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CAEP Annual Plan: 2019-20 08 West End Corridor/Chaffey Regional AE Consortium

Status: Consortium Approved

California Adult Education Program : Annual Plan : 2019-20 Produced: Oct 2, 2019, 11:21 PM UTC Rose Bomentre

08 West End Corridor/Chaffey Regional AE Consortium

Plans & Goals - Consortium Approved

Executive Summary
Over the past year, the West End Corridor Consortium (WECC) devoted the necessary time and resources to produce an accurate, realistic and usable 3-Year Plan. This was accomplished by scheduling meetings and retreats, completing the self-assessment tool, holding a staff PD event at which input was gathered, attending regional training opportunities and webinars, implementing a consortium-wide Data Group, and enlisting the services of WestEd to help identify and interpret relevant data. The member agencies of the consortium are committed to continuing the work that was started with the original 3-Year Plan in 2015. Since then, there are new member representatives from Chaffey College, Baldy View ROP, and Upland Adult School. All members are fully committed to the ongoing mission of the consortium: To provide comprehensive, relevant and high-quality education and training in serving the needs of adults in the region…with the end result that individuals will be able to earn a living wage, get a better job, and/or integrate fully into their communities and American culture in general. While the mission remains the same, the next three years will reflect a more analytical and targeted approach to reaching and serving adults in need of basic skills, secondary credentials, career training and certification, technology skills, and English language and culture acquisition. There will also be an increased emphasis on more effective transitions to other education and training providers or the workforce through strengthened relationships with county workforce and social services agencies, Chaffey College, and local employers.The WECC has several important resources that were not in place when the original 2015 Plan was written. There is now a Program Coordinator who plans and runs the leadership meetings, produces reports and documents, oversees consortium-wide fiscal activity, attends state and regional events, keeps up-to-date on data gathering and submission requirements, liaises with state agencies, and networks with other consortia in the region. In the past year, the Program Coordinator has prepared and presented, along with other consortium staff, at the CCAE State Conference and San Bernardino County WDB Summit. A proposal has been accepted to present at the CAEP Summit in October. While the WECC has always been present at regional and state events, an effort is being made to participate more actively by sharing pilot projects and best practices. Another resource that has proven effective is the formation of a consortium-wide Data Group. The “Data Groupies” have met several times since January 2019 and will continue to meet quarterly or more often as necessary. Membership is comprised of a key data employee at each agency, appointed by the member representative. Standardization of data definitions, streamlined data gathering, and accurate interpretation are the main focuses of the group. Finally, WestEd has provided valuable assistance in analyzing local demographic, labor market, and programmatic data for inclusion in the 3-Year Plan and beyond. As a component of formulation of the new 3-Year Plan, WECC leadership group members examined the current fiscal structure of the consortium and researched other organizational models and ways of making allocation decisions. It was decided to retain the current structure (fiscal agent) and continue to maintain a consortium-wide account that would finance the Program Coordinator, leadership and staff professional development expenses, marketing/outreach projects, Career Cruising and student data systems, and other consortium-wide expenses as deemed appropriate by the group. This fund also provides the flexibility to allocate money for pilot projects with ongoing funding subject to an evaluation of effectiveness.
Regional Planning Overview
The 3-Year Plan and Annual Plan will be published and made available to member reps and stakeholders. The plans are designed and written to be user-friendly and to clearly delineate goals, resources, processes, timelines and progress indicators. The 3-Year Plan also gives the necessary demographic and labor market information in order to understand the regional “big picture” and future trends.The WECC is conscious of the fact that fiscal decisions must support the goals of the consortium as a whole. Member allocations are considered with regard to anticipated outcomes, community and regional needs, and the capacity of the agency to offer the needed programs. Leveraging of resources has proved a valuable strategy, as in the case of Chaffey College courses offered on three of the adult school campuses. It is also essential to educate and cross-train staff on what is available not only within the consortium but also regarding pathways to post-secondary education/training and referrals to public and private agencies, depending on student needs. The strategies planned that will enable the WECC to meet its 3-Year Plan goals are as follows:Targeted outreach to under-served areas of the regionBetter use of data to improve student recruitment and retention and make informed programmatic decisionsLeveraging of resources to fill gaps in regional CTE needsProgram expansion according to community/regional needsIncreased partnerships with workforce agencies and employersIncreased resources devoted to transition counseling (college & career)Increased collaboration with Chaffey College on co-location of classes and dual enrollment opportunitiesIndividualization of services for students through orientation programs, specialized software such as Career Cruising and Burlington English, and increased access to counselorsAcceleration of student progress through integrated programs, articulation and pathwaysMore professional development opportunities for classified and teaching staff with the end goal of increased student learningPossible formation of additional focus groupsThe WECC understands that the success of the plan must be based on measurable components. The Program Coordinator is in a position to work with member agencies on analyses of individual school data as it applies to the K-12 adult schools as well as monitor consortium-wide progress toward plan goals. Chaffey College’s Dean of Institutional Research already has a system in place that tracks adult school students who enroll in college courses whether concurrently (dual-enrolled) or subsequent to leaving the adult school. This system will be modified and refined to provide a wider range of more accurate data. The leadership group is considering continuing the relationship with WestEd, which will focus on developing a series of metrics designed to enable the consortium to gauge progress toward Plan goals.

Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Expand and improve offerings in the areas of ABE, ASE and ESL while providing appropriate services and support to reduce students’ barriers to success; improve community outreach to underrepresented areas.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Regional demographic and economic data analyzed for the 3-Year Plan indicate that these programs are still high need in the region; these data also identified the areas within the region where the need is greatest; adult education is still the “safety net” for local school district non-grads; many of these programs have waiting lists at certain points in the school year; CASAS assessment data show that many students have yet to achieve proficient levels; agency data indicate that students are still experiencing barriers to success and are in need of programs and services.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Analysis of enrollment trends; analysis of persistence, transition and outcome (progress & completion) data; analysis of student barriers and services offered; student and staff surveys; stakeholder feedback through meetings, PLC’s, focus groups and events. Outreach efforts will be an area of focus with a plan based on data and measurable outcomes.

Regional Need #2

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Expand and vary CTE offerings and workforce training, including the infusion of soft-skills across the curriculum, integration of programs and dual-enrollment opportunities; strengthen ties with county workforce agencies and employers.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Plan data indicate that there is a need for CTE in certain parts of the region; identified growth sectors will provide opportunities for the large population without a Bachelor’s degree; analysis of CTE programs offered through local school districts, Chaffey College, ROP and other public & private providers; increased collaboration with WIOA I & II agencies via MOU indicate an ongoing need for training. Leveraging of Chaffey College and adult school resources has resulted in increased CTE offerings for adult students across the region.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Analysis of demand and enrollment trends in CTE courses; interest lists; input from county workforce agencies and local employers; monitoring of student progress and outcome data; use of career assessment software (Career Cruising); feedback from students, staff and employers; referral data from AJCC if available. SSN’s are now requested at most adult schools per district policy, and Chaffey College has been tracking CTE enrollment at the co-located classes, including dual-enrolled students.

Regional Need #3

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Increase the number of students earning post-secondary degrees, certificates and industry licenses by identifying career interests and goals early on, facilitating transitions, creating articulation agreements and career pathways, and tracking student transitions.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Analysis of enrollment, outcome and transition data indicate that there is a need to focus on this area. Survey and other data tell us that there is a significant need for improved counseling and career services at the adult schools. Student intake is examined and modified from year to year in order to improve placement and identify student goals; counselor recommendations are considered; orientation programs have been implemented or refined; curriculum has been modified and supplemental software added to accelerate student progress.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
The capacity of Chaffey College to serve as an effective consortium member has increased dramatically due to the creation of the Office of Distance Education, Adult Education, and High School Partnerships in the past two years. Co-located CTE and other classes have been established at the adult schools and counseling resources have been devoted exclusively to adult student transitions. The college has developed an informal tracking system that provides much useful data to the consortium. In addition to currently available outcome data, both WIOA and non-WIOA adult schools are making an increased effort to determine employment outcomes after exit; the state is working on a system to track adult students who enroll in community college via unique ID. College and adult school ESL teachers have met at a networking/PD event and collaboration will continue at a Curriculum Institute planned for the fall. Similar HSE and CTE events are under discussion.

Gaps In Service

New Strategies

Strategy #1
(3-Year Plan, Themes A and H) Serve increasing numbers of students by targeting outreach efforts based on data regarding under-served areas of the region. Examine enrollment and outcome data in order to tailor programs, (offerings, schedules, modalities,) to meet the needs of students. Allocate funds to meet facility and staffing needs, including leveraging of resources.
Strategy #2
(3-Year Plan, Themes B and I) Expand CTE programs by leveraging member resources and allocating funds based on labor market data, employer input and student demand. Incorporate workforce training and skills into programs across the curriculum as appropriate, and offer integrated programs such as the WIOA II IELCE program in ESL.
Strategy #3
(3-Year Plan, Theme E) Improve career planning and advisement services at the adult schools by adding additional resources, such as counselors, career centers, technology and software, and sharing/leveraging resources across the consortium. Strengthen ties with county workforce agencies via the recent MOU between WIOA I & II agencies, and with local employers.

