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CAEP Annual Plan: 2022-23 51 South Bay Consortium for Adult Education

Status: Consortium Approved

California Adult Education Program : Annual Plan : 2022-23 Produced: Sep 12, 2022, 07:18 PM UTC Usha Narayanan

51 South Bay Consortium for Adult Education

Plans & Goals

Executive Summary

In a time of economic recovery, when systemic inequities can no longer be ignored and entire systems are reviewing their commitment to social justice, adult education emerges as a longstanding ally of those most likely to be affected by public health emergencies, climate crises, economic downturns, systemic racism, anti-immigrant rhetoric and persistent opportunity gaps. 

There continues to be tremendous potential for adult education in California to promote upward social and economic mobility for thousands of Californians. This will require a collaborative, coordinated response to address barriers to accessing postsecondary education, the workforce and immigrant integration. The South Bay Consortium for Adult Education’s (SBCAE) vision for adult education to be regionally coordinated, across education systems and in partnership with stakeholders, is as relevant and needed today as it was in the early days of the consortium. 

As SBCAE is reaching greater organizational maturity, and expanded consortium-wide capacity is in place, the consortium is well positioned to achieve meaningful impact for adult learners. Year one of SBCAE’s 2022-2025 Regional Plan for Adult Education will focus on strategies to address educational needs, improve integration of services and transitions, and improve the effectiveness of services, summarized in a three-step vision:

1: Build the map

Pathways for adult learners are at times unclear, fragmented, or present learners with unexpected dead ends. To make educational options more clear, SBCAE will deploy a sector specific pathway approach, with a strong emphasis on onramps for English learners and basic skills students. In program year 2022-23, at least 3 new short term CTE and pre-apprenticeship programs will be added in priority sectors (healthcare, IT, public service). Pathway linkages in the form of articulation agreements, bridge programs, contextualized ESL, colocation and dual enrollment will be added, focusing on healthcare pathways first. Differentiated ESL pathways for college, career or community will be designed. HSD/HSE programs will be offered in multiple modalities, with increased options for dual enrollment. In response to AB705, consortium members will develop a coordinated strategy to help prepare adult learners for college level math and English.

2: Help learners navigate the map

SBCAE will step up its efforts to help students navigate the education landscape and identify the pathway that is most relevant to their goals. A goal-based navigation protocol and tool will be developed. The Open Doors website will be redesigned to include an improved career pathway portal, an ESL class database and a HSD/HSE program finder. Clear pathway maps will be developed to promote a common understanding of educational options. Transition Specialists will support learner transitions, and students will have an individual academic plan in place.

3: Support learners along the way

SBCAE will continue to work with community partners to help alleviate barriers to success experienced by students. The reciprocal referral network will be strengthened and expanded. Support for adults with learning disabilities will remain in place through the Learning Disabilities Specialist position. 

A continuous improvement process, grounded in student voice and data analysis, will serve as a feedback loop for the consortium and its members to learn and adjust the strategies when needed. 

The Plan also includes strategies to strengthen the consortium’s operations:

- Organizational Structure and Governance: the consortium will streamline its organizational capacity and organize work groups or project teams aligned with strategies described in this plan. A finance and member effectiveness committee will be established.

- Data: SBCAE strives to be a data-informed consortium. Starting in 2022-23, SBCAE will build on its existing Data Study Session model to systematically analyze enrollment and student outcome data to improve program impact. We will also critically review outcomes through an equity lens to ensure all students are supported to reach their goals. 

- Outreach and marketing: SBCAE will continue to increase its online and community presence. Targeted outreach will be directed towards high-need communities.  

- Professional Development: the annual consortium-wide professional development day will remain on the calendar. The consortium will  disseminate professional development resources and provide opportunities for role-alike networking. Given the challenges faced by many schools in filling certificated teaching positions, SBCAE will seek to support credential seeking candidates and explore options for developing and offering a regional adult education credentialing program.

Consortium members will adhere to CAEP due dates for submission of student and fiscal data. Member expenditures will be aligned with the active Three Year and Annual Plans, and be compliant with CAEP fiscal management mandates. 

