CAEP
Annual Plan

Produced: Aug 14, 2023, 05:10 PM UTC - By Bryan Wilson

55 Santa Clarita Valley Adult Education Consortium
CONSORTIUM APPROVED

2023-24

Plans & Goals

Executive Summary

The Santa Clarita Community College District (COC) and the William S. Hart Union High School District (Hart District:  Golden Oak Adult School) have established collaborative efforts for over 45 years. As the only community college and high school district in the service area, the districts work collaboratively to achieve AB104 outcomes. Our goal is continuing to develop strategies which enhance equity, access, and comprehensive adult education to the Santa Clarita Valley Region while improving and expanding upon adult education programs and partnerships. The GatewaySCV consortium located in Santa Clarita, California, strives to improve the role of Adult Education within our area by creating and offering support to adult learners through career pathways, basic skills, high school equivalency and diploma as well as ESL. Further, the consortium works with community partners to provide access and equity for our adult learners through services such as educational counseling and both credit and non-credit program areas which fall under the California Adult Education Program parameters. In this ever-changing global economy, we pride ourselves in preparing adult learners to improve their lives and gain education.

According to the Claritas data received by College of the Canyons for the Santa Clarita Valley Adult Education Consortium, or GatewaySCV, roughly  9.75 percent of adult residents in our valley have less than a high school diploma, and  as of 2020, approximately 10 percent of adults have limited English proficiency. In addition, nearly 8 percent of  adults in the valley are fully unemployed as updated from 2020 data of of almost 11%.  Further, population projections place the Santa Clarita Valley at a population of 296,620 in 2020 to 313,421 in 2027.  This all speaks to a substantive demand for our two agencies to continue collaboration and align in the most efficient manner possible to quickly yet strategically launch new opportunities and expand upon existing adult education programs to a larger number of residents in the valley. This Annual Plan focuses squarely on alignment and partnership in order to more efficiently reach our potential student population. In the previous years of our consortium work, much of the attention was paid to improvement of our existing programs. In this plan document, we identify the service gaps that still exist and construct a strategy for better collaboration and minimization barriers for our students. Through these efforts and more intentional planning as a consortium, we seek to strengthen the identity of the consortium to build awareness of services within the Santa Clarita Valley and to aid students in accessing educational opportunity and career mobility regardless of which member institution they attend.

Regional Planning Overview

Three main items on the GatewaySCV Three Year Plan include deployment of visual pathway mapping (digital and paper) with possible bilingual editions, Examination of Strategies for Transition Services Data to determine efficacy and future goals, and Website redesign and Launch for Community-facing information as laid out in our Three Year Plan, Year Two.   Tasks will be divided among staff to reflect the collaborative nature of GatewaySCV as well as tap on member expertise,  and benchmark dates will be included. Additionally, data will be used to track outcomes, subcommittees such as budget and curriculum will delve deeper into the needs of students and report back to the Management Team for decision making and preparation of Board presentations. 


Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

The identified gaps relate to educational pathway information,  transition services,  and community facing communication. 

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

These gaps were identified utilizing a variety of data sources including:  Launchboard, MIS, TopsPro, Student, Faculty, and Staff surveys, Claritas, Labor Department and Census information, TopsPro and Adult School data, and the community college Institutional Research team. We may now gauge efficacy and continue our work with new strategies to advance the direction in the current Three Year Plan Year Two goals. 


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

Data Protocol:  The data protocol document was Board approved and tested in Quarter 4 of last year as delineated by that Annual Plan.  For the current plan, training will begin and in Quarters 2 and 4 of the Three Year Plan Year Two goals, data will be gathered and investigated in comparison to other resources such as Launchboard.   This will enable members to track outcomes and deliverables with more current data, allow for strategies and implementation in a more clear time frame, foster greater collaboration between members on behalf of student success, and create an atmosphere of student-centered approaches to program development. 

Address Educational Needs

2023-24 Strategies

Transitions

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Transition Services

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

Transition Services:  A pilot program will begin this year. The number of hours, service types, and students will be tracked in order to evaluate effectiveness of the services in conjunction with our Three Year plan.  This area, including career pathways for the ESL community, has needed bolstering as services become more available post-COVID restrictions. This particular community may have higher success rates, transition rates, and degree/certificate, employment, or wage-increase rates with the program suggested as part of the Three Year Plan. The data protocol which is being put in place may also guide the consortium regarding efficacy of this new program. 

