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CAEP Annual Plan: 2019-20 61 Sonoma County Adult Education Consortium

Status: Consortium Approved

California Adult Education Program : Annual Plan : 2019-20 Produced: Dec 6, 2019, 09:02 PM UTC Lisa Saxon

61 Sonoma County Adult Education Consortium

Plans & Goals - Consortium Approved

Executive Summary
The Sonoma County Adult Education Consortium engaged in an extensive strategic planning and self-evaluation process to ensure that goals set for the next three years would meet the expectations of all member agencies and adult education partners in the region. In addition to the Oversight Committee discussions, the SCAEC also conducted a Stakeholder's Meeting with over fifty participants from secondary education; community college faculty, classified and management staff; governmental agencies; and community based organizations. The mission of the Consortium is to provide a variety of free/low cost educational options for adult throughout Sonoma County, regardless of prior school experience, to increase financial and personal growth.The vision of the Consortium is to provide comprehensive services for the community and to function as a well-oiled machine with consistency of practice and operation. SCAEC desires to be a highly respected, highly sought-out organization that is recognized and celebrated for providing greater access to workforce skill development including English language, high school diploma/equivalency, twenty-first century workplace expectations and specific industry-based skill training.The long-term goals of the Sonoma County Consortium include:1.Expand/strengthen partnerships with Community Based Organization, School Districts, and local governments to better serve students in closer proximity to home.2.Facilitate collaboration and articulation between Consortium agencies to increase matriculation to post-secondary education and provide a warm hand-off from one program to another.3.Remove barriers that prevent students from completing courses and programs, such as free on-site child care, accessible locations for instruction, individualized student education plans, and personalized relationships with students.4.Expand Basic Computers program to increase access for students throughout the County and to offer additional learning opportunities and resources related to workplace and business computer functions. 5.Expand construction related training options through the development, approval and implementation of new courses and certificate programs to meet the Rebuild Sonoma County post-disaster employment efforts.6.Provide more seamless coordination and sharing of information and resources, ensuring that materials are available in Spanish and English, as well as a literacy level that meets the needs of Adult Learners.7.Support consortium-wide professional development opportunities for faculty, staff and administrators.8.Provide quarterly data updates to consortium member agencies using regional (EDB) and consortium-based data submitted to the State. Create faculty training on understanding CASAS reports to support students and instructional development.The Sonoma County Consortium is a direct-funded partnership. Each agency allocated funding based on the services their agency provides in relation to the Regional Adult Education Plan. CAEP funding for 2019-20 will support the following primary initiatives of the SCAEC.1.Maintain and support ESL, HSD/HSE, and family literacy programs.2.Expand HSD/HSE services to new education hub in the Windsor Unified School District.3.Maintain and support current short-term CE courses and certificates, and expand programming based on regional workforce need.4.Recruit and hire a qualified testing technician to assist with data collection.5.Refine process for data collection and distribution to keep Consortium members and partners informed of student and program success.6.Develop an Ambassadors program for the Consortium that provides leadership training for students to increase recruitment, retention, and visibility of Adult Education programs in the community, and to provide a critical student voice to analysis of current AE offerings, as well as the development of future AE programs.The Oversight Committee also reflected upon the accomplishments of the 2018/19 academic year:1.Petaluma Adult School (PAS) relocated the Santa Rosa HSD/HSE program, which allowed for service expansion. They continue to have a strong completion rate with over fifty graduates in a single year.2.PAS implemented a transitional course for ESL that includes a site-based visit to the SRJC Petaluma Campus as part of the warm hand-off process.3.SRJC developed a partnership with the City of Healdsburg and Corazon Healdsburg to launch a series of classes at the community center. The program includes ESL, HSE in Spanish, and a variety of short-term career skill training programs. 4.Sonoma County Office of Education and SRJC established an articulation agreement for the introductory construction training courses with a SRJC non-credit certificate in basic construction. More than thirty students completed all of the requirements for the certificate.5.SRJC received approval for 40 additional NC career courses and 8 NC certificates.
Regional Planning Overview
The Sonoma County Adult Education Consortium concluded the community engagement and input process for the three-year plan in April 2019. Since then, the Oversight Committee established the priorities for the Consortium and Consortium staff members have outlined an implementation plan for the activities/initiatives.1. Maintain and support ESL, HSD/HSE and family literacy programs a. Petaluma Adult School (PAS) did not have reduction in the number of sections allocated the above programs. b. SRJC has experienced a nine percent reduction in services as the population of Sonoma County continues to fluctuate after the 2017 fire storm disaster. Non-credit ESL is being reduced by cancelling sections that do not have a minimum of twenty students. ESL still offers over 85 sections per semester. c. CAEP funds are being used to provide onsite child care to remove barriers for student attendance in the above classes, including Petaluma Adult School.2. Expand HSD/HSE services to new education hub in the Windsor Unified School District. a. PAS will offer an evening section of high school diploma curriculum at the Continuation High School in Windsor starting in fall 2019. b. SRJC plans to offer HSE in spring 2020 and will provide a laptop cart for all HSD/HSE students to use.3. Maintain and support current short-term CE courses and certificates, and expand programming based on regional workforce need. a. SRJC continues to offer six levels of basic computer classes in seven locations in Sonoma County. In addition, courses in financial literacy, small business development, construction and landscaping. b. SRJC added the licenses child care operations certificate in fall 2019 in partnership with the County of Sonoma 4 C's organization and industrial residential construction methods in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. c. SCOE continues to offer the traditional construction methods classes in two locations in Sonoma County.4. Recruit and hire a qualified testing technician to assist with data collection. a. Paperwork was completed and approved to hire a full time testing technician. The announcement will go out in November 2019 and we anticipate having the new employee on board to start the spring 2020 semester.5. Refine process for data collection and distribution to keep Consortium member and partners informed of student and program success. a. Data collection is labor intensive and time consuming, as SRJC's student information system is not equipped to gather the data required by CAEP and WIOA. We currently use a third party system for student registration and link that information to TopsPro Enterprise. The AE Manager will work with the Director and Outreach Specialists to streamline processes and procedures for students intake and update records. These changes will occur over the course of the year, and will impact both SRJC and SCOE.6. Develop a Student Ambassadors program for the Consortium a. Lead Outreach Specialist to coordinate the specifics of the Ambassadors program for the Consortium. b. Students identified by instructors as leaders in Adult Education will be asked to apply for the first cohort group. c. Initial training in fall 2019 with follow up training in spring 2020. Ambassadors will meet regularly to hear from and provide feedback to elected officials on initiatives of critical importance to Adult Education students. d. Students will become AE advocates by speaking at public meetings to elected officials.

Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Construction and Building Trades training and employment: Due to the fires in October 2017, and more recently the floods in February 2019, there is a need to train and employ at least 3,000 more workers in the construction, building trades and landscaping industries. This is difficult, as the only facilities designed to house construction programs are located at high schools, and are not equipped to facilitate residential construction practicum. SRJC, in conjunction with the Economic Development Board, has submitted a grant to the federal Economic Development Administration and REMA to receive funding to build a state-of-the -art Industrial Residential Construction Center on the Petaluma Campus of SRJC to serve regional training needs. The Center will house non-credit and credit courses and certificate programs to fill local workforce shortages.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
According to the California Labor Market Index (LMI) there is a gap of about 3,600 trained workers annually in all jobs related to construction, building trades and landscaping the North Bay region. This was indicated prior to the Tubbs and Atlas fires in 2017, and the Russian River Valley floods I February 2019. From 2012-2017 construction and trade workers was the fastest growing industry sector in Sonoma County with 44.3 percent growth. In addition, a post-fire economic recovery analysis indicated that the region will need to build in excess of 7,000 residential structures to replace homes lost in the fires and floods, as well as maintain economic stability in the region. Sonoma County had the highest outward migration of any county in California due to lack of housing availability. This is also the top priority in the Strategic Sonoma Action Plan adopted by the County of Sonoma in 2018.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
The Consortium and SRJC will measure effectiveness by the number of student enrolled in construction/landscaping courses, the number of completers in each course, the number of students earning a non-credit certificate in their program area, and the number of students who earn industry certifications. Non-degree credentials is an important piece of the construction/trades/landscape certificate programs. We will also track employment milestones, such as getting a job, retaining a job, becoming employed full time, getting promoted or changing jobs for better pay.

