In 2014-15, the California legislature required community colleges and K12 adult education schools to form consortia with local workforce boards, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders to create an integrated adult education system. In addition, the legislature created new requirements that data be tracked for all 800,000 adult learners regarding transition to postsecondary education, completion of postsecondary credentials, and employment.
In 2017, WestEd was asked by the California Adult Education Program, which is jointly staffed by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office and the California Department of Education, to help develop a data and accountability framework for the new integrated adult education system.
Over the last five years, WestEd:
- Convened stakeholders from the K12 and community college systems to create program definitions, develop metrics, and align student assessment procedures.
- Led multiple practitioner teams to develop policies and guidance related to data and accountability, member effectiveness, career pathway development, and regional collaboration.
- Worked with K12 and community college faculty to crosswalk the Federal Educational Functioning Levels for English, math, and ESL to college rubrics for development education, so that assessment standards can be aligned and more adult learners can transition seamlessly into college pathways.
- Developed the Adult Ed Pipeline, a dashboard that tracks adult education students throughout their educational journeys including enrollment, progress, transition, completion of postsecondary credentials, employment, and earnings. Every metric is disaggregated by student demographics and special populations. View the dashboard, one of the only longitudinal tools of its kind in the nation, at: https://www.calpassplus.org/Launchboard/Adult-Education-Pipeline.aspx
- Provided statewide, regional, and institutional trainings and technical assistance for adult education consortia focused on using community data, labor market information, and student outcomes to inform the development of three-year plans for improving program completion, post-secondary transition, and employment rates.
- Implemented online and in-person training on human centered design to help K12 adult schools and colleges improve their services for adult learners.
- Provided ongoing policy consultation to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and the Department of Education on the implementation of the California Adult Education Program.
- Summarized policy developments, student outcomes, and implications of unforeseen events on outcomes for annual reports to the legislature and presented results to legislative staff and policy committees.
