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CAEP Annual Plan: 2019-20 60 Solano Adult Education Consortium

Status: Consortium Approved

California Adult Education Program : Annual Plan : 2019-20 Produced: Oct 9, 2019, 07:51 PM UTC Lisa Neeley

60 Solano Adult Education Consortium

Plans & Goals - Consortium Approved

Executive Summary
The Solano Adult Education Consortium (SAEC) continues to make strides in addressing adult education and workforce training needs for students, job seekers, and regional industry. The 2015-18 plan focused on the CAEP 7 program areas, addressing regional needs and gaps, and developing consortium capacity to rebuild and expand adult education and workforce opportunities for all adult students in the region. All in all, Solano’s adult schools have increased their enrollment numbers and program offerings by leaps and bounds. Over the past year and a half, SAEC has also created a stakeholder workgroup around English Language Learners (ELL), which has produced student-centered planning and alignment and comprehensive marketing materials to reach more ELL in our community. Since rejoining SAEC, the Solano County Office of Education has received 2 grants that will greatly improve our recruitment and capacity to provide student supportive and career service needs over the next 3 years. In collaboration with Solano County Behavioral Health, SCOE was granted $300K to create wellness centers at our adult school sites. SCOE was also awarded a $550K grant from the Workforce Development Board of Solano County to provide opportunity youth comprehensive education and career services to help them make sound decisions about their future and career choices, as well as expose them to opportunities through work experiences that will prepare them to be successful in Solano’s economy. Another highlight of SAEC’s accomplishments is its regional collaborations to share professional development opportunities and leverage resources with community partners. The Workforce Development Board of Solano County has been a key partner in applying for grants, improving student access to workforce services through co-enrollment and onsite engagement with students, and collaborating on the implementation of a countywide data integration system, CommunityPro Systems, which will greatly improve our ability to collect data and improve outcomes on postsecondary transition, co-enrollment, job attainment, and wage growth. SAEC is also a voting member of the local board, which has also provided critical demographic and labor market information to align our programs with regional industry. SAEC has also strengthened its relationships with the Solano Public Library system, County Health and Social Services, North Bay Regional Center advisory committee, labor unions, and other community-based organizations. Community partners attend SAEC’s professional development trainings and consortium meetings. Through another grant, SAEC and its library partners participated in a 40 hour trauma-informed workshop that will inform SAEC as we build wellness centers at our adult schools over the next 3 years. Organizationally, SAEC has improved its operating structure through normalized meetings, synching district calendars, formalized collaboration and information sharing, and planning consortium-wide activities. SAEC has also created workgroups that address data and accountability and ELL students. Through these workgroups, relationships among staff at all levels are deepening and have resulted in tangible results for a better understanding of data integrity and its impact on student outcomes and funding. The ESL stakeholders workgroup has a better understanding of the ELL landscape in Solano County to create a shared vision to serve more students more effectively. The SAEC 2019-20 Annual Plan will implement strategies to:1. Build and Strengthen Connections with Community Partners2. Improve Student Persistence3. Develop Seamless Postsecondary Transitions4. Develop Consortium-wide Career Pathways/Programs5. Marketing/VisibilityMany of the strategies behind the 2019-20 objectives began in the 2018-19 and have been formalized in the annual plan.
Regional Planning Overview
Many of the strategies for 2019-20 were started in the 2018-19 fiscal year with 2019-20 consortium funding allocated specifically to the new plan’s initiatives. This past year, as budgets and capacity have stabilized, new grant funding has flowed into adult education for workforce and support services and community partnerships have strengthened. SAEC has moved closer to making consortium-wide fiscal and planning decisions rather than individual member decisions. In order to accomplish the consortium-wide and individual member objectives, annual member work plans will reflect how these goals, strategies, and indicators will be carried out. Members taking on a consortium-wide pilot program will document challenges and successes and report out to the consortium at monthly meetings. Members will support each other through continued sharing of resources, knowledge, and accountability to accomplish collaborative goals. The implementation of this new regional plan will again be predicated on annual project area plans, with specific activities, assigned responsibilities, and a regular review of progress. Other factors that will enable SAEC’s regional plan to thrive are the ability and interest in using data from all sources to drive programs and measure progress. Using qualitative and quantitative data through CASAS, CommunityPro, labor market information, focus groups, and surveys will also assist SAEC’s members to better shape their delivery systems around student and job seeker needs as well as industry trends. Another element of success will be to engage key staff at all sites in consortium activities in order to further community collaboration and an understanding of SAEC’s mission as an adult education and workforce system. SAEC will also revisit and embed CAEP Measures of Effectiveness into their planning and implementation process.In the fall of 2019, SAEC will host an open house to share the 2019-22 regional plan with staff, community partners, students, and district leadership to share the importance of adult education and the shared collaborative spirit SAEC offers to the Solano community.

Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Serving Opportunity Youth in Targeted Areas of Solano County
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
The Workforce Development Board of Solano County hired Jobs for the Future to study the out of school youth population, from which they developed an RFA to serve youth in underserved pockets of Solano County. SAEC also compared CASAS student and demographic data to demonstrate gaps in communities.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Effectiveness will be measured through CalJobs, CASAS, and by using CommunityPro Systems data integration.

Regional Need #2

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Variety and expansion of ESL classes to meet the needs of the foreign born population
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Waiting lists at schools, demographic data showing foreign born population, lack of classes in rural areas, and lack of integrated education and training classes for ELL students.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Opening a variety of ESL classes in appropriate areas, increased enrollment, CASAS data showing persistence and completion, job attainment and increased wages for ELL students.

