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CAEP Annual Plan: 2020-21 06 Partnership for Adult Academic and Career Education

Status: Consortium Approved

California Adult Education Program : Annual Plan : 2020-21 Produced: Sep 2, 2020, 05:24 PM UTC malcohm heron

06 Partnership for Adult Academic and Career Education

Plans & Goals - Consortium Approved

Executive Summary
The PAACE consortium has continuously and actively worked toward increasing the success of adult education students. Most recently, PAACE has made multiple efforts in response to the COVID-19 epidemic to continue to provide the collaborative and student-centered approach to the needs of the region. Across the consortium, platforms such as CANVAS, Zoom, Google Classroom, and Blackboard have been utilized in order to provide successful distance learning opportunities to students. However, challenges such as fluency of technology and access to technology have been seen across the consortium member campuses. With the use of the CARES allocations, some consortium members provided students access to laptops and internet connection. Downey Adult School, for example, distributed CARES funding to provide direct financial aid to students and compensate for expenses that paid for supplies. Another member, ABC Adult School, purchased programs needed for their students. Additional resources such as food and public assistance have been provided by PAACE members to students as needed. Furthermore, study hall opportunities are now available during the Fall 2020 semester at Cerritos College for students to access a quiet study space with reliable internet. In order to support faculty during the quick transition of moving to distance learning, trainings have been available for all faculty to successfully teach online and become certified to teach online. In addition to the traditional academic counseling that is provided to students at Cerritos College, the counselors have also provided emotional and mental health support during these times. The impact of budget constraints and reductions have been a challenge for consortium partners. Significant program cuts have been made at Downey Adult School with an 80% cut in the ESL program and a 50% cut in the High School Diploma program. Bellflower Adult Re-Entry and ABC Adult School and Norwalk-La Mirada Adult School have seen limited impacts, however; have consolidated classes and put open positions on a freeze in anticipation of further cuts in the following years. Systemic racial injustice has been actively acknowledged by PAACE members having made multiple efforts to examine and challenge the practices on our campuses that contribute to these injustices. PAACE members have provided diversity and multicultural training to all staff as well as coordinating ongoing cultural events at their campus sites. Cerritos College has initiated and provides training of faculty to implement equity in the classroom - an instructional methodology that transforms faculty teaching to address the inequities in teaching and learning practices. PAACE has as part of their plan, data-driven objectives that address those populations that are not being served with the intention of providing more resources and opportunities for those communities, specifically in the city of Downey. Moving forward, the consortium has agreed to collaborate on offering trainings across the consortium regarding systemic racial injustices. Online learning will continue to have a significant presence on PAACE campuses in the future, and our consortium is ready to provide these varied options to our community in order to further our motto of lifelong learning.
Regional Planning Overview
Members of the PAACE consortium have identified five focus points to be implemented throughout the upcoming year and have outlined activities in the 3-year plan. First, integrating and aligning shared data processes to ensure confidence in data collection and accurate student data. Second, conduct targeted marketing of ESL and ABE/ASE needs within PAACE sub regions based on where the greatest proportion of potential adult students reside. Third, create new transitions for adult students through California College Promise. Fourth, continue to build on a close relationship with SELACO WDB to maximize adult student outcomes in industry-certified programs and job placement in priority industry sectors that align with students’ chosen career technical path. Lastly, remote learning strategies and professional development support will be a high priority to ensure the success of all students in our consortium.

Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Engaging prospective students and meeting community needs in the ESL program at the local level specifically having initiated and grown the program at Downey Adult School. The transition program involves Cerritos College and Downey Adult faculty and staff collaborating to assist ESL students enroll and succeed in college coursework through California College Promise in partnership. This program provides adult education students a full pipeline starting where they are at in their adult school ESL program through college transfer.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Multiple meetings, planning activities, and working sessions, all members reviewed and analyzed their individual school’s needs. Through conversation with PAACE consortium members, it was apparent that Downey Adult School is in higher need of ESL offerings due to given the 80% budget cuts made for the 2020-2021 academic year in the ESL program. This figure was brought to the consortium after the cuts were made and finalized to ensure support of Downey Adult School students. Cerritos College and Downey Adult School are collaborating to leverage resources and meet the needs of the students.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
In order to assist with these needs of the ESL program, Cerritos College along with Downey Adult School agreed to increase offerings of ESL sections and prioritize support and outreach to the Downey Adult School community. This includes creating a pairing of credit and noncredit classes to increase the accessibility to ESL courses. To ensure that the needs are being met, the PAACE staff at Cerritos College will help with the outreach and registration portion to ensure maximum enrollment. The consortium will track the progress of these students and compare the enrollment to see if there is an increase in enrollment due to the new offering.

