Exhibit_A_ADCS_FYES_Program_Manual.pdf

Foster Youth Education Success Program Manual (04/25)

FOSTER YOUTH EDUCATION SUCCESS (FYES)

Program Manual

I. Introduction

The purpose of this program manual is to provide clear direction about the Foster Youth Education Success (FYES) Program.

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) reports youth experiencing foster care as having poorer education outcomes than students in the general population in areas such as statewide assessment results and four-year graduation rates. (https:// azreportcards.azed.gov/state-reports, November, 2024). Young people who are marginalized due to their race, ethnicity, LGBTQ+, disability, socioeconomic or other status are also disproportionately represented in the foster care system, enter foster care at higher rates, spend more time in foster care, are less likely to reunify with their families of origin, and have less access to services. (Child welfare practice to address racial disproportionality and disparity, 2021) (Fish, et. al., 2019). A report of the educational status of youth in Arizona’s Foster Care System from 2016 highlights school mobility for children experiencing foster care, with 58% of students attending the same school all year, versus 90% of students in the statewide (general) population. Students were also found to be more likely to attend a nontraditional school including alternative and juvenile justice schools. (Arizona’s Invisible Achievement Gap, WestMec, 2016).

In 2012, The Arizona Department of Child Safety (ADCS) engaged with FosterEd, a compassionate education system of the National Center on Youth Law (NCYL), to improve education outcomes for children experiencing foster care. Pima County served as the demonstration site with implementation beginning in January 2014. The demonstration project was initially supported through community-based funding. In 2016, House Bill 2665 provided funding for a Foster Youth Education Success Fund, providing $1.5 million in state funding, providing for expansion and sustainability for this program, which was managed through the Governor’s Office. This program provided targeted support to youth experiencing foster care through the creation and support of education teams, with membership drawn from the individual student’s professional and non-professional support network.

The Foster Ed service supported resolution of issues related to unmet special education, school discipline, enrollment and other education-related needs. FosterEd was discontinued in SFY 2025, with the state program transitioning to ADCS for solicitation as a new contract service.

The FYES Program is designed to reduce or remove educational barriers and improve educational outcomes for Arizona’s students experiencing foster care by ensuring the following:

• Increase the capacity of identified support persons to ensure educational success for children in foster care

• Development and monitoring of strategies to support a child’s education supports, which may include education liaisons, students, social workers, school staff, caregivers, court-appointed special advocates (CASA), coaches, mentors or other community members

• Customized education plans for referred students that are based on individual strengths and needs.

• Targeted advocacy for students navigating school enrollment, credit recovery, special education, school discipline, chronic absenteeism, unmet academic resource needs and other areas that may negatively impact school experience and academic achievement

• An accelerated advocacy response to situations that may result in a student experiencing a long-term suspension, expulsion, or another outcome that may impeded school enrollment or academic progress.

• Partnerships with local education agencies, child welfare agencies and judicial agencies and community supports to implement a continuous cycle of data-driven interventions for children in foster care

• Technical Assistance to ADCS staff, caregivers and stakeholders to clarify and navigate federal and state education laws, policies, and practices

The FYES Program includes the following features:

• A mechanism for referrals

• Development and support of education teams

• Trauma-informed school experience assessment

• Restorative education plans and support

` Statewide technical assistance that supports education, child welfare, court, and community partners; and

• An internal, sustainable structure for:

` Staff supervision and support, ` collecting, analyzing and sharing data, and ` monitoring program effectiveness

Foster Youth Education Success (FYES) Program Manual

The goal(s) of the FYES are:

• Increased grade progression (successfully transitioning into the next grade level)

• Increased educational and transition planning knowledge and engagement

education tract/program that complements their interests

• Reduced barriers to attainment of educational success

(i.e. absenteeism, school discipline, inadequate/insufficient education services include special education supports and services)

The essential components of the FYES are: (1) eligibility and referrals, (2) student outreach and engagement, (3) assessment, (4) restorative education planning and support, (5) student advocacy,

(6) community collaborations and partnerships with social workers, education personnel, community advocates and others to ensure awareness of resources and how to access them, and (7) technical assistance to stakeholders, including an accelerated advocacy for students experiencing an educational crisis (i.e. potential longer term suspension, expulsion, etc.).

