CFT Local 4681 Endorses AB 2098 - Immigrant Integration Metrics

San Mateo Federation of Teachers

Local 4681 of

California Federation of Teachers

Representing the Teachers of San Mateo Adult School

July 14, 2018

Re:  AB 2098 (McCarty and Thurmond) - Support

Dear Assembly Members McCarty and Thurmond,

We the teachers of CFT Local 4681 are writing to thank you for authoring  AB 2098 -
the bill that establishes immigrant integration metrics. We are very much in support of it.

We are teachers at San Mateo Adult School.  Most of us teach English as a Second Language.  
Others teach in the GED and High School Diploma, Career Tech Education, or Fifty Plus (Older Adults)
programs. Our school is part of ACCEL, the Regional Consortium providing Adult Education for the
County of San Mateo.

A few facts about the area we serve:

• As of 2010, San Mateo County ranked fourth among counties in California and eight across the nation in the concentration of foreign-born residents.
• Between 2000 and 2010 San Mateo County’s immigrant population increased more than any other county in California, from 25.5 to 33.3 percent.
• Learn more about Immigrants in San Mateo County

Our school excels at immigrant integration.  We are often cited as a model of “how to do it” for
other Adult Schools and Adult Ed programs throughout the state.  

Examples of immigrant integration in action at our school:

• EL Civics -- special learning units for ESL students focusing on health, education, finding jobs, safety, community engagement and volunteering, disaster preparedness, and more
• 
  
• Student Council - democracy in action - and sometimes the first experience an immigrant has with democracy
• Student participation and presentation at local, state, and national conferences
• Student interaction with elected representatives at the local and state level
• Student engagement with the press
• Student leaders speaking about the value of immigrant integration
• Volunteering - participating as a school in local volunteer opportunities such as neighborhood clean-ups, food drives and food banks, etc.
• Student organization and leadership at events and community fundraisers
• Wellness fairs - resources to support emotional, physical and relationship health
• Parent Club and corner - resources to support parents in navigating school systems, finding childcare, obtaining information about higher ed, and other resources
• Parent Education classes - in both English and Spanish
• Health Education classes targeted to our ESL students
• ESL City Government Academy - program in partnership with the City of San Mateo in which students learn about and engage with city government including police, parks and rec, waste management, etc.

Adult Education was restructured during the period of public education cutbacks following the global
financial meltdown.   The focus was narrowed from a broad mission that had always included
immigrant integration to college and career readiness.  It’s place in the budget was even changed
from K-12 and/or Higher Ed to Work Force.

College and career are important.  But they don’t stand unless they are founded on community.

As we see when we look at the current state of our nation - this is not just about Adult Education or
immigrants.  This is about human beings and what enables us to function in healthy ways. STEM - without ethics - becomes abuse.  Knowledge - without values - is dangerous. A nation - without civics - courts collapse. Human beings - however much they seem able to thanks to technology - do not live in isolation.  They - we - live in community. In order to do so relatively peacefully, with some measure of health for both the group and the individuals which constitute it, we must understand each other, have and use relational skills, abide by a set of common rules and customs, and agree on methods to address the problems which invariably arise.

Adult Education has always emphasized these points and taught the skills that support them --
until it was restructured in the recent financial collapse.  In the midst of a recession, one can
understand how an emphasis on workforce skills might seem the answer. But back up a minute
and look at how we got into that financial meltdown.  Were the bankers and Wall Street executives
responsible for that catastrophe gainfully employed? Very much so. What then, caused the collapse? Failure to regulate themselves or their industry - a lack of ethics - was embedded in what happened.  Workforce training isn’t all of what is needed in the midst of a recession. That’s why the New Deal included more than just jobs - it included civic renewal projects, banking regulation, history, the arts, and protection for labor.    

Employment alone also does nothing to inoculate against divisiveness.  Again, we need only to look
around at the current state of affairs in our nation to understand that a job doesn’t stop bullying,
cruelty, or abuse.  It doesn’t stop trolling on the Internet, hacking of elections, or manipulation of
public sentiment. It doesn’t prevent hatred from seeping into civic and workplace discourse or
slow the march of the KKK in our city streets.  Education does - education that includes an emphasis
on our common values, rule of law, and underlying unity.

