Southwest Riverside County Adult Education Consortium Narrative

Transcription

1 Objective 1 Narrative Classes and courses for immigrants eligible for educational services in citizenship and English as a second language, and workforce preparation classes in basic skills Beaumont Adult School a) Beaumont Adult School offers numerous courses and classes for students wanting to learn English as a second language, learn history and government of the United States, earn their citizenship and/or prepare for higher education or the workplace. The reasons that students enroll in these programs range from acquiring basic communication skills to finding employment or attaining higher education certificates or degrees to becoming active participants in our communities and to help their children succeed. Most of the students enrolled in our ESL programs indicate their desire to gain meaningful employment or to attain professional advancement. Beaumont Adult School offers educational courses in citizenship to help students attain their naturalization status and to prepare them for the civics and interview tests required by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Other students also in enroll in this course to learn more about the customs, history and government of the United States. Many of students immerse themselves in these studies in order to become active participants in the community, to help fellow neighbors or relatives and for many to help their children succeed in school and eventually, in our society. Many of the students enrolled in our Citizenship classes can also be enrolled in other programs such as English as a Second Language, ABE or ASE courses, GED Prep Courses or in Career Technical Education programs. Beaumont Adult School offers workforce preparation for our immigrants in terms of teaching our students about the workforce, skills needed, and community resources available to them we do this through our El Civics program where we guide, teach and educate our students about real life pertinent activities related to the workforce. Currently, our school covers four topics a year based on a needs assessment and at times, we have offered VESL (Vocational English as a Second Language) courses. The more advanced students are able to enroll in our career technical education programs while students all our immigrant population (all students for that matter) are counseled about various community workforce preparation programs. As with our ABE/ASE/GED courses, our ESL/Citizenship/EL Civics courses are offered both day and evening to provide flexibility for our immigrant population. The majority of our courses are leveled courses (placing students with similar language proficiency in the same course). Leveled courses seem to be the best placement for

2 successful language acquisition and academic success. Our curriculum centers on developing the competencies/skills needed to be successful as a productive member in the United States. All our courses emphasize language acquisition in reading, writing, listening and speaking and place a huge emphasis on teaching within the context of civic and workforce education. Course placement within our ESL program centers on assessments that include oral, listening, reading and writing and we also utilize the CASAS Assessments to provide quality information about a student s academic status. Leveled classes lie at the heart of our ESL program though we do offer other courses such as multi-level classes, distance learning and independent study to meet the needs of the students. We utilize direct instruction as our main source of teaching ESL students though we do supplement our teaching with the use of other instructional tools and strategies. Currently, all classes are taught at our Adult Site though we have taught classes offsite at community organizations such as churches, businesses and other school sites. Instructional hours range from 3-20 hrs. /wk. and the days of the week also vary from 1-4 days a week. As with our other classes, our ESL teachers utilize a wide range of interactive tools to help educate our ESL students. Smart boards, Promethean boards, overhead projectors with computer/internet access, language labs are all part of the varied tools available to our staff and students. We are definitely equipped with superb tools to provide a stimulating, exciting and superior education for our immigrant population. b) Beaumont Adult School s staff feels that we possess outstanding ESL, Citizenship and El Civics programs. Student interest and enrollment in our courses are continually at capacity and this year we have opened our doors to reach more interested students. Our convenient location, extremely low cost ($ 10 a semester), cozy and stimulating atmosphere provides a perfect academic setting for our students. The local community members are very appreciative that we are a Beaumont site since many participants lack the transportation needed to enroll elsewhere; and for those who need to be close by to manage their school aged children or go to a work in the vicinity, Beaumont Adult School is the best option. Most importantly, our programs for ESL, Citizenship and courses that promote workforce preparation such as our El Civics and support services have positive student outcomes that demonstrate students are learning and transitioning along the academic continuum at Beaumont Adult School and to other institutions. The staff at Beaumont Adult School relies heavily in utilizing data to improve instruction and we very much seek and analyze data from multiple sources to help us help our students succeed. Anecdotal evidence, surveys, teacher evaluation from students learning