II. Philosophy and Values

The FYES Program reflects the philosophy and values of both Positive Youth Development (PYD) and the Youth Thrive (YT) Framework.

PYD is an “intentional, prosocial approach that engages youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, and families in a manner that is productive and constructive; recognizes, utilizes, and enhances young people’s strengths; and promotes positive outcomes for young people by providing opportunities, fostering positive relationships, and furnishing the support needed to build on their leadership strengths.” (Positive youth development, n.d.) PYD promotes the “5Cs”: competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring.

PYD Principles for connecting youth with positive experiences include:

• PYD is an intentional process. It is about being proactive to promote protective factors in young people.

• PYD complements efforts to prevent risky behaviors and attitudes in youth and supports efforts that work to address negative behaviors.

• PYD acknowledges and further develops (or strengthens) youth assets. All youth have the capacity for positive growth and development.

• PYD enables youth to thrive and flourish and prepares them for a healthy, happy, and safe adulthood.

• PYD involves youth as active agents. Youth are valued and encouraged to participate in design, delivery, and evaluation of services.

Adults and youth work in partnership.

• PYD instills leadership qualities in youth, but youth are not required to lead. Youth can attend, actively participate, contribute, and/or lead through PYD activities.

• PYD involves civic involvement and civic engagement; youth contribute to their schools and broader communities through service.

• PYD involves and engages every element of the community — schools, homes, community members, and others. Young people, family members, and community partners are valued through this process. PYD is an investment that the community makes in young people. Youth and adults work together to frame the solutions.

YT is a framework that outlines five protective and promotive factors that mitigate risk and promote well-being (Brock, Youth thrive 2022):

• Youth Resilience: Managing stress and functioning well when faced with stress, challenges, or adversity.

• Social Connections: Having healthy, sustained relationships with people, places, communities, and a force greater than oneself that promote a sense of trust, belonging, and that one matters.

• Knowledge of Adolescent Development: Understanding the unique changes and assets of adolescence and implementing policies and practices that reflect a deep understanding of development.

• Concrete Support in Times of Need: Making sure youth receive quality, equitable, respectful services that meet their basic needs

(health care, housing, education, nutrition, income), and teaching youth to ask for help and advocate for themselves.

• Cognitive and Social-Emotional Competence: Acquiring skills and attitudes that are essential for forming an independent, positive identity and having a productive and satisfying adulthood.

Foster Youth Education Success (FYES) Program Manual

The Arizona FYES program has not been evaluated, however, the following evidence supports the program goals and service elements chosen for this service.

Youth who are marginalized due to race, ethnicity, LGBTQ+, disability, socioeconomic or other status require creative opportunities and strategies for engagement that attend to the very real inequities they have experienced within educational institutions and within the local as well as the larger community. School belonging, parental involvement, personal control and “vocational hope” all have a direct impact on outcomes for “minority youth.” Lower occupational aspirations/expectations as well as gaps between aspirations and expectation negatively impact “vocational hope”, defined as a “positive motivational state associated with envisioning a future in which meaningful work is attainable.” Strengthening a youth’s “school belonging” can improve their vocational hope and result in improved planning for the future (a predictor of social mobility) and lowers the risk of negative outcomes (i.e. substance abuse, delinquency, premature educational termination, etc.). (Vera, et. al., 2017).