Immigrant integration - skillful, ethical civic and community engagement - sets the compass for
immigrants to function as powerful engines of civic, community and economic health  - in addition
to functioning at top level as parents, family, and neighbors.

This is what we want, right?  We want residents of California to speak a common language, to be
great parents raising great kids, friendly neighbors who pitch in and help out in times of need,
coworkers with skills to help workplaces thrive and businesses excel, contributors to the mighty
enterprise that is California, shoulders to the wheel, hearts open and wide, hands ready to help.   

That’s only possible when immigrants have the skills that immigrant integration programs provide.

If AB 2098 doesn’t pass through into law, we fear that these programs will lose funding. In fact just
today we found out that funding for our EL Civics program was cut by half.

In today’s world, what isn’t measured, often isn’t seen and isn’t funded.

It’s urgent that AB 2098 is pushed forward into law.  If we can help you in that work,
by providing you with evidence of the value of immigrant integration programs, let us know.  
We have plenty of evidence at our school and are ready to provide it in writing or by speaking at
committee hearings.

On behalf of the members of CFT Local 4681,

Cynthia Eagleton

Vice President of CFT Local 4681

ESL Teacher at San Mateo Adult School

Slide from San Mateo Adult School
 Student Leader Presentation about
Student Leadership and Immigrant Integration
Presented at the
2017 CCAE Bay Conference 

From CCAE: Key Facts about AB 2098

From CCAE - California Council for Adult Education

 

Key factors to consider for AB-2098 - Adult Education Block Grant Program: Immigration Integration

Key Points for CCAE Support reporting immigrant integration metrics

1.      It’s who we are

2.      We need to show effectiveness through other metrics

3.      The data is already there

4.      We don’t have to do more

5.      This is not a mandate

It’s who we are
California Adult Education was founded in the K12 system with a focus of integrating immigrants into California so that they could be productive members of their communities. This is one of our most distinguishable aspects and separates us as unique among the education providers in California.

We need to show effectiveness through other metrics
Demonstrating effectiveness through our current Adult Education Program metrics does not adequately capture this data, especially for programs that do not offer CTE. If you consider the current outcome data we annually report, we can assume a student to most likely report a positive outcome within that year must be at a minimal Educational Functioning Level when they start.

Positive Outcome Reporting Areas	Literacy gains (pre/post)	AEP Outcomes (HSD/HSE, PS Achieved Employment, Increased Wages, Transition to PS)	Services
Population most likely to attain positive outcome by Educational Functioning Level (EFL)	All ASE EFLs All ESL EFLs	All CTE ASE EFL High ESL EFL Advanced	All CTE ASE all EFLs ESL all EFLs
Population most likely to attain positive outcome by Percent	100% ASE EFLs 100% ESL EFLs	100% of CTE students 11% of ASE students 22% of ESL students	100% of CTE students 100% ASE students 100% ESL students

 

In column two (Literacy Gains), all levels of ABE/ASE and ESL could annually report a positive outcome.

In column three (AEBG Outcomes), the minimal EFL for a student to start with a report a positive outcome for ABE/ASE would be High and for ESL it would be Advanced.

With these conservative assumptions the bulk of our students in we report on, 82% overall, would not fall within the range to be a position to report a positive outcome under AEP Outcomes.

The data is already there

Under EL Civics, and specifically through COAAPs, many of the K12 and CC programs are already reporting positive outcomes for students under immigrant integration. CDE already has the data and this bill would just require CDE to categorize the various EL Civics COAAPs into eight categories that paint a complete picture of effective integration into American society. The following table is an example of how these COAAPs could be categorized by CDE and the CCCCO.