Regional Planning Overview

SBCAE’s Three Year Regional Plan for Adult Education includes ten actionable and measurable strategies in the three categories of addressing educational needs, improving integration of services & transitions, and improving effectiveness of services: 

Address Educational Needs

  • Increase number and variety of short-term CTE programs leading to industry recognized credentials 

  • Offer differentiated ESL pathways (college/career/community track), including immigrant integration pathway

  • Increase (pre)apprenticeship programs and work based learning opportunities

  • Prioritize Equity & Student Voice

Improve Integration of Services & Transitions

  • Link career pathways across members in priority industry sectors: health, public service, CIT, construction/industrial trades/natural resources

  • Develop a goal-based pathway navigation protocol & tool (Open Doors) 

  • Increase Transitions to CTE

Improve Effectiveness of Services

  • Provide customized student support services

  • Offer targeted Professional Development at the agency and consortium level. 

  • Establish member effectiveness criteria / finance subcommittee


The Annual Plan presented here focuses on what can realistically be accomplished in year one of the 2022-2025 period, as described in the short-term outcomes listed in the Three Year Plan. 

Strategic priorities for the upcoming program year will be organized into a number of projects, each with their own deliverables, work plans and target outcomes attached. For the 2022-23 program year, SBCAE has decided on 12 consortium-wide projects, as follows: 

BUILD THE MAP

  1. ESL Pathways: Differentiated ESL Pathways (college - career - community), ESL alignment chart, ESL to CTE transitions

  2. Health Pathways: Health pathway mapping + alignment + on-ramps for ESL/ABE

  3. Apprenticeship: Pre-apprenticeships to registered apprenticeships at SBCAE community colleges

  4. ABE/ASE: Dual Enrollment (AB554), AB 705 response

  5. Short term CTE development: New Short term CTE development

  6. CTE program alignment: Missing linkages: bridges, IET, co-location, dual enrollment as listed in 3Y Plan

NAVIGATE THE MAP

  1. Navigation: CTE Matrix, Open Doors, Pathway Visuals, Individual Academic Plan

SUPPORT ALONG THE WAY

  1. AWD: Professional Learning Community

  2. Partnerships & Referrals: Community Connections Referral Network, MOUs

STRENGTHEN OPERATIONS

  1.  Professional Development: PD Day, PD Resources

  2.  Student Voice & Equity: Student Advisory Board, Equity study & initiatives

  3.  Member Effectiveness: Effectiveness & accountability

All projects will include broad stakeholder engagement from administrators, faculty, classified staff, students and regional partners. The consortium leadership team (Co-Chairs and Director) will oversee the implementation of the Annual Plan and ensure the consortium stays on track to meet the goals of the plan. 


Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

Educational attainment and English language proficiency.

Programs for adult English Language Learners and adults seeking to complete their secondary education remain needed in the central part of Santa Clara County served by the South Bay Consortium for Adult Education. 

Over 131,000 SBCAE regional residents are LEP, and  over 158,000 residents have yet to earn their HS diploma. LEP and a lack of secondary/postsecondary education greatly limit an individual's ability to participate in labor that provides sustainable family wages, especially in the most expensive county in the USA. 

An intersectional analysis of available data provides a deeper understanding of the demographics of the SBCAE regional population, confirming our understanding of who most needs the outreach of Education Services. Unsurprisingly, the educational attainment, demographics and income levels are inexorably linked, with nearly 46% of LEP residents having yet to earn their HSD, as well as 50% not participating in the labor force. An analysis of demographic data indicates that the vast majority of the LEP population is over 40, with ~56% Asian and ~40% Hispanic. The demographic picture is different for near or below poverty but also shows an overrepresentation of LEP; (13% higher than the region) , and over 50% having education up to HSE only, unsurprising in a region dominated by high skill tech work. An analysis of the ‘no high school diploma’ population shows a high percentage of older adults ~62% over 40 and ~53% hispanic “making the acquisition of ASE services by these groups especially important”.


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

The following resources were consulted to identify gaps in educational attainment and English language proficiency:

Census and ACS data

CAEP Fact Sheets

Silicon Valley Index: https://siliconvalleyindicators.org

Healthy Places Index: https://www.healthyplacesindex.org

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

Impacting these gaps can be thought of in two separate but related domains. First, getting students into SBCAE Agencies such that they can be served and second, the quality of the service provided. The former will be measured by the degree to which enrollment in regional ESL and ASE programs can be increased year over year. The effectiveness of the delivery of these programs will be measured by tracking the percentage of these students who achieve ESL gains, and who obtain HSD/E respectively.

Regional Need #2

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

Labor Market and Income Inequality.