Youth with a specific learning disability are:

• more likely to have repeated a grade;

• have poor academic skills;

• half as likely to attend a college or university (as a student with a learning disability)

• low self- and career-awareness (more passive and dependent on others to make career decisions, impaired judgment on realistic and attainable career goals, less able to compromise);

• less likely to have work experience (only 40% of youth with a learning disability are employed within 2 years after high school graduation);

• underdeveloped social skills; and

• lack of self-determination. (Chen & Chan, 2014)

Social cognitive career theory (SCCT) is aimed at explaining three interrelated aspects of career development: (1) how basic academic and career interests develop, (2) how educational and career choices are made, and (3) how academic and career success is obtained. The theory incorporates a variety of concepts (e.g., interests, abilities, values, environmental factors) that appear in earlier career theories and have been found to affect career development. Developed by Robert W. Lent, Steven D. Brown, and Gail Hackett in 1994, SCCT is based on Albert Bandura’s general social cognitive theory, an influential theory of cognitive and motivational processes that has been extended to the study of many areas of psychosocial functioning, such as academic performance, health behavior, and organizational development. Three intricately linked variables—self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations, and goals—serve as the basic building blocks of SCCT. (Lent, et.al., 2002)

Employment patterns for youth experiencing foster care tend to be sporadic, rarely provide financial security and often involve unemployment and/or underemployment. Research on career development for these young people had found that youth experiencing foster care, as compared with non-foster youth, have:

This research further identifies a “strong self-protection orientation” that contributes to an overall inability to engage in planning for their futures. Goals are vague and youth are unable to develop strategies or make concrete plans to reach their goals. Additionally, the foster care experience overall contributes to a “devalued sense of self” with youth exhibiting lowered vocational aspirations and expectations. Work is viewed as a necessity rather than having personal meaning or “calling.” (Stevenson, 2017). Strong ethnic (or racial) identity is also important and can result in greater self-confidence and openness to careers that a young person may not have considered, or felt inadequate to attain.

(Ambriz, 2016).

III. Evaluation and Evidence

Foster Youth Education Success (FYES) Program Manual

The DCS establishes eligibility, and creates and manages the referral process. The provider accesses and utilizes the process provided by the DCS. The Contractor is responsible for accepting all service approvals (SAs) aka “referrals”.. Any attempt to return a SA that has not been fully worked and approved by ADCS to close or return may require ADCS to recoup costs from the Contractor associated with the case due to the early return.

For urgent need referrals the provider will process the response in an accelerated, expedited manner.

Student outreach and engagement includes the utilization of skills that reflect the tenets of Positive Youth Development and Youth Thrive to explore with young people the challenges they are experiencing related to their academic enjoyment, connection and progress.

Young people who are disconnected (in some manner) from their education are guided to discover how their educational journey can become an experience that is enjoyable and builds hope for their future, including opportunities to explore what they need to feel more connected to their school environment. Students are assisted to access resources available to support participation in school and community-based activities of their choice. Supportive adults are identified and engaged as a team to support the young person and their educational journey.

During the initial contact with the young person, the provider explains the purpose of the service, including the goals and essential components using language that is respectful of the young person, is “youth-friendly”, aligns with the young person’s developmental level, and sensitive and accommodating of their culture and identity.

The provider gathers adults from within the student’s natural support system (family, school, community) and involved professionals to:

• Develop an education team which may include education liaisons, students, social workers, school staff, caregivers, court-appointed special advocates, coaches, mentors or other community members; and

• Identify and connect students and caregivers to resources needed to sustain the Education Plan and identify who will monitor the student’s education plan and gather the team as needed to support and/or amend the plan.

Assessment is an ongoing process that begins with receipt of the referral. Through successful engagement with the young person and their supportive adults (where applicable), the provider continually assesses needs, status/progress and goals. Activities related to assessing needs, exploring vocational/career interests, and creating educational success plans are documented on the FYES Assessment of School Experience tool (Exhibit 3).

