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CAEP Annual Plan: 2021-22 60 Solano Adult Education Consortium

Status: Consortium Approved

California Adult Education Program : Annual Plan : 2021-22 Produced: Oct 6, 2021, 11:27 PM UTC Lisa Neeley

60 Solano Adult Education Consortium

Plans & Goals - Consortium Approved

Executive Summary
The Solano Adult Education Consortium (SAEC) supports the educational and economic success of adult learners in Solano County. The Consortium includes adult education centers in Benicia, Fairfield-Suisun, Vacaville, and Vallejo, the Solano Community College District, and the Solano County Office of Education. During the 2020-21 implementation period, the SAEC made progress across multiple strategy areas identified in the Consortium’s Annual Plan and Three-Year Plan. Specifically, the Consortium achieved the following regional accomplishments: 1) invested in pre-apprenticeship programs and partnerships; 2) strengthened work-readiness and co-enrollment for high school diploma students; and 3) focused on DEI professional development opportunities. These regional accomplishments are described in Figure 1. Other 20-21 Consortium highlights include re-engaging a regional marketing effort, including a full website redesign and Consortium-branded marketing materials, and leveraging resources to improve distance learning outcomes.Moving into the 2021-22 implementation period, the SAEC will continue to build on its momentum across these and other regional strategy areas while continuing to pivot services as needed in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In the last year, Consortium members shifted to remote delivery of courses to meet students’ needs during the pandemic. Consortium members plan to provide remote, hybrid, and in-person course offerings in 2021-22, with the latter following state and local guidance to ensure staff and student safety.The SAEC will use California Adult Education Program (CAEP) funds in 2021-22 to increase access to academic and career learning opportunities; continue to improve the understanding and removal of barriers faced by adult learners facing systemic racial injustices; expand awareness of and connections to support services and resources; and implement evidence-based instructional strategies for online and hybrid learning environments. This annual plan will serve as a work plan informing how the Consortium will move forward in 2021-22 to address priorities, implement strategies, and meet objectives set forth in its Three-Year Plan.
Regional Planning Overview
To ensure the 2021-22 Annual Plan is aligned to the current Three-Year Plan, Consortium members met to discuss progress made toward current strategy areas and objectives, and to reflect on ongoing site- and consortium-level needs. The discussion of regional strategies in the section below captures progress made under the existing Three-Year Plan as well as proposed Consortium activities for the 2021-22 CAEP implementation period. The 2021-22 Annual Plan is the final yearly plan under the existing Three-Year Plan. The SAEC will begin data collection in support of the upcoming Three-Year Plan in the first quarter of 2021-22. Figure 2 below describes the proposed Three-Year Plan development timeline, including pre-planning, data collection and analysis, and plan development. As 2020-21 was an exceptionally challenging year for education providers and students across all levels, the upcoming Three-Year Planning cycle will allow the SAEC to reflect on the ongoing impacts resulting from large changes to the statewide educational landscape, including the shift to online instruction and an increased need for supportive services. Moreover, as California moves toward reopening and the next phase of pandemic recovery, the SAEC will engage adult education and workforce development stakeholders in an assessment of regional priorities as part of its Three-Year Planning process. This broader needs assessment will consider how adult learners’ needs and adult education programs have evolved and where gaps remain.

Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Due in large part to the economic impacts of COVID-19, the region faces changing employment and career opportunities. This is associated with rapidly shifting industry trends and employment needs statewide.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Regional layoff and employment data from the Solano County Workforce Development Board (WDB) reflect changing needs and opportunities across regional industry, including relative increases in healthcare, construction, food/accommodation, and local government.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
As a result, Consortium members opted to pivot from previously planned career pathways development in order to realign pathways with evolving industry need. For example, in the past year, Consortium members offered remote and hybrid courses to meet changing regional need, including workforce retraining, digital literacy, and Career Technical Education (CTE) credentialing, among other areas.CAEP 2021-22 Annual Plan | 3The SAEC will continue to evaluate strategies to realign program planning during the upcoming CAEP Three-Year Planning cycle.

Gaps In Service

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Expand trades pre-apprenticeship programs at Consortium sites.Desired outcomes: SAEC adult students will…a.Successfully complete union apprenticeships and join workforce;b.Improve English language proficiency for job placements;c.Obtain short-term CTE certificates e.g., CalOHSA, CPR, First Aid
Strategy #2
Strengthen dual enrollment with Solano Community College.Desired outcomes: SAEC members will…a.Create a system for dual enrollment for all adult education students in community college classes, pursuant to SB554;b.Develop a district-wide Special Admit form modeled after the high school dual enrollment process;c.Agree upon the process for receiving forms, verification, and coding;d.Train adult school transition staff on form specifications and their role
Strategy #3
Collaborate with the Solano County Office of Education “Careers in Focus” Program to enroll out-of-school youth in adult school programs.Desired outcomes: Out-of-school youth in Solano County will…a.Enroll in adult schools and link to education and employment opportunities