Silicon Valley continues to be a tale of opposing realities, the challenges for low-income families being particularly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, while their more affluent counterparts emerged from the pandemic at times better off than before.  Summarizing findings from USDA ERS, Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates, as well as County level employment and earnings statistics, obfuscate and instruct the needs of these low income families. Case in point, while 7.3% (139,074) of Santa Clara County residents are flagged as living in poverty as of 2018, this statistic is based on the national thresholds of approximately $18-20K/year for a family of 2 with 2 or fewer children. Contrast this to the local data on housing in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara HUD Metro area considering households of 2 earning anything less than $89,750 to be “low income”. The ability to live in this region is directly related to a person’s level of education as that provides access to high-skill high-wage jobs in the technology and skilled manufacturing sectors that dominate Silicon Valley. Specifically, adults need access to the most common and highest paid job sectors which are gated by access to college and CTE programs related to: Computer & Mathematics occupations, Management Occupations, Office and Administrative, Sales, and Business and Financial Operations. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an accelerative effect on this disparity through skyrocketing housing costs and a decrease in the overall share of low-skill low-wage jobs present in the region. Additionally, COVID-19 meant that the least resourced students were less likely to have the skills and infrastructure to engage in education, leaving them further behind.

A closer look at Silicon Valley unemployment and labor market further shows that:  

- Employment has returned and even exceeded pre-pandemic employment across several sectors in the Region, with the unemployment rate at 2.2% in June 2022. Manufacturing; Professional & Business Services; Trade,Transportation & Utilities; Construction; and Financial Activities sectors all reported similar or greater levels of employment in April 2022 compared to April 2019. Educational and Health Services also reported employment similar to pre-pandemic levels. Employment in the Leisure and Hospitality sector continues to recover slowly. 

- In-demand occupations: Nurses, both Registered and Licensed Practical/ Vocational, continue to rank among top posted positions. Sales and Customer Service Representatives are also in high demand, along with positions in office settings; several types of 1st Line Supervisors; Tractor-Trailer Drivers; Maintenance and Repair Workers; Bookkeeping Clerks; Medical Secretaries and Computer User Support Specialists.

SBCAE will respond to the current income and labor market data by increasing the number and variety of short-term CTE programs, as well applying a sector-strategy for pathway development in priority sectors, starting with healthcare. 

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

The following resources were consulted to obtain labor market information and income data: 

ACS and Census Data

CAEP Fact Sheets

Center of Excellence Bay Region LMI Newsletter, June 2022

Silicon Valley Index: https://siliconvalleyindicators.org

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

We will measure effectiveness by monitoring progress towards CTE program development goals established in the Three Year Plan, pertaining to both new short-term CTE program development and establishing linkages between existing CTE programs across member agencies. CTE enrollment, completion and transitions into CTE will be indicators of student progress in this area. All SBCAE members have set targets around enrollment and outcomes. Progress will be monitored and evaluated at quarterly Data Study Sessions. 

Address Educational Needs

2022-23 Strategies

Add 3 or more new short-term CTE programs

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

1. Increase number and variety of short-term CTE

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)
  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)
  • Success: Participants Who Earn a Postsecondary Credential (AE 625 - Overall)
  • Transition: Participants with Transition to Postsecondary (CTE) (AE 636 - Overall)

By June 30th 2023, 3 new short-term CTE programs will be approved and included in adult school/college catalogs. 

The following short term CTE programs have been identified for priority development: 

  • Personal Care Certificate (Santa Clara Adult School)

  • Grow with Google certification: IT support, data analytics, project management, UX design, android development (West Valley College)

  • AC/DC Theory (Silicon Valley Adult Education)

  • Advanced Manufacturing (Milpitas Adult Education)

  • IT Google, cybersecurity, and/or digital literacy certificate (SJCC)

  • Allied Health: Behavioral Health Patient Navigator (SJCC)

  • Paraeducator (Milpitas Adult Education, Santa Clara Adult Education, Evergreen Valley College, East Side Adult Education) 


Develop an initial design for differentiated ESL pathways

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

2. Develop and offer differentiated ESL pathways

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)
  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)
  • Progress: Participants with Educational Functioning Levels Gains ESL (AE 400 - ESL)
  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)

Adult learners seek out ESL classes for a wide variety of reasons. In order to accelerate students' achievement of their goals, SBCAE will pilot developing and offering differentiated ESL pathways that prepare English Learners for college, career or community related outcomes. Starting at the intermediate levels, students will have the option to select a college, career or community ESL track. A college career track might include academic vocabulary and an academic writing focus, while a career ESL track will include career exploration and workforce preparation. The community ESL pathway will be informed by the Immigrant Integration Framework, with a focus on EL Civics/COAAPs. 

