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CAEP Annual Plan: 2020-21 60 Solano Adult Education Consortium

Status: Consortium Approved

California Adult Education Program : Annual Plan : 2020-21 Produced: Sep 2, 2020, 07:20 PM UTC June Regis

60 Solano Adult Education Consortium

Plans & Goals - Consortium Approved

Executive Summary
During the 2019-20 implementation period, the Solano Adult Education Consortium (SAEC) made progress across nearly all strategies identified in the 2019-20 SAEC Annual Plan that were derived from the Three-year Adult Education Plan. The SAEC continued to advance its priorities of establishing shared processes, bolstering student support strategies, and increasing accelerated learning and career readiness opportunities. In addition to program and service enhancements, in 2019-20 the SAEC formalized its administrative processes, including developing updated bylaws and improving its public meeting structures. The SAEC strengthened its internal planning processes while simultaneously growing outside partnerships to improve adult learner access to supportive services and reduce barriers for CAEP services.Moving forward into the 2020-21 CAEP implementation period, the SAEC will continue to build on this progress while adapting services to effectively respond to adult learners’ needs in light of the significant events of the last six months, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing CAEP budget uncertainty resulting from the economic impacts of COVID-19, and the nationwide mobilization toward addressing systemic racial injustice. Responding to the COVID-19 Shelter-In-Place directive, SAEC member agencies quickly shifted to remote delivery of courses and support services. At the adult schools, diploma programs and GED prep courses moved to fully online in a matter of weeks. Schools are using a plethora of virtual classroom technology, including Google Classroom, Zoom, and Google Meet to deliver instruction to students. To support gaps in technology access for students and families, schools are providing devices to students, selling Chromebooks to families at low cost, and directing families to affordable Internet options. The recent restoration of 2020-21 Consortia funding will allow the SAEC to maintain its current level of services during the 2020-21 annual plan period. However, without additional federal support the economic impacts of COVID-19 will likely contribute to ongoing CAEP budget uncertainty, potentially leading to budget cuts in the subsequent 2021-22 annual plan period. In response, the SAEC will continue to implement and refine internal processes to promote agile planning, rapid communication, and collaborative decision-making. The SAEC will also apply efforts toward improving understanding of the impact of systemic racial injustices on its student population and how its services and supports may serve to address related inequities. Through planned efforts to establish standardized practices across member agencies for the use of CommunityPro, the SAEC will improve its data and reporting capacity and be better able to track and analyze the student journey through the local adult education continuum based on demographic characteristics. The Consortium will also continue to build and invest in community partnerships to improve access to CAEP services for historically underserved communities and strengthen referral pathways for existing adult learners to support services.The SAEC will use California Adult Education Program (CAEP) funds in 2020-21 to increase access to academic and career learning opportunities; improve the understanding and removal of barriers commonly faced by adult learners subject to systemic racial injustices; expand awareness of and connections to support services and resources; and implement evidence-based instructional strategies for the online learning environment. Over the next year, the SAEC will focus on the following goals:Launch roll-out of CommunityPro referral tracking system, in partnership with Solano College, the Solano County WDB, and Solano County ProbationIncrease equity and remove barriers for adult learners who are subject to systemic racism and discrimination through targeted student performance and outcomes tracking Deliver virtual professional development workshops and trainings to SAEC program staff, with an emphasis on ongoing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training opportunities for staffExpand pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship pilot programs to other Consortium sitesBuild out partnerships with regional trades employers to enhance employment linkages for studentsIncrease opportunities for seamless transitions to post-secondary education through the Solano College Bridging Success programMaximize consistency of member agency data entry and use of data and reporting toolsThis annual plan will serve as a work plan informing how the Consortium will move forward in 2020-21 to address priorities, implement strategies, and meet objectives set forth in the SAEC’s Three-Year Plan. The SAEC will continually monitor progress and make adjustments to approach and strategy based on changing public health requirements and emerging student needs.
Regional Planning Overview
The Consortium has adapted strategies and related activities from its Three-year Plan into intermediary tasks for the purpose of developing the 2020-21 annual plan. Tasks and strategies described within this annual plan are based upon services gaps and needs of adult learners identified through a progress review of the strategies and objectives contained within the SAEC 2019-20 Annual Plan as well as the Three-year Plan planning process. They have been further nuanced and updated to address emerging needs and challenges related to the impacts of COVID-19 and renewed focus on increasing equity and removing barriers for adult learners who are subject to systemic racism and discrimination by enhancing DEI training opportunities for staff as well as implementing data tracking for specific student cohorts, including students who identify as Black or African-American and students who are undocumented. Specifically, upon review of consortium-wide efforts to integrate DEI into professional development for adult education staff, members decided that ongoing DEI professional development opportunities were needed in order to respond to the national crisis regarding systemic and institutionalized racism. Members articulated that DEI professional development would work to fill a gap in how the Consortium can collectively respond to this crisis on a regional level. To spearhead this effort, the SAEC convened a work group dedicated to exploring anti-racism curriculum and ongoing training opportunities for students and staff. Due to COVID-19 and the CAEP funding shortfall, the Consortium is also making a pivot regarding the planned hiring of a Consortium Transition Specialist. In order to conserve Consortium common costs, the SAEC is deferring the hiring of a Transition Specialist indefinitely, instead using projected salary costs to cover budget shortfalls. The SAEC’s renewed focus on Consortium data integrity, referral tracking via CommunityPro, and partnership development with Solano College and regional industry aim to fill any gaps in pathways planning or seamless transitions. Members will continue to monitor any gaps in transition services planning for students, and adapt collective or site-specific responses as necessary.

Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
The following regional needs are articulated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and compared to the regional needs previously identified in the Three-Year Plan, represent a unique set of needs for Solano County families, students, and prospective students currently. Due to the economic impacts of COVID-19, the region faces an economic downturn and diminished employment/career opportunities. This is associated with rapidly changing industry trends and employment needs region-wide.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
The Solano County WDB uses Employment Development Department (EDD) data and regional layoff data to report on the ongoing economic impact of COVID-19 in Solano County. These data reflect cross-cutting industry layoffs, skyrocketing unemployment claims, and countywide economic hardship. Over the 3-month period ending in May 2020, the Solano County unemployment rate ballooned by nearly 300% compared to the same period in the preceding year. COVID-19 has resulted in changing needs and opportunities across regional industry, including relative recent increases in healthcare, construction, food/accommodation, and local government. The SAEC will evaluate strategies to align program planning to reflect changing industry needs during and as a result of COVID-19. Specifically, after further consultation with the WDB and regional industry partners, the SAEC will pivot plans for previously identified career pathways to programming that is responsive to the current economic landscape.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
The SAEC will measure progress by the number of formalized partnerships between regional employers, workforce training programs, and the number of post-secondary transitions to Solano College. The SAEC will also document specific events that are entry points for students interested in linking to targeted workforce training, employment opportunities, or post-secondary programs.

Regional Need #2

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Due to the economic impacts of COVID-19, there is an increased demand among families in Solano County for support programs and services that address areas of essential need (i.e. cash aid, food pantries, and unemployment benefits). Unmet essential needs and services increase barriers to adult learning and workforce training participation.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
This gap has emerged through anecdotal report-outs from SAEC members during board and ad hoc meetings. The SAEC has observed increased needs for safety-net supports through students and families as well as reporting from community-based organizations and the WDB.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
The SAEC will measure progress toward meeting the essential needs of students and their families by the number of referrals between supportive services providers and the SAEC members. These referrals will be tracked formally via CommunityPro as well as informally. The SAEC will also document specific efforts toward providing material supports and/or service referral opportunities for its student population.

Gaps In Service

New Strategies

Strategy #1
1.The SAEC will expand its trades pre-apprenticeship program pilot to at least one other site in the Consortium.2.SAEC members will collaborate with the SCOE “Careers in Focus” Program to enroll out-of-school youth in adult school programs. 3.Solano College will expand its Bridging Success program, piloting the program with at least two other adult schools in the Consortium as well as continuing the program at Fairfield-Suisun Adult School.4.The SAEC will launch a rollout of the CommunityPro referral tracking system, in partnership with Solano College, the Solano County WDB, and Solano County Probation Although many of the identified strategies in the SAEC 2020-21 Annual Plan increase capacity across gap areas and/or help maintain established levels of services, the above are key strategies that 1) involve buy-in and support from multiple member agencies and 2) increase levels of access to both adult education and post-secondary or workforce programs for SAEC students. The above strategies are targeted to address identified gaps in services, providers, and partners for the Consortium. For example, the SAEC members are looking to expand partnerships with employment providers across the region in order to offer more pre-apprenticeship programs for students that lead to apprenticeship or employment opportunities with county employers. To accomplish this, in the 2019-20 year the SAEC piloted the ABC NorCal pre-apprenticeship program at Fairfield-Suisun Adult School, with 1-2 other schools poised to pilot this program at their sites in 2020-21, pending district guidance on reopening given the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the uncertainty around district reopenings, the SAEC is being flexible with this strategy and pivoting to focus on partnership development at the regional level. New industry partnerships will be critical in establishing transitions and employment linkages for SAEC students. Other strategies leverage consortium partnerships to increase entry points for students experiencing multiple barriers. The “Careers in Focus” program, a SAEC-WDB collaboration, serves out-of-school youth and links them to workforce and training opportunities with the WDB as well as adult education programs with the SAEC. The “Bridging Success” program, a SAEC-SCC collaboration, connects adult education students to a post-secondary experience at Solano College through an orientation session followed by an in-person campus tour. Across all of these programs and initiatives, the SAEC connects students to education, workforce, and training opportunities. Incorporating more robust data collection and reporting on these initiatives is a goal for the SAEC in 2020-21 and beyond in order to track participation and participants’ experiences across demographic groups. In service of enhancing integrity in data reporting, the SAEC members are partnering with other county agencies to utilize a cross-systems referral tracking platform, CommunityPro. More broadly, Consortium members continue to participate in data management and reporting trainings to support ongoing professional learning.