Integration Metric as per AB 2098	EL CIVICS COAAPS
Increased economic security	Health Insurance 26.3, 26.4, 29.2 Clinics 26.3, 26.4 Obtain housing 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7,4.8  Rental Agreements 5.3, 5.4 Tenant Rights 6.3 Banking 1.5, 1.6
Improved English proficiency	Learn basic study skills 13.6 Write an email 47.1 - 47.3
Increased credentials and residency	Immigrant Rights/Agencies 19.4, 19.6-19.8 Voting/Political Process 39.4-39.6 Environmental Issues 43.2-43.3 Research/address community issues 8.4, 8.5, 8.6 Workers' Rights 35.4, 35.5, 35.6 Safety 37.3, 37.4
Increased health and well-being	Access health care 28.5, 28.6, 28.7, 28.8 Access substance abuse treatment 31.2 Keep family and home safe 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.7 Understand medication usage 30.4
Increased educational and career advancement	Career Plan 14.5,14.7, 33.5, 33.9, 51.1, 51.2 Identify Skills, Aptitudes 51.2 Job Application 33.6, 33.7, 33.8 Resume 33.6, 33.11 Interviewing 33.7, 33.8, 33. 11
Increased first language literacy	Internet Safety 47.1, 47.2, 47.3, 48.1, 48.2, 48.3 Online Communication 48.1, 48.2, 48.3
Improved provision for children and family	Successful Learners 13.5, 13.6 Parenting Skills 21.4, 21.5, 21.6 Prevent/report home accidents 24.4 School Enrollment 13.4, 13.5
Increased participation in civic and community life	Immigrant Rights/Agencies 19.4, 19.6-19.8 U.S. History and Gov't. 40.4, 40.5, 40.6 Local, State, Federal Govt. 42.3, 42.4 Naturalization Process 40.4, 40.5, 40.6

 

Programs would not have to do more

Because many of us are already reporting the data and there are systems in place to pick the COAAPs and administer the assessments, there is not an increase in workload. We continue the good work we are doing and get credit for it at the state level. If programs want to expand their COAAP offerings to address other areas of integration, they are free to do so, or not.

This is not a mandate

AB 2098 specifically states that programs may report outcomes under immigrant integration. Just like programs now “may” report outcomes under pre-apprenticeships, Adults with Disabilities, or any other area under AB 104. We are not mandated to produce outcomes under all areas and so some of us focus in a few areas while larger programs might provide services in all areas. It is up to each program to decide and address the needs of their community.

 

 

 

Update and Call to Action from CCAE - July 2018

From the California Council for Adult Education:

Adult Education Field Update
Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Budget & AB 2098

On behalf of CCAE and CAEAA, thank you for your engagement to help move adult education forward this year. We have made tremendous strides through the budget process this year and are excited about the prospect of moving forward our first policy bill in years. More specifically, the FY 18-19 budget included a number of the key asks we included in our priorities framework including:

• $21.6 million to reflect a cost-of-living adjustment for 2018-19 and 2017-18
• Renames the Adult Education Block Grant as the "Adult Education Program"
• Includes trailer bill language providing a cap on the indirect rate that may be charged to an adult school or community college at 5% or less

Additionally, the Governor and Legislature included the following additional provisions:

• As a condition of receiving state or federal funds, adult education providers must document that they are participating in their regional planning consortia and report adult education services and funding
• $5 million for a data sharing platform
• Additional budget bill language to require that up to $500,000 be used to contract with an external entity to survey adult schools on the fees being charged for different categories of courses, and an average per student cost of adult education
• Trailer bill language to specify that adult education providers must assign statewide student identifiers (SSID) for students without social security numbers

Unfortunately, we were not granted additional funding above COLA in this budget cycle. There was appreciation expressed for the lack of growth in funding but given competing priorities and the fact that the Legislature doesn't feel as though adult education has sufficient data to demonstrate the need and outcomes associated with the funding currently in place, much less support the ask for new, additional funding. Also, not included was our proposal to include immigrant integration metrics in the adult education framework.

As you may know, the current adult education framework provides for academic literacy and career/workforce-based outcomes and metrics. The framework does not, however, provide metrics to measure progress and outcomes for immigrant and refugee students who may not have the competencies as of yet to measure up against those metrics. Adult schools already report such outcomes based on EL Civics; however, they are not currently recognized by the state. This leaves adult education providers without the tools to demonstrate to the state the great work they are doing with immigrants and refugees beyond strict academic literacy and workforce outcomes, much less recognizing metrics to substantiate the resources spent supporting these students. Additionally, as it relates to our push for additional funding for adult education overall, we are hindered by the inability to substantiate the need when current statutes do not officially recognize EL Civics metrics that demonstrate outcomes for these students. While these metrics are reported for the purpose of WIOA, they are not recognized nor used for state purposes.