Differentiated ESL pathways will be designed using human-centered design principles, and the program will be piloted at two member agencies. Program evaluation will be a part of the pilot project to determine sustainability. The project will address the need for acceleration and intentional focus on transitions for English learners. 

By the end of June, 2023, an initial design for differentiated ESL pathways will be presented to the SBCAE Steering Committee.


Establish a pre-apprenticeship work group

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

3. (Pre)apprenticeship & work-based learning

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)
  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)
  • Transition: Participants with Transition to Postsecondary (CTE) (AE 636 - Overall)

Apprenticeship programs are well established in SBCAE member Community Colleges, and generally Colleges are planning to expand upon their apprenticeship programs in the near to medium term future. It has long been a goal for the consortium to develop pre-apprenticeship programs, starting in Adult Schools, that prepare adult learners to be successful in the already existing apprenticeship pathways in our consortium. By establishing an apprenticeship work group, the consortium believes it will make progress on this goal. The work group will be charged with inventorying existing apprenticeship programs, and conducting a feasibility study for pre-apprenticeship program development. Student interest, program capacity, labor market information and supplemental/leveraged funding streams will be taken into account to determine priority pre-apprenticeship opportunities. Possible pre-apprenticeship programs to consider are public transportation (VTA), construction trades and IT/CIS (TechNest). 

In addition to pre-apprenticeship pathways leading into registered apprenticeships, SBCAE members will also explore how to expand work-based learning opportunities. Work-based learning opportunities offer a demonstrated path towards economic self-sufficiency for adult learners, and more needs to be done in our consortium to expand these options for our students. Training programs into which work-based learning may be integrated include: facilities maintenance, early childhood education, hospitality management, infectious disease certification, construction and paraeducator. 

By June 30, 2023, an apprenticeship and work based learning subcommittee will be established. The subcommittee will have made recommendations for priority pre-apprenticeship program development to the SBCAE Steering Committee.


Establish an equity and economic mobility work group

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

4. Prioritize Equity & Student Voice

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)
  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)

Inclusion of student voice in every level of consortium operations, from pathway design to governance, is and will continue to be a priority for SBCAE. Earlier efforts to establish a consortium-wide student advisory board were cut short due to the pandemic. Emerging from the pandemic knowing that adult education students were among those most impacted by COVID, there is more urgency to our commitment to human-centered design practices, as well as student leadership development. Over the course of the next three program years, SBCAE will study lived-experience advisory board models as a possible framework for student inclusion in consortium governance. SBCAE also commits to including student voice in any new consortium-led pathway and pathway navigation tool development efforts. 

Once again, the assessment phase of the planning process confirmed the deep structural inequities that exist in the region SBCAE operates in. It’s well known that Silicon Valley is a region of both extreme opportunity and extreme barriers to opportunity for those who could most benefit from upward economic and social mobility. The annual Silicon Valley Index, presented by Joint Venture Silicon Valley and the affiliated Institute for Regional Studies, and the keynote focus of SBCAE’s consortium-wide professional development day, accelerated conversations in the consortium about equity, social justice and adult education’s role in lifting up the communities we serve. In the next three years (and beyond), SBCAE wants to create spaces where consortium leadership, administrators, faculty, staff, students and partners can continue to explore these critical questions, and move us towards deepening our understanding of strategies that might address the kinds of inequities that have persisted for too long in our community. 

By the end of the 2022-23 program year, a plan for establishing a consortium-wide student advisory board will be in place, and an equity and economic mobility work group will be established.

