TRACK 1: PARTNERSHIPS 

CNC:   The Full Mill Deal. 
Project SWEET: A JET Launchpad Grant 

  Jimmy Adams 
Tarrant County College 

Jennifer Hawkins 
Tarrant County College 

Presenters will discuss the process of bringing together multiple partners and collaborators and the development of the Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machinist program through Project SWEET, funded under the JET Launchpad Fund and implemented at Tarrant County College.  TCC Foundation serves as the fiscal agent; TCC Corporate Services provides the training and grant management; TCC Workforce Services provides the math portion of the training using the I-BEST model as well as the TABE testing for potential participants.  The Women’s Center of Tarrant County provides case management and eligibility services. Participants will learn the value and process of community partnerships, how the hybrid I‐BEST model was created to suit the needs of project participants, and hear lessons learned in the management of this large project with multiple active partners, all of whom share different responsibilities within the grant.  

TRACK 2: CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT INNOVATIONS 

Comprehensive Assessment: Using Qualitative Assessment with Testing to Adequately Place, Address Learning Needs and Speed Completion 

 Anson Green
Alamo Colleges  

Carrie Tupa
Alamo Colleges   

To complement traditional computer-based admissions testing, the Alamo Colleges is implementing a Comprehensive Assessment Protocol that results in a quantitative and qualitative profile of knowledge, abilities, career goals and support needs of students entering the system's I-BEST (Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training) initiative. The process recognizes, legitimizes and incorporates the significant learning and work experience of many students and includes tests normed on adult basic education and limited English proficient populations.  The result of the Comprehensive Assessment Protocol is a robust body of evidence that allows students and staff to collaborate in making informed decisions about placement, educational interventions, employment interest and needed support services and advising to ensure retention, completion and employment success.  

 TRACK 3: COMPLETION AND TRANSITIONS 

Transitional Advising: Building an On-Campus Alliance for Student Success 

Andrea M. DeLeon
Amarillo College 

Dolores Zapata 
Alamo Colleges 

Amarillo College and Alamo Colleges will be present how to access a network of support to integrate students from Adult Basic Education Innovation Grants (ABE-IG) programs into traditional academic programs. Advising strategies can have a large impact on student success which can lead to effective ways to coordinate support for students. This session will also discuss the importance of integrating support systems into the institution to better serve all at-risk students and those systems serving a larger number of students and allow for sustainability. 

TRACK 1: PARTNERSHIPS 

Leveraged Partnerships and Braided Funding to Support Under Skilled Students in Career and Technical Programs 

Kristi Hayman 
Region 6 ESC 

Anson GreenAlamo Colleges 

Programs offering skill development for lower skilled adults must often blend funding from multiple sources to meet the myriad needs of their students, This session will present strategies for “braiding funding” to aid adult learners. Participants will share their ideas and strategies, and will be introduced to a tool that can help them identify and align funding to implement and sustain program and support students.    

TRACK 2: CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT INNOVATIONS 

Proven Bridge Program Models That Transition Adult Learners to College Credit Training and Education 

Anita SpringerRegion 20, Seguin ISD 

Marilyn K.
Smith 
Lone Star College System 

Tina Washco 
Lone Star College System 

Carrie Tupa  
Alamo Colleges 

This session showcases three college transition programs which each follow a different model.  While the goal of each bridge program is the same, the path to post-secondary school enrollment is unique.  Attendees will be able to see the similarities as well as the differences among these proven approaches to help adult learners pursue their training & education goals.    

TRACK 3: COMPLETION AND TRANSITIONS 

What Works: Case Management and Advising Models that Deliver Completion Results 

Gloria MwaseJobs for the Future 

Stephanie Coats 
Alamo Colleges 

Kim Arispe  
Family Service Association 

Elizabeth Gutiérrez  
Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (VIDA) 

Juan Carlos Aguirre   
South Texas College 

Increasingly, case management and intensive or intrusive advising has become a critical component of student success quality models in community colleges.  This session will highlight different case management models including those that leverage expertise and resources from community-based project partners and those that integrate academic advising.  The session will be framed by remarks on national trends and research on effective students support models in community colleges.  

KEYNOTE BREAKOUT 

Immigrant Access to Postsecondary Education: State and Federal Policy Issues 

Randy Capps Migration Policy Institute 

This session will involve a discussion of the key higher education and career training access issues affecting students from immigrant backgrounds. Discussion topics may include the Obama administration’s deferred action program for unauthorized high school graduates and college students; reforms to the Workforce Investment Act that could improve immigrant access; concerns about rising tuition and entrance requirements at state colleges and universities; and high-school programs and policies that promote college and career readiness among first and second-generation immigrant youth. 

