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OTAN, Outreach and Technical Assistance Network.

Todd Laventure: We are here representing Burbank Adult School. A little bit about us-- let's go ahead and introduce the team. This is--

Jake Baldwin: You went a little too far.

Todd Laventure: Oh. There we go. This is Yanira Chavez. She is our WIOA CASAS resource teacher, who's also doing double duty with her old job. She is handling everything as we try to get somebody staffed in that position. So she's got a lot on her plate, but she is carrying the load and been a driving force here with our program with DLAC.

Jake Baldwin, our amazing ESL teacher here, active in just about everything that we do. Jake is like, I'm in, I'm in. And we're very thankful for his commitment and everything that he does for us. You may have already seen him before present at different conferences on a number of different things, a lot of things related to AI.

And my name is Todd Laventure, and I'm the principal at Burbank Adult School. Our support team with the rest of our district is our director, Juan Noguera, an amazing leader. He didn't hesitate when we approached him with this and expressed a desire to join into the DLAC cohort here, fully supportive of the project and what we're doing. Also supported by Dr. Lia Lerner, who is our ESL Department chair. And then the two instructors who have helped us pilot our project, Yesenia Gomez and Jennifer Vargas.

A little bit about us-- again, we're Burbank Adult School. We serve the Burbank area, plus a number of our surrounding communities. We mark it very well. Juan is a wonderful marketer. And we pull in a lot of students from the neighboring communities. We currently serve about 3,700 students, 55% of whom are Latino. But we also have a very large population of Armenian and Russian speakers as well.

The breakdown in terms of the programs we offer, about 56% of our students are enrolled in our ESL classes. We've got about 22% in our CTE classes, and then another 16% that are in our ABE and high school equivalency.

Also on our campus, we have a parent education program where we have our students or parents who come in with their children and develop their parenting skills and also learn how to better connect with the K-12 system as their children move up through the system.

Yanira Chavez: Thank you, Todd. Thank you. Thank you. And welcome again. The developing a plan to meet our goals. So many meetings. We started with weekly meetings with our coach Christina.

And we wanted to identify the needs of our students because we want to make sure that we serve the proper population. So one of the things that we were facing was limited space. I believe that you can relate to that. A lot of agencies don't have much space for the services that we want to provide.

We, as Todd mentioned, hired two instructors. Wonderful instructors. They were one for the morning and one for the evening program. Then we also reached out to students that were on the waitlist. We always-- I can assure you that students are always going to be on the waitlist because they want to be part of our services.

And due to Juan marketing-- I don't know where they come from, but it's on a daily basis. Different hours-- morning, afternoons. They just want to join our program. So we work from our waitlist.

Developed a plan of our students to be in our school site for two weeks because we want to make sure that we provide the right instruction, right? From helping them how to log into the equipment, how to navigate the system, and also be able to have them take the CASAS test because how many of you know that as soon as the student walks into the school, they need to be tested? I hope you all know that. [laughs]

So we want to make sure that once they walked in, they will be able to be tested and learn the technology. So we issue, like I said, laptops, teach them with the digital literacy skills and train them.

Students access the Zoom platform because sometimes that's an easy thing for us to do when they take classes with us in computer classes, but when they're on their own, it's a little bit difficult. And so then began the instructions-- the sessions in the morning and evening. The accomplishments of today are we purchase enough laptops for students to have access to the program. Beautiful laptops, just like the picture. [laughs]

We also developed a plan of implementation, right? The two classes were one in the morning and one at nighttime, as I said before. And we have nine students enrolled in the morning, 18 in the evening.

Sadly, 11 students completed the program due to not the service that we provided, but sometimes it's due to their schedules or their personal lives. So with the marketing that we do, we were able to reach out to more students, not just word of mouth with our students, but also trying to-- through social media because that's how you reach out to students. And also, the service that we use-- platforms were Canvas and Ellii.

You will see right here, the first picture you see in the corner is one of our office assistant helping students register for class. Then we also had the instructor explaining the process, how they log in to the system and where to go, as well as the student taking the CASAS pre-test. At the end of the session, just last week, we brought the students back because we wanted them to be post tested.

Jake Baldwin: OK. Hi, again. My name is Jake. I'm an ESL instructor, for those of you that don't remember earlier. So yeah, the application of the skills that we learned here. The strengths assessment is something that we bring up a lot between the three of us.