Improve Integration of Services & Transitions

2022-23 Strategies

Establish at least 2 formal articulation agreements (AE CTE + CC CTE)

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

5. Link career pathways in priority sectors

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)
  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)
  • Progress: Participants with Educational Functioning Levels Gains ABE (AE 400 - ABE)
  • Progress: Participants with Educational Functioning Levels Gains ESL (AE 400 - ESL)
  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)
  • Success: Participants Who Earn a Postsecondary Credential (AE 625 - Overall)

The assessment phase of the three  year planning process exposed a number of pathway gaps and missing linkages across consortium members. An extensive review of current pathway inventories, combined with labor market research and student interest surveys identified opportunities for increased connections in between SBCAE’s five Adult Schools and four Community Colleges in the following priority industry sectors: health, public services, computer information systems/information technology, construction/industrial trades/natural resources.  Foundational to the proposed linkages is the necessity to build onramps to Career Technical Education (CTE) programs for English Language Learners, Adult Basic Education students and High School Diploma/Equivalency Adult Education students. An ‘all of the above’ approach to pathway design will employ a variety of mechanism to bridge gaps where needed: 

Articulation of Adult School CTE programs with Community College CTE pathways:

  • medical assisting

  • facilities maintenance

  • autobody

By June 30th, 2023, at least 2 formal articulation agreements between Adult Education CTE programs and Community College CTE pathways will be in place.


Redesign Open Doors as the primary pathway navigation tool for SBCAE

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

6. Goal-based pathway navigation protocol and tool

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)
  • Progress: Participants Who Complete an EL Civics COAPP or Course (AE 411 - Overall)
  • Progress: Participants with Educational Functioning Levels Gains ABE (AE 400 - ABE)
  • Progress: Participants with Educational Functioning Levels Gains ESL (AE 400 - ESL)
  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)
  • Success: Participants Who Earn a High School Diploma or Equivalency (AE 633 - Overall)
  • Success: Participants Who Earn a Postsecondary Credential (AE 625 - Overall)
  • Transition: Participants with Transition to Postsecondary (CTE) (AE 636 - Overall)
  • Transition: Participants with Transition to Postsecondary (credit college) (AE 637 - Overall)

A key strategy in SBCAE’s three year plan is step two of our vision for the next three years: 1) build the map, 2) help adult learners navigate the map, and 3) support students along the way. The pathway map across consortium members is complex and challenging to navigate, especially for English learners and those with limited digital literacy or lacking knowledge of the US education system. SBCAE was a pioneer in establishing Transition Specialists at each of its member agencies, working together as a community of practice to help students find their way and identify the next steps in their educational journeys. SBCAE’s community facing Open Doors website, including a CTE pathway tool, functions as a self-guided platform for adult learners to explore their educational options at all SBCAE Adult Schools and Community Colleges. 

As the role and function of Transition Specialist is becoming more established and the consortium is striving towards greater uniformity in the way students are introduced to pathway options, it has become clear that the time is right for the consortium to develop a goal-based pathway navigation protocol, i.e. a commonly understood and agreed upon process for guiding students into those pathways that will help them meet their goals. Depending on their educational goals, their current skills, training and experience, students will receive customized pathway options, formalized in an individual academic plan, and thus have a clearer picture of their educational journey at SBCAE. Details pathway maps and visuals will be developed with multiple entry points (ESL, ABE), transitions (to ASE, CTE, postsecondary) and exit points (workforce, continued postsecondary education, community or civic participation). The new goal-based navigation protocol and flowchart will build on the foundation of the SBCAE CTE Matrix and ESL alignment charts, previously developed by the consortium and maintained by the Faculty Work Groups. In response to updated AB705 guidance, SBCAE will also revisit how adult school students can be best prepared to enter credit bearing Math and English coursework at the colleges, and what role adult education can play in strong foundational Math and English programming for adult learners. 

A significant transition for adult school students who wish to enter advanced CTE pathways or other postsecondary pathways is the transition to Community College. All effort will be made to establish strong support for Adult School students at the time of their transition to Community College. College Transition Specialists will be embedded at the program level at the four individual member Colleges, and administrators overseeing Transition Specialists at the Colleges will facilitate their connection to Counseling and Advising departments. 

To communicate educational options to adult learners and the community at large, easy to read pathway visuals will be developed, and the Open Doors website will undergo a comprehensive redesign that will improve the CTE pathway tool, add an ESL class database and a HSD/HSE program finder. The Open Doors redesign project will be informed by a cross-section of SBCAE staff, faculty, and students at all levels of the educational spectrum. 

By June 30th, 2023, a prototype of both the goal-based navigation protocol and open doors website will be established, and Transition Specialists will have received training on how to use them. An individual education plan pilot will be conducted at at least one adult school.