Regional Need #2

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
High School Diploma/Equivalency: Sonoma County continues to have thirteen percent of the population that does not have a high school diploma or equivalent. Petaluma Adult School is the single provider of HSD courses in the county, but they are located in the southern-most part of the county and not accessible to everyone who needs to avail themselves of the services. Access to high school diploma courses throughout the county is imperative. In addition, the high school equivalency courses for English speaking students are limited to daytime hours only. This limits access for students seeking high school equivalency who also work full-time.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Gaps were identified by looking at posted schedules for high school diploma and high school equivalency courses. In addition, information was gathered from students who call PAS and SRJC to enter HSD/HSE programs, but could not enroll due to program times and locations.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
The Consortium and SRJC will measure effectiveness by the number of student enrolled in high school diploma and equivalency preparation courses, the number of completers in each course, the number of students earning a non-credit certificate in their program area, and the number of students who earn a high school diploma or pass their equivalency exams. We will also track employment milestones, such as getting a job, retaining a job, becoming employed full time, getting promoted or changing jobs for better pay after the receipt of a HSD or equivalent.

Regional Need #3

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Computer Skills: Most school districts have transitioned to online student registration and student information systems for parents. While data regarding computer access and familiarity was limited to self-reporting through the school districts, those districts indicated a need to train families in the use of computers and software to better engage with the school community and assist students with technology based homework completion and submission. In addition, most businesses, even self-employed, rely on workers with computer skills to engage with the public, track inventory and transactions, and complete common workplace tasks. SRJC has implemented two computer skills certificates for students to gain skills that will allow them to participate in the education environment as well as seek jobs or promotional opportunities that require competency in computer operations. SRJC has also developed two additional computer certificates that focus on Google applications and professional presentation skills. A certificate for e-commerce applications is in the works.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Computer skills training gaps were identified by K-12 providers and business partners. The school districts noticed a lack of participation in planning and reporting processes under LCFF and difficulty for some parents to assist their children with homework that is technology based. Business owners/managers indicated a need for potential employees to have current computer application skills, including knowledge of the Google Suite.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Effectiveness will be measured by the number of students enrolled in computer courses, the number of completers in each course, the number of students who receive non-credit certificates, and the number of students who transition from the non-credit certificate programs into more in-depth credit courses at SRJC. The Consortium may also receive anecdotal information regarding parent engagement in school systems using computer technology.

Regional Need #4

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Hispanic Leadership Development: According to a 2017 report on Hispanic demographic trends in Sonoma County, the Hispanic population has grown to 26.3% of the county's population as of 2015. While lower than the State's average of 38.8%, Sonoma County has the largest Hispanic population in the North Bay region. Hispanic enrollment in the K-12 school districts in Sonoma County doubled since 2000 to 44%. However, the gaps in student achievement in third grade reading proficiency indicate the need for parents and grandparents to have access to English literacy courses and programs that promote community engagement to advocate for their children and themselves.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Economic Development Board Hispanic Demographic Trends Report for 2017, and engagement with Community Based Organizations who primarily serve the Hispanic community.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Effectiveness will be measured by the number of students recruited into the AE Ambassadors program who complete training and participate in community building activities. The Consortium will also consider the number of public speaking engagements and contacts with elected officials.

Gaps In Service

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Diversify program offerings for Career Education: SRJC has over 120 courses and 25 non-credit certificates approved by the Chancellor's Office to offer throughout the community. With seven new certificates and over twenty courses in the approval process, SRJC continues to respond to local workforce and partner needs by developing courses and certificate to meet local training requests and identified skill gaps. While there are more courses/programs/certificates to meet local needs, the college faces the reality of a shrinking credit student population that affects the number of sections that can be offered each semester, so the Adult Education Department will rotate program locations, as well as the types of programs that are offered each semester to meet current needs.
Strategy #2
Expand partnerships with business and industry organizations, as well as community based organization to support career education, ESL and HSD/HSE programs. CBO's have been strong partners in serving at-risk populations by providing free child care and wrap around support services. They also have direct contact with the population centers served through adult education programs. Business partners have also indicated a strong interest in supporting their employees to improve English language skills and achieve HSD/HSE goals.
Strategy #3
Cross promote HSD/HSE programs: Petaluma Adult School expanded the number of locations for HSD in 2018 and will add another location in 2019. Most of these locations are adjacent to or co-located with existing ESL programs. SRJC expanded the number of Spanish language HSE courses, so they are more accessible to current ESL students. Cross promoting basic skills programs for AE students will provide an excellent foundation for family literacy and employment opportunities.
Strategy #4
Data informed program planning and instructional practices: The AE Manager will work closely with PAS, and SRJC FT faculty and Department Chairs to provide professional development opportunities that focus on using TopsPro Enterprise reports to inform instructors about student progress on key literacy and numeracy indicators, as well as gaps in instruction for Educational Functioning Level gains.