I think Todd is really the logistics guy. All of yours were in strategic planning. We have four of our five overlapping, and all of them are in relationship building. So with relationships, we got that covered. He's got the strategy. We just need everything else. So yeah, we've got a good start there.

Our group dynamic worked super well. I think we are really able to understand each other because of some of the team building stuff that we did here. We were talking yesterday about the marshmallow tower and how we were all just really glad with how we worked together to do that.

And I think that we-- thank you-- we haven't had any internal issues because of that. We're all like-- anything that's been difficult has been difficult because something went wrong outside of our dynamic among ourselves, like the wildfires, scheduling conflicts, medical issues with our instructors, having to change instructors for our course and things like that.

But because of our respect for each other and commitment to this project and to being there to help each other out, we haven't really had any difficulty managing these issues. It's always just like, OK, well, here's another thing. Let's get through this. We've never lost confidence in this or in each other, which is really cool.

So here's some of those barriers that we've had. Delayed start. We had some issues getting the laptops because of the tariff threats and things like that. We couldn't get them in time. Staffing issues. I already talked about that a little bit. We had some issues with instructors who had to take medical leave, and we had to fill that position very quickly.

Onboarding. Digital literacy. This is an online class, so the students really need a good amount of time. And I think that we could plan that and do a little bit better job next time preparing them for that. The Zoom platform, it can be really difficult for the students, as well as the other platforms that we use, getting them really comfortable with logging in and going to check their messages for the assignment and things like that.

The one class that we had to cancel, that was the morning class because the instructor went out on medical leave and we didn't have anybody that could step in to fill that. So we're looking into getting more of our instructors trained so that way, if something like that happens in the future, we're able to have someone that's ready to go and can jump in and do that. But because this is a pilot, we weren't quite there yet.

And then the staff support-- so the learning curriculum, office hours with students, these are things that we're talking about. Especially the office hours is something that we're talking about for the future with the instructor that we think is going to be really important for online.

So that way, if students do have questions, they can just come in and the teacher can also get her-- in the meantime, get her work done, and then the students can come in and ask for help with, hey, I can't access this assignment or it's whatever issue they may have. Yeah.

So next steps, we're looking at Northstar. We had a great conversation with our new best friends over at Porterville. That's what they're [ INAUDIBLE ] as well, and we got a lot of really good information yesterday. The platforms--

Yanira Chavez: I also wanted to give a shout out to-- I went blank-- Torrance Adult School, because they presented last year, and they've been very supportive with that as well. So kudos to you.

Jake Baldwin: Yeah. And then also, we are going to continue to use Zoom. And then platforms, Canvas, Burlington English, Ellii. Canvas is the one that we're kind of newer at, at least with regards to our ESL program. Burlington and Ellii we've been using for a little bit, but I think-- personally, I'm really excited about Canvas because I think it's a really, really good platform for doing online. So yeah, I think that's going to be really great.

OK. So the support that we still need. Ongoing coaching from Christina for optimizing Northstar. The support that we've gotten has been great from Christina so far. Every time we meet with her, it's been really good getting feedback and getting-- she's always able to handle whatever we throw at her, which has been fantastic.

And then also sharing experiences with our peers here. Like what I talked about just a second ago with Porterville, like that conversation was so helpful. The unconference that we did yesterday, I think the three of us got some good information from that as well, just being able to sit down and talk to people who have maybe similar issues or maybe they had it before and like, oh, here's what worked for me and here's how I was able to solve that.

It's so valuable to be able to talk to somebody. And I really feel like I really like what Dr. Porter said yesterday of an expert is someone that's more than 50 miles away. I'm just like, yeah, how does it work over in Porterville? How does it work over in Silicon Valley, or wherever else anyone's from.

Todd Laventure: So just in summary, overall, despite the setbacks that we've had, we feel like this has been a big success and something that we're anxious to build on. We've got some plans here. We know that we can incorporate some new things. Some of the things that we encountered we hope were one offs. The delay in getting the laptops, that set us back.

We weren't able to start this until February, kind of mid-February. So we got a late start within the semester. But despite that, a lot of the feedback that we've had from students has been very, very positive. They're very thankful for the opportunity. This meets the need not only for us because we lack space, but a lot of students just-- they can't engage. Even though we do have morning and evening, they can't make it in either time.