3 English helped me get a job, helped me help my child do better in school, helped me navigate through the maze of DMV etc. -- greatly support the success our programs have received. We also analyze hard data from test scores, transitioning levels through ESL, persistence data, CASAS Test Scores to demonstrate academic improvement, formative and summative tests, student pass rates on EL Civics and Citizenship exam. In all, we have compiled positive data to show our programs are not only successful, but that we need to expand our programs are rigorous, relevant and demonstrate that students are learning and that are programs are successful. We are very proud to state that we are the only Adult School in the Inland Counties to hold dual accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges as well as from the Council on Occupational Education. In 2012, we earned full six year Accreditations from both agencies. Hemet Adult School a) English as a Second Language classes for four levels. b) No Citizenship classes offered at this time. Lake Elsinore Adult School ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) AND CITIZENSHIP The ESL program offers a thorough curriculum and an effective learning environment to students for language acquisition, citizenship preparation, and job related English development. Valley Adult School has incorporated EL Civics into the ESL program since Through the Students Needs Assessment process, students collaboratively discuss and select the EL Civics objectives and lesson topics for the school year. The top four learning objectives are then added to the ESL curriculum as a response to student and community needs. The ESL program has a managed enrollment system that allows students to enter and exit classes every quarter. The classes are offered twice a week during the morning and evening and are two hours in length. Students must participate with a minimum of 40 hours to be post-tested and show progress on the standardized and civic objectives assessments. In the ESL department, the CASAS test results by competency have been useful to teachers showing the areas needing modification within instruction methods. Learner outcomes in the ESL program are measured using CASAS assessments and are reported quarterly to the state of California. The ESL Program has shown improved performance each year and notably for the last two years has consistently performed above state standards at all ESL Educational Functioning levels as compared to the statewide goals.

4 VAS also offers distance/on-line learning options for ESL students who are not able to attend regularly. The online learning option for ESL learners is through the state licensed program USA Learns which helps students to reinforce the EL Civics learning units. In addition, ESL students have access to our learning lab four days a week providing students with opportunities to access typing software, Microsoft applications and Internet access as well as to practicing learning activities in which technology is incorporated such as typing a letter, researching for a food recipe, downloading a picture, accessing job applications, etc. In the ESL and ABE instructors established a successful collaborative transition program for all ESL advanced levels ready to become ABE students. The departments created a curriculum that provides students with the skills needed to continue with their academic development. Staff have been able to utilize strategies and methodologies suitable to ESL students to ensure their needs are being met. As part of our federal WIA II grant, a technology committee comprised of teachers from the ESL department establishes yearly goals and objectives for technology acquisition and training to be carried out with grant funds. Murrieta Valley Adult School a) English as a Second Language Classes: Our classes for ESL are offered in the morning from 9:00 to 11:00 am & an advanced class from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). The evening classes are from 6:00 to 9:00 pm (Monday and Wednesday). Citizenship preparation classes from 9:00 to 11:00 am and 6:00 to 8:00 pm (Tuesday and Thursday). Workforce Preparation classes-see number 4. All high school diploma students must take a Skills for Independent Living class that prepares them for the workforce along with taking a personal Kuder career and skills assessment. The assessment is discussed with the administrator. b) Evaluation of the classes listed above is done through professional learning communities and data taken from the CASAS etests. Professional development opportunities and staff meetings and are offered and held to discuss and train teachers to use best practice for the classes.

5 Perris Adult School Two classes of ESL/Citi prep, Tuesday and Thursday, 6:00 to 9:00pm. No workforce preparation classes. San Jacinto Adult School a) No English as a Second Language classes b) No Citizenship classes offered at this time. Temecula Valley Adult School a) N/A b) RCOE-Jail Program a) English language development curriculum is also provided to those students with limited English speaking, writing, and listening skills and through the CASAS Citizenship curriculum b) CASAS is the most widely used competency-based assessment system in the United States designed to assess the relevant real-world basic skills adult learners. CASAS measures the basic skills and the English language and literacy skills needed to function effectively at work and in life. It provides Pre and Post Assessments. It is currently implemented in other correctional settings in Los Angeles and San Bernardino. RCOE-CTE Program a) N/A b) Mt San Jacinto College a) MSJC is offering: 4 Beginning level ESL classes 4 Intermediate level ELS classes 4 Advanced level ESL classes 17 Multi-level ESL classes

6 2 Citizenship classes 3 Basic computer skills for business classes b) What makes our program of value to our communities is that we are offering the classes at remote locations making for easier access to the population that needs the education. MSJC s program has been acknowledged by CASAS for excellence and our funding with the WIA has increased over the years along with the size of the program. We hire excellent instructors with experience and knowledge teaching ESL, Citizenship and Basic computer skills for business classes.