Although the metrics were not incorporated as part of the budget, the administration indicated support for pursuing incorporation of such metrics as part of the policy process. As such, we moved quickly to identify an author and legislative vehicle in order to meet the legislative deadlines and have them enacted this year. Having worked with Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) on the issue as Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education, we approached the member as well as Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction, to carry the bill and were pleased to have them accept. In the last couple weeks, we gutted and amended AB 2098 to this end, and it is now moving forward in the Senate with unanimous, bipartisan support. The next stop - Senate appropriations committee.

Over the course of the last year, in particular, there has been a lot of discussion, support, and concerns raised about incorporating such metrics and what they would entail. In this regard, we've developed the attached overview document that provides good insight into the metrics, EL Civics applicability and attempts to dispel concerns about their incorporation and the perception of additional work and responsibility. Additionally, we are working with the field and other stakeholders on further refinements to the bill to ensure a workable, seamless approach going forward.

We hope you'll join us in support of AB 2098. We'll continue to keep you posted on its progress. In the meantime, if you have any questions, concerns or if you would like additional information, please see the attached overview and feel free to contact me to discuss further. Thank you!

Dawn Koepke 
Legislative & Government Budget Advocateact
McHugh & Associates
dkoepke@mchughgr.com

Action Step: Advocate for Immigrant Integration

It's time to contact your local legislators and Governor Jerry Brown and advocate for including immigrant integration as part of AEBG - the Adult Ed Block Grant. 

The challenges that the Trump administration have brought upon us have also brought a deeper understanding of the value of immigrants in California and the importance of supporting immigrant integration through Adult Education.

Both the California Immigrant Policy Center and CCAE - the California Council of Adult Education - are advocating for this important change to happen.  

Contact your local legislators and Governor Jerry Brown.  Explain to them why immigrant integration matters.

Here is information from the California Immigrant Policy Center and from CCAE about advocating for including immigrant integration into AEBG. 


California Immigrant Policy Center

Workforce Development & Adult Education

Administrative Advocacy & Budget Advocacy

 

CIPC is continuing our advocacy for equity within California’s adult education and workforce development programs and funding at a local and statewide level. In 2018, we are weighing in on budget proposals from adult education and workforce development stakeholders for increased employment training and services. These include adding “immigrant integration” metrics to the Adult Education Block Grant and funding the Breaking Barriers to Employment Act (AB 1111, 2017).

CIPC resource: Advancing Economic Opportunity for CA’s Immigrant & Refugee Workforce

 

 

 

California Immigrant Policy Center March 13th, 2018 Update

Update:  Governor Brown's 2018 Budget & New Proposals -

 

 

Adult Education & Workforce Development

Adult Education Block Grant -
The Adult Education Block Grant (AEBG) is an important source of state funding to programs and services that provide adults with the knowledge needed to be prepared for the workforce, such as English language courses, GED attainment, and vocational skills. These programs also support integration and inclusion outcomes for immigrants not seeking employment training but adult education services that support their engagement in community and civic life. This year’s budget continues to sustain the $500 million funding.

• Budget Proposal: A proposal from adult education stakeholders, the California Council for Adult Education and the California Adult Education Administrators Association, provides a two prong approach to advancing how AEBG funding reaches immigrant communities. The proposal would establish performance based funding that incentives the needs of communities with multiple barriers including limited English proficiency, poverty, and  lack of high school completion, and include “immigrant integration” as a reported outcome for state funding. CIPC will be working with stakeholders and the Legislature

Note:  CCAE - California Council for Adult Education - is recommending that Immigrant Integration metrics are incorporated into AEBG - the Adult Ed Block Grant.

Here is information from CCAE's FY 2018-19 Adult Ed Framework Priorities:
 

INCORPORATE IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION METRICS

Even as collaboration between the systems expands through regional consortium-building and AEBG, the K-12 community-based adult schools still have as their core mission to serve those low basic skills adults who oftentimes get caught in the remediation of post-secondary education. Additionally, the structural and cultural differences between the two systems have become more evident through this planning process and it is critical that the strengths of each be leveraged in ways that support student learning outcomes and appropriate levels of support services. The adult learners that are best served by K12 adult schools must not be left out.

  

- AEBG defines the specific outcomes sought – literacy and career progress.

- Serving immigrant adults in need of English language skills have been at the core of the K12 adult education mission since its inception. They come to adult schools to develop literacy, and in doing so, gain cultural competency and literacy more broadly defined as health, financial, digital literacy, parenting and family literacy, and civic engagement, all also critical to successful transition to college and careers.