They're working during the day, and then they've got kids at home at night and can't do it. This gives them an opportunity to engage in a new way. So we're looking to expand that. The people that have been a part of the pilot this year, they were all in level 2. They're asking, OK, are you going to have this available for level 3 now? They want to continue with this.

So that's a very good sign. But like we said, we've got a responsibility here. We know where we need to do a better job-- that two-week onboarding. We kind of hung our instructors out. When I say we, I hung our instructors out and just said, yeah, teach them digital literacy. Go for it. And they needed better support than what we provided.

And we'll do a much better job with that through Northstar, through opportunity for them to-- we realize that beyond just being able to engage with Zoom, we need to get them set up with Ellii, with Burlington, and ready to go before we begin the class. So we're going to have a much stronger start for that next year.

What else have I got on here? The demand continues. And hopefully-- we ran into the situation where the one teacher had to leave on medical leave. She'll be back next year. But still, like Jake said, we need to do a better job.

We had teachers that were interested. Hey, I'd love to do it, but I'm not comfortable teaching online. I'm not ready for that. So we need to get a cadre of people who are ready to go-- especially if we're going to expand to new levels, we're going to need more people, but we also need more flexibility there in case something happens because life happens.

Time for questions and answers. We have five minutes-- a five-minute warning. OK. And I just want to preface that with you all have to follow us, so if you pepper us with a ton of questions--

[laughter]

What goes around comes around.

Johanna Gleason: Do I speak now? Hi. I'm Johanna Gleason, and I'm from San Diego College of Continuing Education. And I have first of all, I guess kind of a suggestion. Did you know that Ellii integrates with Canvas so students can just log into Canvas, click on a link and not have to log into Ellii with another login?

Jake Baldwin: Todd's looking at me. I'm going to go ahead and say we did not know that.

Johanna Gleason: So that's an option.

Todd Laventure: I know I did not know that. I was looking to see if he knew that.

Johanna Gleason: It's new. It's very new. But you probably know Ben Buckwald, right? If you're working with Ellii. Anyway--

Jake Baldwin: He's like the main guy.

Johanna Gleason: Yeah. He's the Elllii guy, yeah, the Canadian guy.

Jake Baldwin: Yep.

Johanna Gleason: So anyway, that's a nice option because I know that students don't like to have to have different logins. So I would make that suggestion. I don't think that Burlington does integrate with Canvas. They do? OK. Well, they do.

Let me thank you look into that too. Thank you for that bit of information. And then my question is, do you hire teachers from outside of Burbank? Because I think you have a whole room full of people who could teach online who'd be willing to step in if they're--

Todd Laventure: That's a great idea. Absolutely. That also expands our staffing pool.

Johanna Gleason: Exactly. Yes.

Todd Laventure: That's great.

Johanna Gleason: If you want to pass around a job application, I'm sure a bunch of us will--

Todd Laventure: Very good. Hey, when our postings go out, maybe I can post it through DLAC. Yeah. Wonderful. Very good. OK. Cool. I love it.

Liset Caudillo: Liset Caudillo with Proteus. Just a question on your two-week onboarding orientation part. Could you just tell us a little bit more? Is that teaching them more on how to use the computer? How many hours per day is it? Just a little bit more information.

Todd Laventure: We had it set up as a two-week program, which I think was just-- was it a couple hours?

Yanira Chavez: It was two hours.

Todd Laventure: Two hours. Two hours for two weeks. The attendance was spotty. A lot of people were like, I got this. But I got this means I have my phone, which we have a lot of students that were trying to break that habit that it's just so difficult, especially in our academic programs, people that want to try to operate and go through a class, go through, a US history class and doing it all on their phone.

It's very, very difficult. And we try to impress upon them that we can give you a laptop. So yeah, it's teaching them that, but it needs to be much more than that. Obviously, we're going to have some folks that are going to look at it and if we say, OK, well, you need to log into Zoom and then-- they're going to say, OK, how do I turn this on? And then others that are very proficient than that.

So we have to meet people where they are. And one of the things that-- in talking with folks yesterday, Anthony shared a lot of great information in our unconference about Northstar, learning a little bit more about how that functions and in terms of the digital assessments that can tell us where people are and then can pinpoint, OK, these are the things that they need to work on.