The young person is first engaged in an exploration of their school experience(s). The provider documents the following):

for high school students, credits earned/needed to graduate,

educational journey

IV. Eligibility and Referrals

V. Student Outreach & Engagement

VI. Education Champions & Education Team

VII. FYES Assessment: School Experience and Vocational/Career Exploration

Foster Youth Education Success (FYES) Program Manual

The provider, in collaboration with the young person and their supports (when applicable), develops a customized education plan, developed with the referred student, that is based on individual strengths and needs and that uses research-based tools (as needed).

Education planning includes both assessment of the young person’s educational experience, vocational/career interests, and progress in their current education program. The plan (Exhibit 2) minimally includes and is informed by the following:

• School experience information

• Needs and interests articulated by the young person

• Young person’s personal academic and school connection goals

• Actions and resources necessary to achieve the academic and school connection goals

• A description of how necessary resources will be secured and who will assist the young person to access resources

• How the plan will be monitored including who will support the young person

The provider conducts outreach to the supportive adults in the young person’s life (including the DCS Specialist and caregiver, if applicable), and connects with the referred young person and their supports as often as needed to create and implement an education plan that provides restorative and supportive interventions.

Additional Information

The CSO 1994 Foster Youth Education Guide is a resource that may be used when working with youth to create the education success plan.

Student Advocacy includes strategies that address student-specific education-related challenges including a process for an accelerated response to an educational crisis (i.e. potential or actual long-term suspension, expulsion, or other issue that may impede or disrupt a student’s academic progress. (Reference Technical Assistance below.)

Partnerships and collaborative efforts should include students, caregivers, local educational agencies, child welfare agencies and judicial agencies to implement a continuous cycle of data-driven interventions for children in foster care and minimally provide for:

• Active connections with agencies that provide resources to support educational needs.

• Ongoing outreach and partnership with Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), the State Education Agency (SEA), and other educational advocates.

• Engagement with key stakeholders to better understand, address and navigate resources and issues that impact educational achievement for students experiencing foster care.

Technical assistance may be provided to an individual or group of stakeholders to address a student-specific education-related challenge or to provide information and strategies on a variety of topics. Technical Assistance includes but is not limited to the following:

• A strategy for an accelerated response to an educational crisis (i.e. potential or actual long-term suspension, expulsion, or other issue that may impede or disrupt a student’s academic progress);

• Understanding each student’s school experience, prior to and while in foster care;

• Supports needed for students experiencing foster care to thrive in their education setting;

• Strategies for Local Educational Agencies/LEAs, schools and caregivers to support school stability and academic progress for students experiencing foster care;

• Strategies to support caregivers in maintaining school of origin and provide for necessary education supports to students in their care;

and

• Information on laws and policies impacting education with emphasis on:

` IDEA and Exceptional Student (Special Education) Services, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and Education Decision-Making;

` School Discipline;

` School Connections and Positive/Supportive Relationships; and ` Intersection of race/ethnicity, disability, academic achievement, school discipline, and other areas that may negatively impact academic achievement and student experiences.

VIII. Restorative Education Planning and Support

IX. Student Advocacy

X. Partnerships & Collaborations

XI. Technical Assistance

Foster Youth Education Success (FYES) Program Manual

The Contractor shall participate in the quality improvement process and collaboratively work with DCS to continuously improve practice fidelity and client outcomes, utilizing the Active Contract Management (ACM) framework.

Additional Information

The ACM framework includes meetings between the provider and designated staff from the DCS Education unit on a frequency to be determined by the DCS to review the implementation of the service. Information will be requested by the DCS and provided by the provider within a prescribed timeframe that is mutually agreed upon. DCS Education staff will review information to prepare for a scheduled meeting to review findings and recommendations with the contractor. Meetings will provide time for review and discussion of a variety of topics such as: program fidelity and outcome data, barriers and facilitators to service delivery, essential program components, youth engagement skills, assessment tools, change-focused interventions, and case studies.

