the broader, holistic context of immigrant integration, economic and social mobility. Knowing that a) economic integration, by ways of training programs that increase adult learners’ access to the workforce, is one of the three pillars of immigrant integration (economic, social, linguistic), and b) the economic impact of COVID-19 is disproportionately shouldered by the very student populations served in adult education; SBCAE will seek to firmly establish its role in the regional workforce development and training ecosystem. The Silicon Valley region in which SBAE operates is blessed with a rich, but often fragmented, group of workforce and training providers. While the consortium model in and of itself has allowed training providers to make significant progress toward a more coordinated, collaborative service delivery infrastructure; much remains to be done to improve the user experience throughout the system as a whole, and increase access to education and training for our most vulnerable populations.Since the advent of the coronavirus crisis, a powerful group of regional leaders in workforce development and training has formed to respond collectively to the challenges of these times. SBCAE is a proud participant and driver of the Santa Clara County COVID-19 Bridge to Recovery Program, an initiative of the County’s Social Services Agency Department of Employment Benefits Services, facilitated by Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County.From the COVID-19 Bridge to Recovery Program (C19 BRP) manifesto: C19 BRP serves as a comprehensive and coordinated community response to the economic and health crisis caused by COVID-19 in Santa Clara County. The C19 BRP seeks to rally a cross sector meeting of the minds in addressing immediate safety net needs, while taking swift action to ensure a strategic workforce development plan is instituted now to ensure access to employment resources and training in order to minimize longer term economic and health impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. The immediate response to COVID-19 must also advance a long-term vision of equity, access, and social justice.
Strategy #3
Respond to adult learners’ increased demand for safety net services:Historically, adult schools have capitalized on strong relationships with community-based organizations, public libraries, local government, workforce development board and social services agencies that serve the same population. Understanding that adult schools generally don’t have the resources to address the many barriers that prohibit adult learners from achieving success in their education and training, SBCAE intentionally invested significant time and resources in engaging community partners in a collaborative impact model centered on the development of a mutually beneficial, reciprocal referral partner network. In addition to being a mechanism to provide adult learners with the supports they need in order to be successful in their education pathway, the project was also deeply embedded in our commitment to immigrant integration, and the provision of holistic services to students. The network expanded significantly in the 2019-2020 program year, going from one to three participating adult schools and from 5 to over 10 community partner organizations. Now entering year two of Three-Year Regional Plan implementation, SBCAE plans to engage all its member schools and colleges in the network, and share the findings, products and resources developed during the piloting phase of the project with all stakeholders. COVID-19 has greatly increased the need for safety net services such as food assistance, medical and mental health services, financial assistance and unemployment services. Though key partners in the existing network provide services in the above-mentioned areas, we plan to re-assess student needs to determine the highest priority needs and identify the appropriate partners that can help address them. MOUs and data sharing agreements with core partners will be established to facilitate a seamless referral process and accurate data tracking of the number of referrals. In that regard, the project will continue to be responsive to the AB2098/immigrant integration in adult education legislation that permits adult education consortia to report immigrant integration outcomes as part of the regular data reporting cycle.