So we've had conversations regarding our office staffing. We're trying to hire an ELL3 in the office here. That's the role that she's still carrying along with her into her new role. And we're trying to figure out ways in which we can support people with that. Not only in that two-week period, but as we-- we've got a rolling enrollment, so we've got people that are coming in constantly. So we need to be prepared for that as well.

Anthony Burik: Anthony Burik from OTAN. First of all, shout out on the Zoom to Ryan Whetstone and Torrance Adult School. We love it when DLAC cohorts bridge the gap. So Torrance from last year's cohort 4. We have cohort five in the room. So just thank you, Ryan.

And just a reminder about the power of this DLAC community. Lots of folks across the state who have been in DLAC and who can bring this knowledge to the current cohort. My question was actually about the online teachers.

So I'm wondering about your preparation at Burbank to get those folks ready to do online instruction. You talked about you also have some other folks kind of in the pipeline who would like to be a part of the online teaching as well. So tell us a little bit about how that's been going and how you get those folks ready to actually become online teachers and if there's a plan for it. And maybe that will happen next year.

Todd Laventure: Right. I'm going to be very honest. As far as that goes, it was like, hey, who wants to teach an online class? OK. Got it. We got two. Who wants to do morning? OK. Who wants to do night? All right. All right. OK. Are you comfortable with this? Yep.

That was honestly the extent of it. And that was what led us into without having a plan to prepare and the lack of-- when I say we've got to do a better job of the onboarding and that orientation period of getting students prepared, prior to that, we have to get teachers prepared for that. And there was a lot of assumption on our part that you got two weeks, get them ready. That wasn't fair on our part. I'm open to ideas. Anybody got suggestions, let us know. You got it. Yep.

Yanira Chavez: Thank you.

Marjorie Olavides: We have a question from someone online. What marketing tools do you use?

Todd Laventure: We utilize social media a lot. But we also-- we do a lot of mailings extensively. We send out mailings throughout the year for all of our different programs. We send them out targeting everybody. Then we send out targeting ESL. We send out targeting our academic courses. So that's a large part of what we do.

We send out a newsletter. I send out a newsletter every month that goes out. We send out all of these flyers out to the local schools. We're lucky, like everybody in the room here if you're part of a larger district. BUSD is very supportive of us. When I go into principal meetings and I start talking about adult Ed, I don't see a lot of people just turn to their computer and say, well, now's a good time to answer email.

They are very much in tune with what we're doing. Very supportive. So when we've got things that we want communicated to their constituencies, their communities, they're very eager to get those. And multiple requests for, hey, can you get translated into this language because my neighborhood school here has a large population of people here? Am I missing anything in terms of-- I'm sure I am.

Yanira Chavez: No, no, no. You're good. But I'd also like to add that our director, Juan Noguera, he's coming from LAUSD, so he's well known with social media. So somehow people follow him and then he's advertising for our school and our program. So there we are exchanging students. And we also help our consortium. So we refer students to other member districts. So I guess that's the main idea of collaborating.

Todd Laventure: A couple other things that just popped in my mind. We also do radio spots on iHeart Radio that go out. And KTLA approached us here, which is a big-- TV?

Jake Baldwin: News.

Todd Laventure: News media. Yeah. They've approached us to do a spot. So they're going to be coming here soon to do a spot that's going to be just like a three-minute community spot there.

Nada Anassari: Isn't there also a sign? When you arrive at the Burbank Airport, there's a big sign on the road that says Burbank Adult School.

Todd Laventure: Oh, yeah.

Jake Baldwin: There is. Yeah.

Todd Laventure: Oh, so we also have-- if you go to the DMV in the area, while you're sitting there for hours waiting, on the screen, we have advertisement that rolls through on that. So we get a lot of people there at the DMV as well.

Jake Baldwin: The one other thing I don't want to discount as well is-- because I help with registration and we always ask, how did you hear about our school? And even with all of that, I still say that the majority of people are like, oh, my friend or a family member of mine went here.

So word of mouth, I think, is really, really-- because I have people coming here from all over that are-- not here, but to our school from all over that are like, my friend came here and they really liked it.

Nada Anassaria: That's great.

Jake Baldwin: Yeah.

Nada Anassaria: That's great. Thank you so much, Burbank Adult School.

Todd Laventure: Thank you.

Nada Anassaria: Greatly appreciated. Thank you so much. Yes.

[applause]