 

- Unfortunately, the statute and overall AEBG framework does not explicitly provide for these types of immigrant integration metrics relative to demonstrating outcomes and accountability for student success.

 

- We are concerned that immigrant students who may not yet have the skills to demonstrate outcomes on the current statutory spectrum that focuses solely on literacy and career progress will be left behind as AEBG entities seek to focus on programming for those students for which clear outcomes and progress can be measured and for which funding may eventually be prioritized.

 

- The Alliance for Language Learners’ Integration, Education and Success (ALLIES) is an alliance serving the two-county Silicon Valley region of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Launched by a grant of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation in 2010, mission of ALLIES is to advance regional economic and social health through high-impact alliances for immigrant educational and career success. Through this work, ALLIES developed an Immigrant Integration Pathway offering an innovative way to identify and measure the critical factors for successful immigrant integration. The pathway includes eight high-level goal areas that are then further broken down into approaches and supporting objectives. The goals are intended to be: o Used by individuals as well as service providers via common metrics that can help assess if an individual is progressing and/or practices are effective;

 

o Measurable qualitatively and quantitatively;

  

o Achievable with milestones under reasonable timeframes; and

o A tool for the immigrant to have ownership of their progress, with the ability to see how incremental gains are related to longer-term goals.¹

1 ALLIES Immigrant Integration Pathway Framework White Paper, 2017

https://www.allies4innovation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Allies_WhitePaper_ImmigrantIntegrationFramework-hr.pdf

 

Using the ALLIES Framework, amend the AEBG statute to explicitly reference and include "immigrant integration metrics" under AEBG.

Amend Education Code Section 84920, as follows:

 

(a) To the extent that one-time funding is made available in the Budget Act of 2015, consistent with the provisions of Section 84917, the chancellor and the Superintendent shall identify common measures for determining the effectiveness of members of each consortium in meeting the educational needs of adults. At a minimum, the chancellor and the Superintendent shall accomplish both of the following:

(1) Define the specific data each consortium shall collect.

(2) Establish a menu of common assessments and policies regarding placement of adults seeking education and workforce services into adult education programs to be used by each consortium to measure educational needs of adults and the effectiveness of providers in addressing those needs.

(b) No later than August 1, 20178, the chancellor and the Superintendent shall report to the Director of Finance, the State Board of Education, and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature on options for integrating the assessments described in subdivision (a) into the common assessment system developed pursuant to Section 78219. The report shall address compliance of the assessments with federal and state funding requirements for adult education programs, identify estimated costs

   and timelines for the assessments, and identify changes in policies that may be needed to avoid duplicate assessments.

(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that both of the following occur:

(1) That the educational needs of adults in the state be better identified and understood through better sharing of data across state agencies.

(2) That, at a minimum, the chancellor and the Superintendent shall enter into agreements to share data related to effectiveness of the consortia between their agencies and with other state agencies, including, but not necessarily limited to, the Employment Development Department and the California Workforce Investment Board.

(d) The chancellor and the Superintendent shall identify, no later than January 1, 2016 August 1, 2018, the measures for assessing the effectiveness of consortia that will be used in the report that is required pursuant to Section 84917. These measures shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, all of the following:

(1) How many adults are served by members of the consortium.

(2) How many adults served by members of the consortium have demonstrated the following, as applicable:

(A) Immigrant integration.

(B) Improved literacy skills.

(BC) Completion of high school diplomas or their recognized equivalents.

(CD) Completion of postsecondary certificates, degrees, or training programs.

(DE) Placement into jobs.

(EF) Improved wages.

(e) The chancellor and the Superintendent shall apportion the funds appropriated for purposes of this section in the Budget Act of 2015 in accordance with both of the following:

(1) Eighty-five percent of these funds shall be used for grants to consortia to establish systems or obtain data necessary to submit any reports or data required pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 84917.

(2) Fifteen percent of these funds shall be used for grants for development of statewide policies and procedures related to data collection or reporting or for technical assistance to consortia, or both.



(f) The chancellor and the Superintendent shall provide any guidance to the consortia necessary to support the sharing of data included in systems established by consortia pursuant to this section across consortia.



Here's an example of a very successful program which cultivates immigrant integration.