Seamless Transitions

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Expand programs and supports for students transitioning to postsecondary education, workforce or community:A core, and urgent, strategy of SBCAE in the 2020-2021 program year will be to develop robust, well-articulated CTE Pathways in a limited number of priority career sectors, that can serve a template for future expansion of connections between existing and future adult education programs to postsecondary academic and/or career pathways leading to employment. A more detailed description of this strategy can be found in section VI. Student Acceleration.Expanding programs and supports for students transitioning to postsecondary education, workforce or community engagement was one of seven goals in SBCAE’s Three-Year Regional Plan. Building on the progress made in year one, we will continue best practices to transition students to college, career and community. The adult school to community college transition will continue to be supported by our network of Transition Specialists, who conduct activities such as campus tours, outreach events, or individual support services. Furthermore, more attention will be given this year to the transition from ESL/Basic Skills to ASE/CTE, regardless of where those transitions occur, i.e. within adult schools, from adult school to non- credit, adult school to credit, non-credit to credit.Current economic conditions make it imperative for SBCAE to increase our efforts to transition students to the workplace and explore avenues to make on the job training more accessible for English learners and basic skills students. Embedded in the development of end to end career pathways development will be career exploration modules from student intake and enrollment through key pathway transition points and completion. Transition Specialists will continue to strengthen relationships with the two workforce development boards serving our region to connect students with job search, networking and resume writing skills, as well as co-enrollment in workforce development and training services. Additionally, we will identify and direct students to job boards already available in our consortium, as well as in the community at large.Foundational to achieving seamless transitions for students will be the continued resourcing and professional development of SBAE Transition Specialists. We will continue implementation of Community Pro Suite as a case management tool used by Transition Specialists and their partners, as well as develop a resource guide/desk manual to be used by those staff guiding students in their education pathway.True to our commitment to data-informed decision making in the 3YRP, we will continue our efforts to regularly review student data, in particular how it relates to transitions as defined by AB104 and AB2098. In the past few years, we have expanded our capacity to collect, report and analyze the data sets necessary to accomplish this activity, and look forward to analyzing data reports on student transitions, and be responsive to those analyses by improving our supports and services to students seeking the next step in their education and training.
Strategy #2
Common intake and assessment process, utilizing updated pathway maps, leading to an Individual Education Plan:A longstanding goal, dating back to SBCAE’s first Regional Plan for Adult Education and re- affirmed in the second Three Year Plan, is to establish common intake and assessment tools and procedures, leading to an individual education plan for each student. In the 20-21 program year, we will review the common intake form already in use by members, and make updates necessary to capture all required CAEP data elements. A simple tool to assess students' assets and barriers for consortium-wide adoption will also be identified, as part of the intake process or as part of the personalized services provided by Transition Specialists. Utilizing products of previous mapping exercises such as ESL alignment charts, SBCAE CTE matrix and the Open Doors website’s Career Pathway Tool, we will develop new pathway maps that visualize pathways to college, career and community from a student perspective.We envision these pathway maps to be initially embedded into the desk manual for Transition Specialists, and to later serve as a tool for any staff guiding students in their next steps, or to be included in outreach materials.Finally, we will seek to identify a common template for individualized student education plans that can be used across schools and travel with students as they move through our systems.

Student Acceleration

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Develop robust, well-articulated CTE Pathways in a targeted number of priority career sectors:Organized under the broader umbrella of ‘program alignment’, we will focus our alignment efforts for the 20-21 program years on a strategic set of well-articulated career ladders in priority career sectors. This project area will be centered around three core activities: best practices review, program development and data analysis.The design process employed in the pathway development will be grounded in a shared understanding of best practices and principles embedded in SBCAE’s vision: (guided) career pathways, career ladders, no wrong door access, seamless transitions and human centered design. To achieve this common understanding across members, in many cases now represented by administrators new to the consortium’s Steering Committee, SBCAE leadership will identify professional development resources that will be shared with all members and discussed prior to pathway development conversations.Priority career sectors will be identified through an expedited process of labor market review, organizational capacity review and student demand. Initial candidates for consideration include: automotive technology, early childhood education, hospitality management, advanced manufacturing (laser technology and electrical engineering), community health navigator, business/accounting and entrepreneurship. Cross-program pathway development teams will be charged with mapping out existing pathway elements, identifying gaps and developing or improving onramps for ESL and Basic Skills students by way of contextualized ESL (IET) or contextualized ABE/ASE programs. Where feasible, we will employ human centered design principles in the development of the career ladder, and seek employer engagement to ensure a close connection between training and employment opportunities.The inventorying of existing pathway elements conducted as part of this project will include a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of bridge programs and contextualized ESL classes currently offered within the consortium’s structure. The increased capacity of SBCAE’s data infrastructure in recent years will help us understand how students move between SBCAE schools and colleges, and where they transition into and from pathway ‘on-ramps’ such as bridge programs, contextualized ESL or dual enrollment courses. Data analysis of these transitions will inform development of new pathways components.
Strategy #2
Increase providers’ and students’ capacity to deliver and access distance learning or hybrid program delivery models:As the COVID-19 public health crisis continues to be a concern not only in our region but across the state, country and the world; SBCAE schools and colleges will need to adapt their program delivery format to align with current public health guidance to ensure safety of students and staff. Conditions and guidance are changing rapidly, and strategies will need to allow providers to quickly shift between distance learning, hybrid models or in person instruction. At this point in time, many if not all SBCAE schools and colleges will start the 2020-2021 program year in 100% distance learning, with possibly a few exceptions to accommodate student testing or hands-on CTE components.Regardless of the pandemic-induced shift to alternative delivery formats, SBCAE had already identified alternative modes of delivery, aligned with students’ ability to attend and persist in classes, as an important goal in the Three Year Regional Plan. The current circumstances, while obviously not desirable, provide an opportunity for adult education to embrace new instructional technologies and innovative ways of serving non-traditional students. Our efforts in this project area will center around three goals: identify and share best practices in blended and distance learning, provide additional digital capacity for providers; and provide equitable access and expand digital capacity for students.While many quality resources around digital delivery of instruction are widely available, we want to leverage the collective infrastructure of the consortium to identify and make available high quality resources that can be adopted by our members. To allow educators in our consortium to share best practices and exchange implementation ideas, we will create a cross-consortium distance learning community of practice group to research and disseminate distance learning models for adult learners with a lens toward equity and quality. This group will also be charged with identifying opportunities for alignment of learning software and Learning Management Systems (LMS) across members, as well as creating and managing a collaborative workspace or resource repository to share distance-learning resources such as technology orientations, curriculum or digital literacy benchmarks developed by SBCAE members.Finally, a major anticipated need is ensuring that all SBCAE students have access to the devices and broadband connectivity needed to access distance learning. A spring 2020 member survey on the impact of COVID-19 on learners’ capacity to access online classes revealed that many students don’t have reliable Wi-Fi connection or lack data bandwidth. Others lack devices or share devices with other family members, which limits their ability to participate in synchronous instruction. We plan to use the collective power of our consortium to approach vendors, service providers, businesses, nonprofits, libraries or local governments with an ask in support of internet access for adult learners in the community.
Strategy #3
Student-centered programs that are responsive to the unique realities of adult learners:We strongly believe that student acceleration and improved outcomes increase significantly when students are meaningfully engaged in program design, and all efforts are taken to eliminate barriers to success they might face.Increasing student voice in the consortium’s operations is exemplified by our commitment to employing human centered design processes wherever possible. Unfortunately, progress toward increased student engagement at the consortium level was halted by the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing shelter in place orders. We will reassess how best to include students in consortium-wide decision making when we have a better understanding of our student body and ways to engage with them in the fall. Plans that were put on hold when shelter in place orders were issued in Santa Clara County include developing a consortium-wide student survey, including immigrant integration measures, to be administered across consortium members and analyzed for program improvement purposes. We are hopeful to pick this back up when operations resume in the new program year.To reduce or eliminate barriers to success faced by our diverse student body, we will continue to rely on our network of community partners, and make referrals to needed support services. Since there have been dramatic changes in the daily lives of all members of our community, a priority activity will be to reassess the needs of our students and prioritize referrals to services that alleviate the impact of COVID-19. Emerging priority supportive service needs include digital access, food and housing assistance, unemployment benefits, mental health services and domestic violence prevention. We will update the consortium-wide resource guide based on the results of this needs assessment, and identify avenues for making this information more widely available to consortium members and their staff.Special attention will be given to adults with disabilities, in particular adult education students with learning disabilities. Building on the capacity and expertise developed by our adults with disabilities specialist, we will direct teachers and classified staff to professional development resources available on our website and reinforce their relevance. We will also seek to identify strategies for adult education students to access learning disability screening or other diagnostic services available at the community colleges, for the purpose of test taking and classroom accommodations.