Seamless Transitions

New Strategies

Strategy #1
(3-Year Plan, Theme E) Increase the number of students who complete programs, get jobs or enroll in workforce training programs. Analyze outcome data to determine where improvement efforts should be concentrated. Provide comprehensive student services, including career assessment, transition assistance, and referrals to social service and community agencies. Reduce the number of students who do not reach their goals by providing support such as better communication,counseling, tutoring, and referral to outside agencies.
Strategy #2
(3-Year Plan, Theme D) Increase the number of students enrolling in Chaffey College from the adult schools/ROP by supporting the regular presence of Chaffey College counselors on the adult school campuses. Create clear and accessible pathways from one level or program to another, or from the adult school or ROP program to the college. Provide opportunities for teachers to work on shared curriculum and assessment, course descriptions, skill level descriptors, and desired outcomes in order to facilitate articulation of programs.
Strategy #3
(3-Year Plan, Theme F) Improve the ease and accuracy of student data collection in order to improve accountability, participation and tracking of students. Conduct pilot implementation (as appropriate/feasible for each agency) of electronic student ID cards to track attendance and services. Continue to support the Data Group in its efforts to arrive at common definitions and streamline the process of student intake, data gathering and reporting, and interpretation of data.

Student Acceleration

New Strategies

Strategy #1
(3-Year Plan, Themes D and G) Allow students to move through programs more efficiently by providing varied schedules and modalities, such as distance learning and supplemental software available outside the classroom. Implement and intensify orientation programs, including the inclusion of basic technology training and career/college assessment. Pilot programs as cohort models to evaluate their success.
Strategy #2
(3-year Plan, Themes E, I and J) Implement integrated programs so students can start earlier on their career path. The three WIOA II adult schools offer this through the EL Civics/IELCE program for ESL students, and ESL students at these schools may also have access to basic skills and introductory CTE classes. Supplementary software programs such as Burlington English provide ESL students with introductory vocabulary by career, and weave workforce skills throughout the curriculum. Implementation of CCRS-based curriculum is taking place across programs.
Strategy #3
(3-Year Plan, Theme B) Establish academic and career pathways within and between consortium member schools. Support teachers and program managers with the time and resources to develop and document these pathways. Advise students early on of the avenues available to them; help students to identify academic or career aptitudes and goals.

Professional Development

New Strategies

Strategy #1
(3-Year Plan, Theme C) Collaborate and leverage resources in order to offer more and better professional development and networking opportunities to staff. In addition to the Data Group, consider formation of other focus groups that would, among other things, make recommendations for targeted training and collaboration. Increase opportunities for Chaffey College and adult school/ROP staff to meet.
Strategy #2
(3-Year Plan, Theme C) Continue to seek out and support training and professional learning opportunities offered through members, local, regional and state agencies and professional associations, including WIOA II providers (CALPRO, OTAN, CASAS.) Participate more actively as presenters and facilitators as a consortium and as member agencies.
Strategy #3
(3-Year Plan, Themes C and F) Make better use of enrollment and outcome data to drive professional development. Get input from staff regarding how students could be better served and make faster progress toward reaching goals. Work with WestEd or other consultant to determine what data is most useful and important to the consortium and to translate this data into concrete strategies for use at the administrative, classroom and student level.

Leveraging Resources

New Strategies

Strategy #1
(3-Year Plan, Theme E) Pursue a closer collaboration with the local WDB/AJCC through participation in the county WIOA I & II MOU. Adult school and ROP staff have attended regional events, have given presentations regarding adult education opportunities, and have hosted workforce meetings. A desk reference and referral process have been piloted, staff have participated in cross-training opportunities, and co-location of personnel and services is being considered.
Strategy #2
(3-Year Plan, Theme B) Continue to offer co-located Chaffey College classes and facilitate dual enrollment opportunities for adult school students. This pilot is now going into its third year with Chaffey College classes located at three of the four adult schools. The college has been allocated additional funds to expand counseling resources at the adult schools. Emphasis will be placed on providing support for students who are eligible to dual-enroll in college classes and others who are ready to transition to the college having completed HSE/HSD programs.
Strategy #3
(3-Year Plan, Theme B) Leverage staffing and facilities resources of adult schools/ROP and Chaffey College in order to improve the variety of programs, schedules and modalities available to students. Program mapping and analysis of enrollment data will be used to determine where leveraging would be useful. Examples include summer ESL and Pharmacy Tech at FAS, the direct instruction HSD program at CAS, and the HVAC lab at CVAS. The consortium is exploring the possibility of a consortium-wide referral form to facilitate enrollment at member schools.