Arizona Department of Economic Security, Rehabilitative Services Administration, Pre-Employment Transition Services, https://des.az.gov/sites/default/files/media/Pre-ETS-Overview.pdf?time=1657284425923

Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 – P.L.115-123, Part 5, Section 50753 https://www.congress.gov/115/plaws/publ123/PLAW-115publ123.htm

Chafee Foster Care Independence Act P.L. 106-169 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-113/pdf/STATUTE-113-Pg1822.pdf#page=8

Every Student Succeeds Act P.L. 114-95, Part A, Section 1111 https://www.congress.gov/114/plaws/publ95/PLAW-114publ95.pdf

Higher Education Act of 1965 – P.L. 89-329, Sections 102, 472 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/COMPS-765/pdf/COMPS-765.pdf

John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood, https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/ssact/title04/0477.htm

Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments (PSSF Amendments) of 2001, P.L. 107-133, Title II, Section 201 – Educational and Training Vouchers for Youths Aging Out of Foster Care https://www.congress.gov/107/plaws/publ133/PLAW-107publ133.pdf

Ambriz, J. D. (2016). Social Cognitive Career Theory (Scct) And Mexican /Mexican American Youth Career Development, With A Special Focus On Stem Fields (dissertation). Washington State University, Pullman, WA.

Barrat, V. X., Berliner, B., & Felida, N. J. (2015). Arizona’s Invisible Achievement Gap: Education Outcomes of Students in Foster Care in the State’s Public Schools. San Francisco: WestEd.

Brock, J. (2022, June 24). Youth thrive. Center for the Study of Social Policy. Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://cssp.org/our-work/project/youth-thrive/#framework

Chen, C. P., & Chan, J. (2014). Career guidance for learning-disabled youth. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 14(3), 275–291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-014-9270-6

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2021). Child welfare practice to address racial disproportionality and disparity. Child Welfare Practice to Address Racial Disproportionality and Disparity - Child Welfare Information Gateway. Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/ issue-briefs/racial-disproportionality/

Fish, J. N., Baams, L., Wojciak, A. S., & Russell, S. T. (2019). Are sexual minority youth overrepresented in foster care, child welfare, and out-of-home placement? findings from Nationally Representative Data. Child Abuse & Neglect, 89, 203–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.01.005

Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (2002, January). (PDF) Social Cognitive Career theory - researchgate. ResearchGate.net. Retrieved May 12, 2022, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306145850_Social_cognitive_career_theory

Positive youth development. Positive Youth Development | Youth.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://youth.gov/youth-topics/positive-youth-development

Stevenson, B. J. (2017). Developing a career counseling intervention program for Foster Youth. Journal of Employment Counseling, 54(2), 75–86.

https://doi.org/10.1002/joec.12055

Vera, E., Carr, A. L., Roche, M. K., & Daskalova, P. (2017). Contextual predictors of vocational hope in ethnic minority, low-income youth.

Professional School Counseling, 21(1), 109624091876129. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096240918761291

XII. Partnerships & Collaborations

References

Literature References https://des.az.gov/sites/default/files/media/Pre-ETS-Overview.pdf?time=1657284425923 https://www.congress.gov/115/plaws/publ123/PLAW-115publ123.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-113/pdf/STATUTE-113-Pg1822.pdf#page=8 https://www.congress.gov/114/plaws/publ95/PLAW-114publ95.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/COMPS-765/pdf/COMPS-765.pdf https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/ssact/title04/0477.htm https://www.congress.gov/107/plaws/publ133/PLAW-107publ133.pdf https://cssp.org/our-work/project/youth-thrive/#framework https://cssp.org/our-work/project/youth-thrive/#framework https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-014-9270-6 https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/issue-briefs/racial-disproportionality/ https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/issue-briefs/racial-disproportionality/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.01.005 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306145850_Social_cognitive_career_theory https://youth.gov/youth-topics/positive-youth-development https://youth.gov/youth-topics/positive-youth-development https://doi.org/10.1002/joec.12055 https://doi.org/10.1177/1096240918761291