Develop cross-consortium, sector specific outreach materials

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

7. Increase Transitions to CTE

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)
  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)
  • Progress: Participants with Educational Functioning Levels Gains ESL (AE 400 - ESL)
  • Success: Participants Who Earn a High School Diploma or Equivalency (AE 633 - Overall)

Given the demonstrated need for upward economic mobility in the region, SBCAE will focus on increasing transitions to CTE programs, whether they are offered as short-term CTE programs in Adult School/non-credit Community College programs, or as longer-term credit pathways at the Colleges. As described in strategy 5 and 6, additional pathway linkages will be implemented and clear pathway maps will be developed. By building and clarifying the map, it is our belief that more students enrolled in ESL and ABE/ASE programs will be drawn to a CTE pathway.  

Other activities that will promote transitions to CTE include:

  • Transition Specialist presentations to adult school students:

    • overall CTE presentation

    • priority sector-specific presentations

    • targeted presentations/transition support for high level ESL and HSD/HSE students

  • determine minimum ESL levels for CTE entry 

  • dual enrollment for HSD/HSE students

  • cross promoting CTE programs: adult ed CTE brochure, outreach/marketing materials, partner presentations 

Foundational to increased transitions from ESL and ABE/ASE into CTE are robust participation rates in ESL programs and HSD/HSE programs. All adult schools have agency-level goals to increase graduation rates in their HSD/HSE programs, and the consortium selected the ELL barrier as one of the mandatory metrics to track. 

Data analysis of transition data will be essential to understanding student movement along pathways, in particular at key transition points such at the transition from ESL/ABE/ASE to CTE, regardless of where that transition occurs (in one and the same adult school, in between adult schools, from adult school to community college, from community college to adult school). 

By June 30th, 2023, CTE outreach materials, including TS presentations, will have been updated to reflect a consortium wide, sector specific approach.

Improve Effectiveness of Services

2022-23 Strategies

Organize a SBCAE Resource Fair, establish at least one MOU with a CBO, increase AWD referrals

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

8. Provide customized student support services

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)
  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)
  • Employment and Earnings: Participants Who Became Employed in the 2nd Quarter After Exit (AE 505 - Overall)
  • Progress: Participants Who Complete an EL Civics COAPP or Course (AE 411 - Overall)

Adult learners come to SBCAE with a wide range of backgrounds, goals, prior levels of education and life experiences. English language learners consistently make up the majority of our student population, indicating a large and diverse group of immigrants and refugees. SBCAE stands firm in its commitment to using the Immigrant Integration Framework as a guiding philosophy and tool to assess student support needs, and identify community resources able to address those needs. 

After a COVID related pause in operations, the consortium has re-engaged its community connections network of partner organizations, with the continued goal of establishing a formalized reciprocal referral network. With the added capacity of a consortium-wide Partnership Specialist position, SBCAE will be able to increase partner engagement, establish formal partnership agreements, organize consortium-wide resource fairs, participate in community events, publish a monthly newsletter and share resource information with all members. 

As in prior years of consortium operations, SBCAE will continue to employ an Learning Disabilities Specialist who will provide customized support to adult school students with learning differences. The position will primarily focus on students enrolled in HSD/HSE programs and support students with obtaining testing accommodations. As capacity is available, learning disabilities support will also be offered to students enrolled in ESL and other program areas. 

In program year 2022-23, SBCAE will organize a consortium-wide resource fair, and at least one formal partnership agreement will be in place with a community based organization. At least 50 students will be referred to the SBCAE Learning Disabilities Specialist for services.


Host a consortium-wide PD Day

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

9. Offer targeted Professional Development

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)
  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)
  • Employment and Earnings: Participants Who Became Employed in the 2nd Quarter After Exit (AE 505 - Overall)
  • Progress: Participants Who Complete an EL Civics COAPP or Course (AE 411 - Overall)

From the inception of the consortium, professional development has been an important underpinning of SBCAE’s vision for effective adult education. In the next three years, SBCAE will continue to host an annual consortium-wide Professional Development Day and provide opportunities for role-alikes to network across member agencies. Given the increased need and challenges around hiring credentialed staff, we will continue to explore opportunities to support interested candidates in obtaining their adult education credential.

The consortium-wide Professional Development Day has evolved from a training day around a central theme to a full blown mini-conference. We will continue to seek out themes that speak to all members agencies and staff, and invite internal talent to present best practices and expertise with their colleagues. Consistent with our desire to be student-driven and data-informed, we will seek inclusion of student voice and data literacy in the program. 