Professional Development

New Strategies

Strategy #1
SBCAE’s professional development strategies for 2020-2021 will be closely aligned with the priority strategies of the Annual Plan:developing robust and well-articulated CTE pathways, and adding to providers’ capacity to develop and deliver high quality online delivery of programs with an equity lens. As described in earlier sections of this plan, we will kick off the CTE pathway development project with a collaborative study of best practices in career pathways/career ladders development, to ensure a shared understanding of consortium goals and objectives.A community of practice will be formed around the topic of online/blended learning to encourage sharing of best practices. Members will be encouraged to access training and professional development resources made available by state and national technical assistance providers, including CAEP TAP, OTAN, CalPro, CCAE, COABE or World Education, among others. This group will also be responsible to facilitate the dissemination of member-created digital learning resources such as technology orientation materials in multiple languages, curriculum, digital literacy benchmarks and assessments or staff training materials.Building on the data collection, reporting and analysis capacity building work started in year one of the active Three Year Regional Plan, we will continue to facilitate cross-member teams of data leads and provide them with the technical assistance needed to achieve consistent data collection and reporting across the consortium.To facilitate networking and information sharing across members, we will create peer-to-peer (online) networking opportunities for role-alike staff representing all members.As in previous years, a calendar of member PD offerings will be made available to all members, and the consortium will invest in an all-consortium professional development conference if and when public health conditions allow for in-person gatherings, or consider virtual conference options as desired and appropriate.