Improve Integration of Services & Transitions

2023-24 Strategies

Student Pathway Maps

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Pathway Mapping

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

Both staff and student-facing pathway maps in the areas of ESL and Medical programs were  created to assist students in reaching their educational or career goals.  Within the first year, appropriate programs within ESL and Medical were identified with the purpose of incorporating them into pathway maps. Maps will be created in both digital and paper formats to increase access to students, and multi-lingual options will be explored.  This goal will also work in conjunction with the proposed website redesign and launch to reach a larger number of prospective and current students as well as to close the information gap. Additional program areas may be explored during this Annual Plan as well. 


Improve Effectiveness of Services

2023-24 Strategies

Website Redesign and Launch

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Pathway Mapping

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

An improved website with characteristics needed to address gaps, accessibility, access, and equity will enable marginalized groups to receive information on programs and services which may benefit themselves, their families, and goals. 


Website Redesign

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Data Protocols

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

Engaging with students where they are is paramount in their ability to access services and program information. Bi or multilingual content will be investigated in order to close the information and communication gap within our website. 


Website Redesign

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Transition Services

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

The hope of a website redesign, in addition to the previous strategies mentioned, will be to connect programs at Golden Oak Adult School and College of the Canyons with prospective students. Community members need a place to research and connect to places where they can work on reaching their goals, whether those be higher educational attainment, employment, a degree or certificate, or English proficiency, and the strategy here may accomplish that. 

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.

The breakdown of deliverables in years one through three have been disaggregated into our Annual Plan.  The allocations are consistent with consortium bylaws to support the needs of communities served by both GatewaySCV members as well as institutional need to deploy, maintain, and track programs offered. For the current year, the Board has approved the additional COLA at a 50/50 ration allocations in addition to the formerly set base allocations which have not changed.    

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

Golden Oak Adult School:  

For 2023/24 Golden Oak Adult School will be addressing the carry over money with four crucial areas that will increase accessibility and equity for our adult student learners. These crucial areas include transforming traditional K-12 classrooms and updated technology and telecommunications. 

Golden Oak Adult School currently occupies three modular buildings on the  Placerita Junior High School campus with additional classrooms on other sites throughout the District. Addressing these learning areas will increase our adult students' access to Golden Oak's vast community programs which will in turn increase our revenue with increased student participation.  Classrooms are needed that foster higher-level adult learning environments.  In particular, there are two classrooms set up as medical classrooms which don't have running water, a critical necessity to the function of the course.  Therefore, modifications are needed so each room has running water and can fully function as a viable classroom as well as to incorporate student work areas which are set up for adults and not K-12 students.  

To keep up with current trends in technology, Golden Oak Adult School needs an overall upgrade in telecommunications.  Currently, Golden Oak is still operating an older telecommunications system and upgrades are needed to participate in a digital community.  Additionally, at this time, Golden Oak does not have a perimeter fence to keep the campus secure, meaning the main doors remain locked during business hours. In addition, integration of an intercom system at the main door will enable staff and students to remain secure.  

College of the Canyons ( School of Personal and Professional Learning) will also use any carroyver for marketing new programs which may be approved to offer in 2023/24.  The joint marketing efforts of Golden Oak Adult School will continue with logos and links to programs of both institutions so that community members can make the best choices to meet their goals. 

Further, instructional supplies will be purchased by PPL for new programs  so that the cost is not passed on to the students. For example, our new culinary arts program in non-credit requires materials and supplies be purchased and used in order to successfully complete the course. 

Of additional importance, it is imperative that funding of instructional supplies remain intact for the Rising Scholars Program (for incarcerated individuals) offered through the non-credit program.  This program provides much needed support and education for this marginalized community, and GatewaySCV has determined and pledged that all members of our Santa Clarita Valley community deserve a path to bettering their lives through education. 


It is through collaboration, dedication, and care for the needs of Santa Clarita residents that GatewaySCV wishes to maintain and nurture this wonderful partnership with Golden Oak Adult School, a staple of the community.  

Certification

Santa Clarita CCD - Member Representative

Approved by Kim Haglund

08/13/2023 01:28 PM PDT

William S. Hart Union High - Member Representative

Approved by Bryan Wilson

08/14/2023 10:10 AM PDT