Other strategies to promote professional development, in addition to the annual Professional Development Day, are: dissemination of professional development resources on the consortium website and Transition Specialist Resource Hub, networking opportunities for role-alikes across agencies via email listservs and Faculty Work Group meetings, and sharing of professional development events/resources hosted by members. 

The Bay Area, as is the case in many other regions in the State, is experiencing a teacher shortage. Many adult schools are experiencing challenges in filling open teaching positions, particularly in the areas of ESL and CTE. Knowing that successful implementation of the consortium three year regional plan hinges upon teacher quality and availability, SBCAE has explored opportunities to support credential-seeking candidates in prior years, and will continue to move in the direction of strengthening connections with credentialing programs, incentivizing candidates, or even establishing a customized credentialing program within the consortium for the Silicon Valley region.  

SBCAE will host a consortium-wide PD Day in the 2022-23 program year. By December 2022, peer networking listservs will be established. By June 30, 2023, resources for incentivizing credential-seeking candidates will be identified, and an application process will be in place.


Establish a member effectiveness subcommittee

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

10. Member effectiveness / finance subcommittee

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)
  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)
  • Employment and Earnings: Participants Who Became Employed in the 2nd Quarter After Exit (AE 505 - Overall)
  • Progress: Participants Who Complete an EL Civics COAPP or Course (AE 411 - Overall)

After having strengthened the consortium’s organizational structure in the past three years, member effectiveness and accountability will be important areas of inquiry during the next three years of SBCAE operations. A finance committee will be established in order to assist the Steering Committee in carrying out the financial responsibilities described in the SBCAE charter:

MEMBER EFFECTIVENESS & ACCOUNTABILITY:

1)Verifying that funded activities, including  consortium-wide supports, as well as direct-services for students, align with the 3-Year and Annual Plan's objectives, and meet CAEP legislative guidelines

2)Assess the impact of current allocations of CAEP funding to  members, reviewing member effectiveness as identified in the original legislation (AB104, AB2098) and per  state guidelines from the CAEP office

ALLOCATIONS: 

1)Ensure the needs and objectives of the Plan are being adequately addressed, and adequate resources are identified and  allocated in the annual  funding schedule or subsequent amendments

2)Review the original allocation funding formula & develop a process to apply the same criteria against current, up to date, demographic and regional need data

3)Propose alternative allocation funding formulas based on regional need, member effectiveness and strategic plan priorities carried out by members

By December 2022, a finance subcommittee will have been established and a scope of work for the committee will have been agreed upon by the SBCAE Steering Committee.

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 Steering Committee members are responsible and accountable to align their CAEP allocations with the objectives in the annual  and three year 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 plan, at public Steering Committee meetings. Allocations made explicitly to support consortium-wide needs will be included in this regular budget review cycle. 

As described in the Three Year Plan, SBCAE will establish a member effectiveness committee to critically review allocations and expenditure alignment with the plan. The committee will present finding and recommendations to the Steering Committee at formal public meetings. 

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

As has been our practice, this year aided by a member effectiveness committee, the SBCAE Steering Committee will review how member’s CAEP funds have been used, and how those uses effectively align to the consortium’s Three Year and Annual Plans. This process of transparent fiscal accountability, conducted at formal public governance meetings, will show where carry-over funds exist, and will be fundamental to discussions on how they should be used.  The annual budget review will include a review of funds used to support consortium-wide functions, with a goal to establish transparent agreements on member allocations, including allocations for consortium-wide functions, in preparation of the 2023 CFAD submission. Furthermore, members have set expenditure targets for the 2022-2025 period detailed in the Three Year Plan. Carryover limits as determined by CAEP will be adhered to.

Certification

Campbell Union High - Member Representative

Approved by Dr. Usha Narayanan

09/12/2022 12:18 PM PDT

East Side Union High - Member Representative

Approved by Traci Williams

09/12/2022 10:12 AM PDT

Metropolitan Education District - Member Representative

Approved by Patricia Pottorff Croghan

09/08/2022 12:30 PM PDT

Milpitas Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Giuliana Brahim

09/08/2022 10:19 AM PDT

San Jose-Evergreen CCD - Member Representative

Approved by Kishan Vujjeni

09/08/2022 10:13 AM PDT

Santa Clara Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Carrie Casto

09/08/2022 03:07 PM PDT

West Valley-Mission CCD - Member Representative

Approved by Eric Grabiel

09/08/2022 02:47 PM PDT