Seamless Transitions

New Strategies

Strategy #1
1.The SAEC will expand its trades pre-apprenticeship program pilot to at least one other site in the Consortium.a.As part of its pilot pre-apprenticeship programs, the SAEC will build out partnerships with regional trades employers to enhance employment linkages for students participating in the pre-apprenticeship programs.
Strategy #2
2.Solano College will expand its Bridging Success program, piloting the program with at least two other adult schools in the Consortium as well as continuing the program at Fairfield-Suisun Adult School.
Strategy #3
3.SAEC members will collaborate with the SCOE “Careers in Focus” Program to enroll out-of-school youth in adult school programs.
Strategy #4
5.The SAEC will launch a roll-out of the CommunityPro referral tracking system, in partnership with Solano College, the Solano County WDB, and Solano County Probation. (Please note this strategy and its sub-strategies are cross-listed with “Shared Professional Development.”)a.To support the re-launch of CommunityPro within the Consortium, the SAEC will expand the focus of the Data & Accountability Work Group to include community partners for CommunityPro Systems data integration and ongoing project monitoring.b.SAEC members and community partners to hold a shared vision and develop agreements, including identifying referral targets and escalation pathways, for the cross-agency rollout of CommunityPro.c.SAEC members and community partners to implement cross-training to support broader implementation of CommunityPro across participating county agencies. In addition to the strategies focused on expanding entry points for workforce training, employment readiness, career pathways planning, and post-secondary education, in 2020-21 the SAEC will relaunch its efforts around CommunityPro, a cross-systems human services referral tracking platform. This effort includes partnership development with WDB, SCC, and Solano County Probation. In service of building data capacity and implementing systematic service referral tracking, the SAEC members and county partners will engage in ongoing communication, target setting, and cross-training to enhance transitions and service linkages across consumer populations.

Student Acceleration

New Strategies

Strategy #1
1.SAEC members will coenroll students in basic skills classes, work readiness classes, and career education classes.
Strategy #2
2.SCOE will continue Job Club program services at county adult school locations to support job seekers with employment readiness and preparation.
Strategy #3
3.SAEC members will refer to non-academic supportive services, through both CommunityPro referrals and informal warm handoffs, to adult school wellness centers and community partners to assist students with behavioral health barriers.The SAEC members are focused on continuing efforts for coenrollment in basic skills classes, work readiness classes, and career education classes. Coenrollment remains a critical, ongoing strategy to facilitate student acceleration across adult school programs. To accelerate linkages to employment, the Solano County Office of Education will continue to partner with adult schools to provide employment readiness and preparation services via the Job Club program. This program supports adult learners who are job seekers, who may need additional support in navigating and securing employment opportunities. For students experiencing behavioral health and mental health crises, these health challenges can impede efforts to accelerate students’ academic progress. To support these students, SAEC members will continue to utilize wellness centers, school specialists, and community partners to assist students with identifying and addressing their concerns in a therapeutic setting. With the relaunch of CommunityPro in 2020-21, the SAEC will be able to formally track outgoing referrals to non-academic supportive services.

