Alliance for Language Learners’ Integrating, Education, and Success

1. Alliance for Language Learners’ Integrating, Education, and Success CAEAA – February 2, 2012

2. ALLIES History 2010: Form steering committee and submit grant • Community colleges insist on involving the Adult Schools 2011: Planning and action research to: • Develop best practice collaboration model • Pilot test partnership approaches • Develop strategic plan 2012 Goal: Implement 3-5 Community Wide Alliances

3. What’s the problem? • No single agency has the resources needed to serve low-skill adult language learners effectively. • There is a gap in systemic coordination • Immigrants are key to our future • 1/3 of residents are foreign born • 1/2 of workforce are immigrants • 2/3 of children have immigrant parents • Services are at risk due to budget cuts • Risk of reduced opportunity and social mobility • Risk of growing achievement gaps

4. The Need

5. What Students See Today Wide variety of individual class offerings Lack of obvious roadmap of classes to take them to goal Confusion about progressing among educational systems Duplication of curriculum among different classes and educational systems

6. What Students Need Clear courses of study Integrated pathways of classes and work experience Bridges between among educational systems Alignment of curriculum among different classes and educational systems

7. Community-Based Organizations Current Structure Elected Officials /Local Government Many expert groups Alliances depend on individuals Limited regional goal-setting and alignment Gaps in service not easily addressed Service replication can easily occur Workforce Development Agencies Adult Schools Labor Employers Community Colleges Researchers Support Service Providers

8. Elected Officials /Local Government Workforce Development Agencies Support Service Providers Community-Based Organizations Adult Schools Community Colleges Employers Labor Researchers ALLIANCES Preferred Structure Many expert groups Alliances are systemic and widespread Common regional goals and agendas Cohesive services with little replication Guidance and support on collaborating

9. ALLIES Value Added Best Practice Collaborative Model and Support • Common Agenda • Shared Metrics • Mutually Reinforcing Activities • Continuous Communication • “Backbone” Support Organization

10. 1 2 3 8 4 7 5 6 9 ALLIES will support alliances in sub-regions throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara counties 10 Figure 1. ALLIES Sub Regions

11. 2011 Action Research with ESL Providers February 2011 Gavilan College 60 ESL practitioners Feb - April Local Collaborations May 2011 Santa Clara Adult Ed 50 ESL practitioners Summer Local Collaborations October 2011 Foothill College

12. Employers Support Service Providers Elected Officials /Local Government Workforce Development Agencies Community-Based Organizations Labor Researchers Community Colleges Adult Schools ALLIES 2011 Planning with a multi-sector coalition • Strategic Action Planning Group • Develop multi-sector strategies • First Session: Sep. 16, 2011 • Building Skills Partnership • NOVA WIB • KQED Education • Catholic Charities • Assemblyman Rich Gordon’s Office • San Mateo Hispanic Chamber of Commerce • Center for Employment and Training • Project Read Menlo Park • Project Read Redwood City • Cañada College • Palo Alto Adult School

13. Support and Recognition for ALLIES Success • Invited to testify at California Legislature Little Hoover Commission as best practice model • Connections with Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and California Department of Education • Participation at the White House Hispanic Community Action Summit • Presentations at CATESOL, CAEAA, and other associations

14. Logo, Website, Video and Newsletter

15. Intended Impacts • Increased college access and success • Employment in family sustaining careers • Upward mobility • Accelerated language and skill acquisition • Expanded technology literacy • Regional workforce development • Increased community and civic engagement • Support for citizenship

16. The World of Adult Schools: Approaching ALLIES • What do we have? • State standards for ESL • 7 clearly defined levels • A statewide testing system (for WIA schools) • Annual testing targets (for WIA schools) • A new strategic plan in the beginning stages of implementation • ESL programs that mirror their communities

17. The World of Adult Schools • What are some variations? • Varying levels depending on the community • Open entry versus managed enrollment • Connections to K-12 of varying degrees • Varying degrees of collaboration • Many have small fees • Some restrict to residents of the community

18. The World of Adult School • What do we need? • Funding and stability • A system to track student progress after leaving • A system to place students who move from one community to another • A coherent way to document student achievement that can be transferred from one community or employer to another.

19. ESL in Community Colleges: Approaching ALLIES • CB 21 coding restricting levels of ESL • Generation 1.5 students • Budget Constraints • Focus on Accountability • Focus on Equity • Integrative language learning (Career Ladders)

20. Collaborative Activities • Gavilan credit, non-credit and Gilroy Adult • Establish priorities • Curriculum • Assessment • Gather CASAS scores for a year and try to align scores with Gavilan classes • Access • Gavilan orientation at adult school • Allow adult School students to observe at Gavilan • Learnings-much congruence despite distinctive programs

21. Collaborative Activities • San Mateo Adult School and College of San Mateo • Adult School class visits to CSM • Visits by CSM to adult school classes • Meetings to discuss assessment, texts, curriculum • Possible college readiness class • Both institutions want data on persistence and success

22. Collaborative Activities • Santa Clara Adult School and Mission College • Agreement to have adult school serve lower levels • Need for more data • Need a larger picture of other collaborations such as health care • Need to align test scores

23. Collaborative Activities • Palo Alto Adult School • Collaborated with Foothill credit department to look at writing skills • Collaborated with Middlefield Center to establish a bridge class • Need for ongoing communication • Need to engage all levels of the hierarchy

24. Common Collaborations • Alignment of assessments • Orientation of adult school students regarding community colleges • Faculty/teacher observation of partner institutions • Consideration of returning lower level ESL to adult schools • Tracking the movement and success of students between systems • Relationship building • Co-location of classes

25. Observations about the collaborative process • Shared students • Common perspectives and challenges across the two systems • Collaborations are yielding tangible results – helping us do our jobs better • Importance of direct faculty/teacher involvement along with system changes • The relationship between schools and colleges is not one-to-one, but often one-to-many • Organizations looking for and developing models

26. How can we capture this information? • What data? How to collect? Different colleges and different adult schools • Categories : counseling, assessment alignment, orientations, campus visits, etc. identifying data, identifying students who go to community college from Adult school • Volunteers to help set up structures.

27. For more information www.ALLIES4esl.org info@allies4esl.org