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 WECC has made good progress toward reaching the goals identified in its original (2015) Regional 3-Year Plan. Collaboration is now the norm rather than an experiment mandated by the state. The consortium’s new 3-Year Plan builds upon the successes and lessons learned in the past four years. Rather than working independently, member schools plan, strategize, and share resources in order to meet regional needs. Most decisions, including fiscal ones, are reached by consensus. The consortium follows the fiscal agent model and maintains a central account designed to cover consortium-wide expenses. This system has served the consortium well, as it provides the financial flexibility necessary for support of projects and resources that benefit all members, such as the Program Coordinator, Career Cruising software, WestEd, data analytics, and professional development for both certificated and classified personnel. Input from stakeholders, including student and staff surveys, is also taken into account as appropriate when making allocation decisions. Collaboration with local Workforce Development agencies has added a new dimension to professional development for staff, and employment and training opportunities for students.Consortium leadership meets regularly to review and approve fiscal matters, including any necessary revisions or amendments. Allocation decisions have always taken the following considerations into account:Plan goals Regional gaps and redundanciesDemographic and labor market trendsCommunity characteristics and needsMember strengths, limitations, and potential to leverage other resourcesVolume of students servedAbility to serve adult students through highly flexible, low-cost programsESL; Basic and Secondary Skills: The majority of allocations to adult schools go to fund large, high-demand programs such as ESL, ABE, HSE and HSD. The new Plan has identified a continuing need to expand these programs and recruit students from areas of the region where the need is high but enrollment is low. Funds are also devoted to acceleration of student progress through integrated education, including WIOA II/IELCE models, supplemental software, orientation programs, support classes, counseling and tutoring centers.CTE: Plan goals include CTE offerings that are “aligned with the needs of regional employers and industry trends.” Significant amounts of funds allotted to adult schools/ROP are used for new program development and to continue established CTE programs that have proven effective, such as computer skills, healthcare-related classes, and welding. Some of these programs are quite expensive, and the goal is to keep the cost of participation down. Chino Valley has put a large part of its funding toward the development of an HVAC lab where Chaffey College offers courses. This model of leveraging member resources is being used more as pilot programs prove successful.Transitions: The members are aware of the need to devote more resources to facilitate transitions to college, workforce, and other training providers. The consortium has voted to allocate additional funds to Chaffey College in order to provide more transition counselors, and the adult schools are adding counselors and Career Center facilities. Career-Cruising continues to be financed by the consortium for all members. As the result of a pilot program involving dual-enrolled students on the adult school campuses, the consortium has partnered with other organizations to change state policy and drive financial aid reform. Specifically, this collective has partnered to create California Senate Bill SB 554 and Ability to Benefit (ATB) reform in the state, both of which provide structural incentives and supports to improve post-secondary transitions for adults without high school diplomas.Professional Development: The consortium has always set aside funds in the consortium-wide account to support the professional development needs of members and their staffs under the umbrella of consortium goals. This continues to be an area of priority, including planned consortium-wide events and the possible creation of more focus groups or PLC’s. There is also a need to make better use of staff feedback and program data in order to determine areas of improvement. Data: WestEd was contracted by the consortium in the spring to help compile and interpret consortium and regional data, and assist in formulating the 3-Year Plan. They have participated in Data Group meetings and offered advice on how to help the group gather, standardize and interpret data more effectively. TOPSpro Enterprise and ASAP student data systems are financed through the consortium-wide account, as well as a pilot electronic ID card system for tracking student services and attendance. The consortium plans to devote the necessary funding to conduct more effective analyses of data and is looking into continuing the relationship with WestEd.
An approach to incorporating remaining carry-over funds from prior year(s) into strategies planned for 2019-20.
Per state guidelines, agencies within the consortium fashion their approach to planning so as to meet the two-year timeline for spending funds. Carryover from year to year provides the necessary flexibility to meet the goals of the 3-Year Plan, including carryover in the consortium-wide fund. Carryover is usually the result of an agency having planned program expansion or capital projects, both of which continue into the next year due to hiring policies, facilities needs or approval processes. The consortium has added or adapted significant instructional space, including leveraged CTE facilities; added counseling resources, including more counselors and a career/transition center; and added or expanded programs with new instructional staff in the past year. Some of these projects have spanned more than a one-year period due to their cost and complexity. Data is an area of focus for the consortium in its new plan, so carryover will also be used to expand existing data tools and resources, including possibly retaining the services of a consulting firm, to provide related professional development, enhance communication with former, current and prospective students, enable more effective outreach, and support transition/tracking efforts. As infrastructure and program development efforts mature, a greater focus on staffing and enrollment will create more consistent spending and less need for carryover.

Certification

Baldy View ROP - Member Representative

Approved by Rose Bomentre Ed.D.

2019-10-02

Chaffey CCD - Member Representative

Approved by Dr. Matthew Morin

2019-08-15

Chaffey Joint Union High - Member Representative

Approved by Chaffey Adult School Todd Haag

2019-10-02

Chino Valley Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Carl Hampton

2019-08-15

Fontana Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Cynthia Gleason

2019-08-15

Upland Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Pamela Salgado

2019-08-15