Professional Development

New Strategies

Strategy #1
1.The SAEC will launch a roll-out of the CommunityPro referral tracking system, in partnership with Solano College, the Solano County WDB, and Solano County Probation.1.1To support the re-launch of CommunityPro within the Consortium, the SAEC will expand the focus of the Data & Accountability Work Group to include community partners for CommunityPro Systems data integration and ongoing project monitoring.1.2SAEC members and community partners to hold a shared vision and agreements regarding aligned intake and assessment, co-enrollment and overall referral strategy and targets for CommunityPro.1.3SAEC members and community partners to implement cross-training to support broader implementation of CommunityPro across participating county agencies.
Strategy #2
2.Data & Accountability Work Group members will monitor program and student data for consistency and accuracy, and increase use of reporting tools by engaging in bi-quarterly data assessment meetings.2.1Data & Accountability Work Group members will utilize targeted data tracking for specific student cohorts, including students who identify as Black or African-American and students who are undocumented, in order to identify and address barriers reflected in both registration data and student performance and outcomes.
Strategy #3
3.SAEC members will engage community transition staff (SAEC, SCOE, WDB, etc.) at the SAEC board meetings.
Strategy #4
4.Facilitate virtual professional development workshops and trainings for SAEC program staff, with an emphasis on ongoing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training to address systemic racism experienced by students who identify as Black, Indigenous, or as a Person of Color (BIPOC), as well as trainings focused on equity concerns related to distance learning during COVID-19.4.1Consortium members will survey staff intermittently throughout the year to identify and address changing professional development needs.
Strategy #5
5.Key staff, administrators, and community partners will attend virtual conferences and workshops as possible during COVID-19.

Leveraging Resources

New Strategies

Strategy #1
1.SAEC members will collaborate with Solano County Behavioral Health and SCOE to continue effectively delivering services out of the adult school wellness centers.
Strategy #2
2.SAEC members will continue to explore additional funding through CalWORKs Employment & Training.
Strategy #3
3.SAEC will leverage adult education and K-12 resources to market teacher recruitment for adult education and CTE.
Strategy #4
4.Vallejo Regional Education Center and SCOE to partner with WDB on the YouthBuild grant to provide educational and employability services to opportunity youth in Solano County.
Strategy #5
5.Increase Consortium effectiveness and instructional capacity across CAEP-funded activities, with an emphasis on improving the delivery of distance learning instruction.
Strategy #6
6.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.
Strategy #7
7.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.
In 2019-20, the SAEC convened a Consortium budget work group to support the transition of the Administrative Unit (AU) to the Solano County Office of Education (SCOE) from the Vacaville Unified School District. During this process, fiscal staff from each site identified member-specific carryover and Consortium carryover. Remaining 18-19 and 19-20 Consortium carryover funds were allocated during the 20-21 CFAD planning process and will be directed toward supporting the cost of increasing enrollment in Fairfield-Suisun and Vacaville, which both have seen growth in their registrant populations. Remaining Consortium carryover funds will be directed toward supporting student technology needs in Benicia. Each of these funded items are consistent with activities outlined in the Consortium’s Three-Year Plan. The SAEC will continue to monitor budget revisions and carryover spend-down in board meetings and budget meetings. This oversight infrastructure will be important in supporting agile budget and program planning in the coming year given the possibility that ongoing CAEP budget uncertainty may result in budgets cut in the subsequent 2021-22 period.
An approach to incorporating remaining carry-over funds from prior year(s) into strategies planned for 2020-21.
All members are expected to use carryover funds for their original purpose as outlined in each member’s budget and work plan. If a member cannot use carryover funds for the original purpose or if they want to change carryover funds to a different expenditure, they will be permitted to do by making a formal revision to their Budget & Workplan in NOVA, and then making the appropriate record of the change in funding purpose in the fiscal reporting form. Each member is expected to notify the SAEC board as well as the consortium manager of any change in use of carryover funds. Member-specific carryover will be directed primarily toward new technology and supports for students in order to meet distance learning needs. This includes Chromebooks, CASAS testing licenses for SCOE, and digital literacy curriculum for parents to assist district families during COVID-19. One of our members, Vallejo Regional Education Center, is also dedicating carryover funds toward a capital project. The school is remodeling its culinary classroom space. The new kitchen classroom will be opening for CTE classes in the fall, pending district guidance on COVID-19.

Certification

Benicia Unified - Member Representative

Approved by June Regis

09/02/2020 12:20 PM PDT

Fairfield-Suisun Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Elizabeth Kolakoski

09/01/2020 10:56 AM PDT

Solano CCD - Member Representative

Approved by Lisa Neeley

08/17/2020 09:44 AM PDT

Solano Co. Office of Education - Member Representative

Approved by Siobhan Dill

08/23/2020 07:00 PM PDT

Vacaville Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Tiffany Donahue

09/02/2020 10:54 AM PDT

Vallejo City Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Vallejo Regional Education Center Laura Dutch

08/16/2020 09:46 AM PDT