Seamless Transitions

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Build out partnerships with regional trades employers to enhance employment linkages for students participating in pre-apprenticeship programs.
Strategy #2
Continue to develop and expand Integrated Education and Training (IET) programs for ESL and ABE students.Desired outcomes: SAEC adult schools will…a.Expand CTE course offerings across sites;b.Hire CTE instructors to meet course demand;c.Continue work to align offerings across sites

Student Acceleration

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Co-enroll students in basic skills, work readiness, and career education classes. Desired outcomes: SAEC adult schools will…a.Increase the % of students co-enrolled in basic skills, work readiness, and career education classes;b.Continue to integrate digital and computer literacy opportunities into adult education programs; c.Formalize work readiness opportunities and provide work readiness certificates to adult students
Strategy #2
Refer to non-academic supportive services, including adult school wellness centers and community partners. Desired outcomes: SAEC members will…a.Continue to provide service referrals to support students with ongoing and emerging needs during the COVID-19 pandemic;b.Reopen wellness centers and provide adult students with behavioral health resources
Strategy #3
Create pathways for ESL students to access medical courses via CalRegional to accelerate career and technical training. Desired outcomes: FSAS and VREC will…a.Develop a multiyear pathway for ABE/ESL students to access medical courses at CalRegional, including Certified Medical Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, and Phlebotomy courses. b.Support ESL/ABE teachers to create courses to support skill and knowledge development in these areas;c.Support students to finish their HSD or GED simultaneously

Professional Development

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Data & Accountability Work Group members will monitor program and student data for consistency and accuracy, and increase use of reporting tools by engaging in ongoing data assessment meetings.Desired outcomes: Work group members will…a.Continue to meet monthly to review data integrity reports and engage in progress monitoring;b.Collaborate across sites to identify baselines and goals for the new CAEP member effectiveness criteria;c.Continue to coordinate with CAEP, TAP, and CASAS, among other partners, to build capacity in program and student outcomes monitoring.
Strategy #2
Engage community transition staff at the SAEC board meetings.
Strategy #3
Facilitate virtual professional development workshops and trainings for SAEC program staff, with an emphasis on ongoing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) trainings.Desired outcomes: SAEC members will…a.Continue to collaborate with the Anti-Racism Work Group to identify and provide equity and racial equity training opportunities to staff;b.Continue to participate in state, regional, and district training opportunities, with an emphasis on equity and racial equity trainings
Strategy #4
Key staff, administrators, and community partners will attend virtual conferences and workshops as possible during COVID-19.

Leveraging Resources

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Leverage adult education and K-12 resources to market teacher recruitment for adult education and CTE.
Strategy #2
Increase Consortium effectiveness and instructional capacity across CAEP-funded activities, with an emphasis on improving the delivery of distance learning instruction.
Strategy #3
Implement targeted marketing and communications efforts, including social media marketing and SEO strategies, to increase the awareness of adult education programs among prospective students, district staff, and current and future partners.Desired outcomes: The SAEC will…a.Increase monthly website clicks and website referrals using SEO;b.Leverage Facebook Ads and other digital social media marketing strategies to increase the # of referrals from social media marketing;c.Continue relationships with the WDB and other economic/business development partners to increase awareness of adult education programs in Solano County.
Strategy #4
Continue to strengthen Consortium administrative norms and procedures by formalizing board and work group processes.

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.
At the conclusion of the 2020-21 CAEP implementation period, each consortium member remains in "good standing," as defined by California Education Code. Per the Ed Code, each consortium member is entitled to their base allocation from the previous year in addition to a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). Base allocations reflect site-level capacity for program delivery as well as any growth projections for student enrollment. The Consortium's Annual Plan defines objectives from the Three-Year Plan, as well as emergent strategies, that will be implemented across the SAEC during the upcoming year.
An approach to incorporating remaining carry-over funds from prior year(s) into strategies planned for 2021-22.
Remaining 19-20 and 20-21 Consortium carryover funds were allocated during both the 20-21 and 21-22 CFAD planning process. Remaining 19-20 carryover was directed toward supporting the cost of increasing enrollment in Fairfield-Suisun and Vacaville, and toward student technology purchases in Benicia. Remaining 20-21 carryover is either planned for expenditure at the site level or will be directed to Consortium common costs, to include the SAEC consortium management contract. The SAEC will continue to monitor budget revisions and carryover spend-down in board and budget meetings.

Certification

Benicia Unified - Member Representative

Approved by June Regis

10/06/2021 12:04 PM PDT

Fairfield-Suisun Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Elizabeth Kolakoski

08/13/2021 02:48 PM PDT

Solano CCD - Member Representative

Approved by Lisa Neeley

10/06/2021 04:27 PM PDT

Solano Co. Office of Education - Member Representative

Approved by Siobhan Dill

08/14/2021 10:16 AM PDT

Vacaville Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Tiffany Donahue

10/06/2021 02:54 PM PDT

Vallejo City Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Vallejo Regional Education Center Laura Dutch

08/13/2021 04:43 PM PDT