Regional Need #2

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Data systems across PAACE agencies are not aligned to ensure quality data in decision-making, understanding, and acknowledgement of program needs across the region.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Through working leadership meetings and dialog among PAACE consortium members, it was apparent that data systems across the consortium are not consistent. The PAACE plan revealed that there were gaps in how services were provided and captured across consortium member systems. A work process and regular data meeting will take place with the consortium members and CASAS personnel. This conversation will facilitate the aligning of data across the consortium.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
To align data across the consortium, regular data regional meetings will take place with the consortium members and CASAS data personnel. Meeting objectives, frequency, timeline, and outcomes will be presented at the kick-off meeting. An established system to continuously review CASAS data and the regional impact will be developed. This established process will facilitate the aligning of the data collection across the consortium. As a result, consortium members will have an aligned data system that will allow agencies to have a better understanding of gaps in data collection. Additionally, data quality and procedures will be developed and implemented.

Gaps In Service

New Strategies

Strategy #1
In addition to aligning the planning tools and data systems across the consortium to improve student knowledge of academic and career offerings, the consortium will continue to work on tackling systemic racial injustices by continuing to take into account the populations who are not being served and providing more resources and opportunities for those communities. Moving forward, the consortium has agreed to collaborate on offering trainings across the consortium regarding systemic racial injustices. This will allow for an increase in training to be offered and avoid any duplication of specific training across the consortium wide.

Seamless Transitions

New Strategies

Strategy #1
In order to create a seamless transition into the workforce, the consortium will continue to provide trainings on SELACO Workforce Development Board (WDB) CalJOBS system. Consequently, students will be more knowledgeable of academic and career options that align with their interests and related with the programs offered in the consortium. This will be particularly important given the current economic devastation and need to retrain and ramp up the local economy.

Student Acceleration

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Cerritos College courses continue to be extended to adult school consortium member sites in a program that brings the college to the community. These programs will serve as “bridge” credit courses that will facilitate student’s transition to their local community college. Already identified are credit ESL courses that are fully aligned and will serve as upper level continuation courses for the adult learner. The Cerritos College ESL credit courses are also articulated with the college level English courses and serve to directly progress students into the college level English course. The consortium will guide ESL students into college courses in order to help further advancement toward career goals. In order to ensure success, the consortium will track a cohort of ESL students at Downey Adult School as they enroll in the College Promise program. Downey Adult School students will continue to serve as a pilot as one of the ESL offerings is a mirrored noncredit section of the ESL 5 class already being offered as a way to allow those students who do not qualify for Financial Aid to take the class despite not earning the 4 units of college credit but continue their ESL courses

Professional Development

New Strategies

Strategy #1
In order to ensure that alignment in data management is occurring throughout the consortium, faculty and staff will attended online professional development workshops and conferences. Additionally, professional development days will be organized by each member site will be open to all members of the consortium. Specific professional development will prioritize and include topics on remote learning and issues of social justice.

Leveraging Resources

New Strategies

Strategy #1
The PAACE consortium will build on a close relationship with SELACO WDB in order to maximize adult student outcomes during this COVID-19 time. Specifically, these outcomes will be in industry-certified programs and job placement in priority industry sectors that align with students’ chosen career technical paths. Cerritos College will develop a new SOLAR certificate to build training programs and opportunities for adult students in new industries. In addition, development of an entrepreneurship curriculum will be provided to focus on language learners that are already engaged in business development. These programs will be open to all students across the consortium.

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 PAACE consortium has consistently allocated funds based on members needs and have voted by majority to distribute resources. Goals and activities for the second year have been discussed and identified. The resources attached to the PAACE goals and activities are representative of the needs, programs and services available and distributed. Despite the 12% cut seen in the allocation for this academic year, the PAACE consortium continues to enhance student programs and improve student achievement within the region, consortium agencies are committed to leveraging resources. The sources of funding include CAEP, CalWORKS, Perkins V funds, and WIOA II, with total funding projected at approximately $50M for the 2019 - 2022 planning cycle.
An approach to incorporating remaining carry-over funds from prior year(s) into strategies planned for 2020-21.
On a yearly basis, the members will discuss the carry-over funds and decide how to effectively use those funds. A contingency plan will be created and used on a priority list created by consortium members. This list can include but not limited to technology and professional development days for faculty and staff for all members. Should any consortium member not be able to spend any carry-over funds after a designated and agreed upon deadline, then PAACE members will bring this forward at a leadership meeting, discuss contingency plans, and vote on how to redistribute and expend the available funds.

Certification

ABC Unified - Member Representative

Approved by PaoLing Guo

08/17/2020 10:11 AM PDT

Bellflower Unified - Member Representative

Approved by malcohm heron Dr.

09/02/2020 10:24 AM PDT

Cerritos CCD - Member Representative

  • Graciela Vasquez
  • Associate Dean, Adult Education & Diversity Programs
  • gvasquez@cerritos.edu
  • (562) 860-2451 ext: 2490
Approved by Ms. Graciela Vasquez

08/14/2020 06:14 PM PDT

Downey Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Blanca Rochin

08/17/2020 09:59 AM PDT

Norwalk-La Mirada Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Sharon Renfro Todd

08/17/2020 07:47 AM PDT