Seamless Transitions

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Informational Sessions on Adult Education programs and transition points: The Outreach Specialists will work with all of the Consortium service providers to present educational options for AE students. Informational sessions will occur at the beginning and end of each career education course to cover the non-credit certificate options, as well as other programs offered through AE including ESL and HSD/HSE. Transition sessions will be provided by Outreach Specialists and the Southwest Center student success staff to include entry points for credit courses as well as other programs offered through non-credit options such as career education certificates. Finally, transition events will be held for both PAS and SRJC students to inform participants of credit programs at SRJC. Students will participate in tours and speak to panelists who have successfully transitioned from non-credit to credit coursework.
Strategy #2
ESL transition courses: Because ESL is the largest adult education program, a transition course that follows the advanced ESL level was implemented to acclimate students seeking to enter degree and transfer courses to the rigor of college level coursework. Specific attention is paid to essay writing and test taking prompts.
Strategy #3
Job Fairs and Hiring Events: Adult Education staff members will work with the Career Hub Job Developers and Job Link staff to create and implement several Job Fair and Hiring Events attended by local employers that coincide with the end of classes or certificate programs with the intent of providing a warm hand-off from coursework to employment.

Student Acceleration

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Contextualized Basic Skills courses: SRJC has developed several contextual math and English courses that are paired with career education courses to provide reinforced basic skills instruction. The courses are required as part of non-credit career certificates and support student acceleration of literacy and numeracy skills used in high demand fields such as construction, landscaping, small business development, and computer skills. Students in these courses are CASAS tested to measure educational functioning level gains.
Strategy #2
Managed Enrollment: The ESL department has transitioned some of their sections to managed enrollment. Students meet four times per week for three hours to accelerate mastery of English literacy skills. The College Skills department is in the process of transitioning to managed enrollment for the English language sections of HSE. Students meet twice per week for 2.5 hours with both direct instruction and open lab time to accelerate learning of standards for the HSE tests. All career education courses were established as managed enrollment sections with minimum participation requirements. This is necessary to ensure mastery of career skills in high demand employment areas.
Strategy #3
Variable class times and locations: In order to reduce obstacles to program completion, AE programs are offered at twelve different locations throughout the county, and at different times/days to accommodate working students and the need for child care.

Professional Development

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Small group training in high need areas: Each SRJC department and consortium service provider will determine areas of high need for training and provide at least one training for instructors and administrators each semester. This may include Faculty Inquiry Groups that meet more frequently to address a specific academic need such as assessment and rubric design, or bringing in a topic expert to conduct a short one-day training. Use of data to inform instructional practice will be included in the high need training sessions.
Strategy #2
Regional trainings offered through CAEP, CDE and OTAN: Faculty and staff will be informed of regional training opportunities including webinars that focus on how to engage adult learners and understanding the data and accountability requirements of CAEP and WIOA.
Strategy #3
State and National Conferences: Faculty and staff will be informed of State and National Conferences that focus on the needs of adult learners, serving English learners, or implementing best practices in career education. Conferences include NCPN, CCCAOE, CAEP Summit, COABE, and NCWE. Participants will be required to provide a training to department or consortium faculty and staff on promising practices to implement locally.
Strategy #4
SRJC Adult Education developed a short term career certificate that will provide training and assistance to industry professionals that desire to become adult education instructors. Often the transition from industry expert to instructor is difficult, so the certificate covers understanding the needs of adult learners, creating documents for the classroom, lesson design and delivery, instructional differentiation, and assessment design. Other topics include using technology in the classroom, team teaching, career education activities, incorporating CCR standards and accommodating adults with disabilities.