Regional Need #3

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Postsecondary Transitions
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
There is no mechanism to show postsecondary transitions by adult school students to college. However, the lack of bridge classes and transition activities shows the gap. CASAS data does not show transition to a postsecondary career education program within a school.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Effectiveness will be measured by developing bridge classes to Solano College and enrollment in bridge classes. Adult schools will also develop other consortium-wide career education programs, where enrollment will be tracked.CommunityPro will be used to collect data on postsecondary enrollment, certificate attainment, and job/wage attainment.

Regional Need #4

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Diverse pool of Adult Education and CTE Teachers
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
It is difficult to hire qualified teachers on a part-time basis and develop new career education programs without instructor input.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Through a teacher recruitment process, Adult Ed in conjunction with K-12 districts, will develop and market a workshop to the local and regional community. It will be measured by how many teachers enroll in the workshop and in a credentialing program, how many teachers are hired, expansion of programs of study due to teacher expertise, and increased enrollment and certificate attainment. Work-based learning opportunities, job attainment and wage growth will also be measured.

Regional Need #5

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Transition Specialist position
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Solano does not have a transition specialist to provide students with comprehensive academic and career goal planning, support service needs and referrals, and fomenting deeper connections with partner organizations.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Through CASAS and CommunityPro data integration reporting, effectiveness will be measured through enrollment, support services received, postsecondary transitions, jobs attained, student persistence and completion of programs.

Regional Need #6

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Support services for behavioral health
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Through a partnership with UC Davis Center for Reducing Health Disparities and Solano County Behavioral Health, a study showed that Latino, Filipino, and LGBTQ populations were not using behavior health services. Mental Health Services Act funds were allocated to build cohorts to implement communitywide projects to serve these targeted population.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Effectiveness will be measured through the creation of wellness centers and data collection at each of the adult schools in Solano County.

Gaps In Service

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Through work groups, pilot programs, and grant funding, SAEC will:•Develop a non-union trades preapprenticeship pilot program•Develop and pilot a bridge class to the Solano College Human Services program•Collaborate with the WDB and SCOE on the Careers in Focus grant to serve out of school youth•Expand ESL course offerings through a partnership with Solano College, develop integrated education and training programs for ELL students, and continue the alignment of ESL programs in Solano County•Develop a countywide teacher recruitment program and market it regionally to grow our staff capacity•Hire a consortium-wide transition specialist to coordinate programs, work directly with students, assist in implementing of data integration for consortium and WDB, and collaborate with community partners•Open a Wellness Center at Vallejo Regional Education Center

Seamless Transitions

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Develop a non-union trades preapprenticeship pilot program at Fairfield-Suisun Adult School, which will be replicated at other adult schools in Solano County
Strategy #2
Develop and pilot a bridge class to Solano College's Human Services program as template for future bridge classes to other programs
Strategy #3
Hire a consortium-wide transition specialist
Strategy #4
Collaborate with SCOE's Careers in Focus Program Manager to implement the WDB out of school you grant awarded to SCOE
Strategy #5
Develop IET programs for ELL and ABE students

Student Acceleration

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Develop IET programs for ELL and ABE students
Strategy #2
Coenroll students in basic skills classes, work readiness classes, and career education classes
Strategy #3
Offer non-academic supportive services through referrals by the transition specialist to wellness center and community partners services to assist students with barriers

Professional Development

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Continue Data and Accountability Work Group
Strategy #2
Expand Data and Accountability Work Group to include community partners for CommunityPro Systems data integrationHold consortium-side PD workshops based on staff interest and changing state mandates
Strategy #3
Engage community transition staff (SAEC, SCOE, WDB, etc.) at staff meetings
Strategy #4
Plan the 3rd annual SAEC Professional Development Day
Strategy #5
Hold consortium-side PD workshops based on staff interest and changing state mandates
Strategy #6
Key staff, administrators, and community partners will attend conferences and workshops throughout the year, including national conference that are out of state.

Leveraging Resources

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Collaborate on WDB Careers in Focus grant awarded to SCOE
Strategy #2
Collaborate with Solano County Behavioral Health on the Health Systems Development Grant awarded to SCOE to develop wellness centers at adult schools
Strategy #3
Apply for the YouthBuild grant through WDB and Vallejo Regional Education Center
Strategy #4
Explore additional funding through CalWorks Employment & Training
Strategy #5
Continue collaborative alignment and marketing of adult school, college, and library ESL programs
Strategy #6
Develop consortium-wide career education and bridge classes to be replicated throughout the county
Strategy #7
Implement CommunityPro Systems through a community partner work group
Strategy #8
Leverage adult education and K-12 staff and fiscal resources to market teacher recruitment for adult education and CTE

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 planned allocation is aligned with the CAEP 7 program areas, performance measures, local/regional workforce plan, and student demographic needs. The allocation has also capitalized on leveraged resources of the out-of-school youth and wellness center grants. The 2019-20 annual plan for the first time focuses on allocating funds for consortium-wide projects: hiring a transition specialist, developing a non-union trades preapprenticeship, and developing bridge courses to Solano College. The allocations to members for school site programs are made transparent SAEC at board meetings, agendas, and minutes.
An approach to incorporating remaining carry-over funds from prior year(s) into strategies planned for 2019-20.
Carryover funds are fast dwindling due to all around program expansion and increased student enrollment. Members with the largest carryovers will be on target by December, 2019. Carryover funds are being used to hire key staff, build infrastructure, and bolster supportive services.

Certification

Benicia Unified - Member Representative

Approved by June Regis

2019-09-13

Fairfield-Suisun Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Elizabeth Kolakoski

2019-09-13

Solano CCD - Member Representative

Approved by Lisa Neeley

2019-10-09

Solano Co. Office of Education - Member Representative

Approved by Susan Labrecque

2019-07-25

Vacaville Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Tiffany Donahue

2019-09-11

Vallejo City Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Vallejo Regional Education Center Laura Dutch

2019-08-15