TRACK 1: PARTNERSHIPS 

Workforce Board and ABE Partnerships 

Kristi Hayman  Region 6 ESC 

Bonnie Gonzales 
Workforce Solutions
of the Lower Rio 

Juan Carlos Aguirre 
South Texas College 

Workforce boards and adult basic education providers share one critical element: Under-skilled adults with employment goals. Often these agencies do not work well enough together to bring coordinated solutions to adult learners. This session will outline a long-standing and collaborative relationship that results in educational and employment solutions that meet employer needs for skilled workers. Participants will learn how this win-win partnership was crafted and how services are coordinated.  

TRACK 2: CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT INNOVATIONS 

Beyond Reading, Writing, and 'Rithmetic:  Developing Critical Skills for the Successful College Student 

Anita Springer Region 20, Seguin ISD 

Entrance and placement exams determine whether students can enroll in college credit bearing courses, but true college readiness entails more than reading, writing, and math competence.  This session explores the additional skills needed to be successful in today’s college environment and shows how a San Antonio area adult college prep program develops these proficiencies in its students while simultaneously raising THEA and Accuplacer scores. 

TRACK 3: COMPLETION AND TRANSITIONS 

The Community Action College Prep Academy: A Community Based Approach to Career Pathways Development 

John Engel 
Community Action, Inc of Central Texas 

Mary Helen Martinez 
Central Region GREAT Center 

Francesca Ramirez 
Community Action, Inc of Central Texas 

This presentation describes a grassroots approach to creating a postsecondary transition and career pathways program that attendees can use as a blueprint for establishing similar programs.  The session covers all administrative and programmatic aspects of transition program development.  It provides attendees with tools to begin important work in their home communities.  It begins by focusing on leadership issues such as creating a vision of a preferred future and provides administrators with the tools necessary to perform environmental scans, needs, and resource assessment.   The presentation posits that the creation of a Career Counselor type position is critical to the success of a career pathways initiative.  The Career Counselor‘s role is discussed alongside the structure and process of the college prep academy from recruitment to completion.  Finally, curriculum and instruction questions are addressed such as how do teachers “cover the knowledge gap”?  The intended audience includes directors, coordinators, counselors, case managers, teachers, and researchers. 

TRACK 1: PARTNERSHIPS 

The Workforce Education Readiness Continuum (WERC) 

 Meg Poag 
Literacy Coalition of Central Texas    

Jasmine Folan  
Workforce Solutions Capital Area 

This session explores the challenges, inner workings and lessons learned from a new collaboration in Central Texas transforming the service delivery system for adults seeking workforce development and adult education services. The newly formed collaboration, called the Workforce Education Readiness Continuum (WERC), is administered by Workforce Solutions Capital Area and has 13 participating agencies offering a wide array of education and workforce development programming. The WERC project was awarded a 3-year, $7 million contract from the City of Austin. Attendees will learn how one community reduced the burden on clients seeking services, leveraged private, state, local and federal funds, standardized instruction between community based providers, and created a more coordinated system for learners at all levels.  

TRACK 2: CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT INNOVATIONS 

Stepping Up to Employment: Lessons and Challenges from the C-4 Pilot Year 1  

  Jon Engel 
Community Action, Inc of Central Texas

Joshua Hayes 
College of the
Mainland

Terry Shearer 
Region IV ESC 

In this interactive panel discussion, participants will learn about the background and first year experience of the C4 Pilot project, including some of the challenges the various programs faced. Included will be an interactive planning activity for local programs to outline their own workforce literacy projects. Significant topics include student selection and screening, content planning, course duration and local resource and need assessments. The panel will close with a discussion of employment placement and retention data challenges in the follow up to Year 1 and the plan modifications for Year 2 of the Pilot. Over the last year, ten adult education providers across these areas have been working with their workforce development boards and local one-stop workforce centers to coordinate services to develop practices which increase the attainment of secondary credentials, access to post-secondary education and training, and, ultimately, employment. 

TRACK 3: COMPLETION
AND TRANSITIONS 

Step by Step Intensive Job Placement Strategies for Hard-to-Place Adult Education Students 

  Rick Yañez
Alamo Colleges 

Gloria Rodriguez
Alamo Colleges 

Anson Green 
Alamo Colleges  

Under-skilled students come back to adult basic education and training largely for financial and employment-related reasons.  Student retention and completion in these programs is largely tied to the extent that students believe the program is or will meet their career objectives. This session will describe Alamo Colleges’ efforts and procedures for ensuring students receive high quality and intensive job placement and retention success through partnerships with community-based employment organizations and job developers.