Leveraging Resources

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Stakeholder engagement and Partnerships:As referenced in the Gaps in Services, Seamless Transitions and Student Acceleration, SBCAE seeks to continue to expand effective partnerships with local workforce and community service providers in the upcoming program year. Through our community connections referral network, we will address critical support services and safety net needs of our students. Enhanced partnership with our workforce development partners will ensure students have access to workforce development and employment services. We seek to formalize these existing and to be developed partnerships through the establishment of Memoranda of Understanding between SBCAE and partner agencies. Furthermore, SBCAE will engage the leadership of some of our trusted partner organizations as thought partners in the improved delivery of critical workforce development, training and immigrant integration services in our region.Through the active engagement of SBCAE Steering Committee members, we will ensure adult education is represented in key regional networks such as the COVID-19 Bridge to Recovery Project, the Refugee and Immigrant Forum of Santa Clara County, Opportunity Youth Partnership and the County Re-Entry network.As outlined in the Three Year Regional Plan, we will communicate relevant fiscal and student data through public governance meetings of the SBCAE Steering Committee, newsletters and web archives.
Strategy #2
Leveraged funding streams and resource development:AB104 calls for CAEP funding allocated to consortia to be supplemented by established funded streams in the K-12 Adult School and Community College systems. SBCAE will continue its efforts to accurately identify and report where funding streams such as WIOA, Strong Workforce Program, or Perkins, among others, are leveraged in support of the stated goals in the consortium’s Three Year and Annual Plan for Adult Education. Member representatives on the SBCAE Steering Committee will ensure that the interests of the consortium are adequately represented in decision-making bodies of the above mentioned funding streams.In addition to publicly funded resources available among consortium members, the consortium will boost its efforts to apply for additional public (local, state, federal) or private grants.Wherever possible, we will seek to jointly apply for funding with partner agencies who share the same mission and goals as SBCAE, and serve the same target audience.

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 California Adult Education Program requirements, SBCAE’s Annual Plan will be aligned with the active Three Year Regional Plan for Adult Education, while also being responsive to current community needs and conditions. The Annual Plan will be approved by the SBCAE Steering Committee in a formal public governance meeting, and members will align their CAEP allocations with the objectives in the Annual Plan through the budget submission and approval process in NOVA.Furthermore, in accordance with the SBCAE Charter, members will provide regular updates on expenditures, and their alignment with the Annual and Three-Year Plans at public Steering Committee meetings. Allocations to consortium-wide functions will be part of this regular budget review cycle.
An approach to incorporating remaining carry-over funds from prior year(s) into strategies planned for 2020-21.
Although there are SBCAE members who have some carry-over CAEP funds, it is safe to say that no member feels it has adequate resources to achieve the ambitious goals and objectives of the SBCAE Three Year Regional Plan for Adult Education. However, we are confident our current established practices, designed to foster transparency and accountability among members, can facilitate the right conversations about using carry-over funds appropriately, in alignment with the 20-21 Annual Plan. This year we have added language to our consortium’s Charter to formalize transparency on how CAEP funds are used. Per our Charter, and in public meetings, we will review how members’ CAEP funds have been used, and how those uses effectively align to the consortium’s Three Year and Annual Plans. Historically we have trusted members to use their funds as they determine. When making decisions about funds our Steering Committee has referred to an agreement developed four years ago for our first Regional Plan. This agreement defined five “tiers of priorities” for decisions about funding, especially if or when additional funding is available. The first priority, or first tier, is to maintain regional capacity for delivering basic skills program for adults. The other tiers describe how beta projects and innovations are supported, without diminishing regional capacity of adult education programs. It is an assumption that these fiscal values and operational principles will be used in this year’s discussions about members’ funding and effectiveness, including monitoring carry-over funding from past years. It is also true that some members’ representatives were not active with the Steering Committee when the original “tiers of priorities” were agreed to. There will be further discussions this year to explore how the new Charter language about fiscal accountability is applied, as well as reviewing whether the five tiers of priorities for SBCAE CAEP funding is still universally agreed to. This process of transparent fiscal accountability will show where carry-over funds exist, and be foundational to discussions on how they should be used. Without question, this will be a year of unexpected fiscal demands, given that there is no COLA and the significant extra costs in shifting to the kind of program delivery required by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s reasonable to assume that carry-over funds will support our response to the pandemic, with (again, consistent with our first tier of priorities) assuring that the needs of those students most vulnerable, with basic skills needs, will be addressed first with CAEP dollars.

Certification

Campbell Union High - Member Representative

Approved by Dr. Usha Narayanan

08/07/2020 11:09 AM PDT

East Side Union High - Member Representative

Approved by Traci Williams

08/07/2020 12:28 PM PDT

Metropolitan Education District - Member Representative

Approved by Alecia Kelley

08/10/2020 08:44 AM PDT

Milpitas Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Milpitas Unified School District Giuliana Brahim

08/07/2020 10:58 AM PDT

San Jose-Evergreen CCD - Member Representative

Approved by Kishan Vujjeni

08/10/2020 08:24 AM PDT

Santa Clara Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Christine Berdiansky

08/07/2020 12:14 PM PDT

West Valley-Mission CCD - Member Representative

Approved by Mr. Brad Weisberg 7414084

08/07/2020 12:49 PM PDT