Leveraging Resources

New Strategies

Strategy #1
SRJC is actively working with the Sonoma County Economic Development Board, Habitat for Humanity, North Coast Builder's Exchange and the Sonoma County CTE Foundation to implement a comprehensive construction building trades, and landscaping training programs to support the Rebuild Sonoma County efforts after the 2017 wildfires and 2019 floods. Funds leveraged include an $8,000,000 grant from EDA/FEMA to conduct disaster recovery and economic stability post fire storm. This grant will be coupled with a land match of $780,000 by the Sonoma County Junior College District and a $1,000,000 private fund match from the Tipping Point Foundation. The funding will be used to construct a Regional Construction and Trades Training and Employment Center on the Petaluma campus of SRJC. We are additionally seeking Strong Workforce Regional funding to support equipment purchases for the new building. We have the commitment of over a dozen local employers in the trades to support paid internships for students and to make donations to the program of cash or in-kind services.
Strategy #2
SRJC is also working with the local chapter of Goodwill Industries to develop and implement an E-Commerce Basics program to support their workforce needs and create an added certificate structure to the Small Business Development portfolio. Goodwill Industries of the Redwood Empire has committed to building and equipping a classroom at their Southwest Santa Rosa store location. SRJC will advise on the specific equipment that is needed to support the curriculum requested. Additional programs to be held under this operating agreement are basic computer skills, computer skills for the workplace, workforce preparation, customer service and individual tax preparation (in conjunction with United Way). Goodwill Industries relies on its E-Commerce business to fund operational costs. We share the same clients, so this was a natural partnership to serve the community as we diversify our economy post-disaster.
Strategy #3
SRJC is actively working with the City of Healdsburg, the Healdsburg Unified School District and Corazon Healdsburg to expand on a developing education and social services partnership. The City of Healdsburg and HUSD provide classroom space at no cost and assist with the recruitment process for classes. Corazon Healdsburg provides wrap around support services to students and their families, as well as provide on site child care at no cost to the students. We currently teach ESL, HSE, computer skills, and financial literacy. We will expand into licensed home child care operations and Google Applications in Spring 2020.
Strategy #4
SRJC will be working with Job Link and the Sonoma County Human Services Department to provide training for their employees on the services and programs offered through Adult Education in order to better utilize resources and provide services to at-risk clients. While funding is not exchanged between the two agencies, it is the partnership to serve the same/similar populations that is the leverage.
Strategy #5
Petaluma Adult School and SRJC work together to provide services to clients in the southern-most part of the County. PAS provides facilities free of charge, while SRJC provides NC courses and pays for child care on nights when the Petaluma site is not usually opened. The partnership hopes to grow by adding an additional site in spring 2020.

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.
Each service providing agency of the Sonoma County Adult Education Consortium has vetted their assigned programs through the monthly service provider meetings and the Oversight Committee Meetings to ensure that courses or programs provided with CAEP funding and expenditures of CAEP funding are consistent with the adopted budget for the SCAEC Regional Adult Education Plan. The annual plan for 19-20 continues the work from the first three years of the Adult Education funding and narrows the focus of expansion to meet specific service gaps or regional economic development plans that occurred post-disaster.
An approach to incorporating remaining carry-over funds from prior year(s) into strategies planned for 2019-20.
All carryover funding will be expended in accordance with the original annual plans for the funding year. When initiatives have been completed under budget, the additional funding will be used to carry out current year priorities and initiatives. Most of the funding for the 19-20 program year was used to cover cost of living increases for local teacher and classified staff contracts.

Certification

Petaluma Joint Union High - Member Representative

Approved by Nancy Emanuele 7784633

2019-12-03

Santa Rosa City Schools - Member Representative

Approved by Nancy Miller 5274720

2019-12-03

Sonoma Co. Office of Education - Member Representative

Approved by Stephen Jackson

2019-12-05

Sonoma County CCD - Member Representative

Approved by Nancy Miller 5274720

2019-12-03

Sonoma Valley Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Tracy Dorrance

2019-12-04

Windsor Unified - Member Representative

  • Lisa Saxon
  • Director of Educational Services
  • lsaxon@wusd.org
  • (707) 837-7721 ext: 1012
Approved by Lisa Saxon

2019-12-06