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Sandra Kawamura
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Bio
Sandra Kawamura began working at Mt. Diablo USO Adult Education in the Data Management office in 2003, helping manage data collection and management related to CASAS State reporting and data management in TOPSPro Enterprise coordinated with our statewide Student Information System (SIS) known as ASAP. In 2007, Sandy was promoted to Accountability Specialist, College and Career and Adult Education. At this time, her responsibilities and duties increased to encompass all data collection and management, analysis, and reporting of the school-wide data of Mt. Diablo Adult Education (MDAE). Sandy's increased responsibility and duties included overseeing MDAE's Title IV Pell Grant and IPEDS data collection and reporting, Federal Perkins Grant data collection and reporting for MDAE CTE Programs, as well as for MDAE's student learning outcomes data for CASAS State reporting using the TOPSPro Enterprise system and ASAP. In 2014-2015, with the awarding of national accreditation of the CTE programs of MDAE by the Council on Occupational Education (COE), Sandy added overseeing all data collection, management and reporting of CTE programs' student data to the COE as well.
Sandy has always been and continues to be instrumental in the critical operations and on-going process of collecting, managing, analyzing, and reporting accurate student data that supports the quality of programming by MDAE. Sandy makes a tremendous impact supporting school improvement based on data driven decisions and ensures accuracy of MDAE's reporting to the State, Grantors, and all stakeholders. ASAP Connected is the single Student Information System (SIS) platform that maintains MDAE student data, attendance, student outcomes, and invoicing. It is critical to the daily operations of MDAE. Sandy has become a strong voice for the data needs of all our regional adult education programs, working in partnership in an unofficial advisory capacity directly with the ASAP vendor, VANCO. As a result of her expertise and input to ASAP (VANCO) through ongoing weekly communication with ASAP support staff and leadership, many software adjustments have been made to better ensure data for program improvement is accurate and accessible to MDAE, and benefiting all agency users statewide.
Sandy is well respected by ASAP and all her data and adult education colleagues. She is often asked to review new features, provide feedback, and pilot new features. Sandy takes on these challenges without hesitation knowing that a thorough vetting of new features can provide greater flexibility, accuracy, and resources for all adult education agencies statewide. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019-2020, Sandy worked with ASAP and the instructional platform known as CANVAS which MDAE has adopted as its primary remote teaching/learning management system, to integrate the two programs to better facilitate instructors' use of the two platforms for registering students, tracking attendance, and for teaching students online.
Over the years, Sandy has participated in numerous data-related meetings, training programs, and events about CASAS, TOPS Enterprise, IPEDS, Perkins Grant and ASAP Network, and IPEDS. She has also made a number of excellent, well-received presentations at these meetings and events as well. Sandy has been the go-to person for all MDAE staff for all data related questions and needs for MDAE's FPM, WASC, and COE reporting and program reviews. She always manages, analyzes, and provides data, data analysis, and reports accurately and timely. She pleasantly and professionally keeps staff in step and on time for meeting all reporting deadlines. Her focus on reporting timelines and accurate demographics has helped countless qualified CTE students receive critical financial support for their education at MDAE. She is always willing and available to aid the staff of other California adult education agencies and is often called upon to do this for new employees who must learn all the many and various state reporting nuances, rules of federal and state programs, as well as learn the nuances of the data collection process and reporting systems used for this purpose.
Over the past several years, Sandy has taken on the role as the main support staff for MDAE's online CASAS testing of students in all MDAE program areas. She stepped into this role as she saw the need for support of the staff for this important, more recent form of agency-wide testing. Last year, Mt. Diablo Adult Education received a six-year WASC Accreditation and a six-year COE Accreditation. Sandy was recognized by the staff as instrumental throughout the process for assisting adult education staff committees to take a deeper dive into the data. She divided complex reports into digestible bites of information that enabled informed decisions. Her patience and ability helped create a positive, confident work team as MDAE navigated through the accreditation process.
Sandy became a CCAE member shortly after she was hired in 2003. Over the years, Sandy has consistently supported CCAE efforts and regularly attends school, chapter, and section CCAE events. It is with great pleasure that MDAE honors Sandy Kawamura with this Excellence in Support Services award .
Sandra Kawamura began working at Mt. Diablo USO Adult Education in the Data Management office in 2003, helping manage data collection and management related to CASAS State reporting and data management in TOPSPro Enterprise coordinated with our statewide Student Information System (SIS) known as ASAP. In 2007, Sandy was promoted to Accountability Specialist, College and Career and Adult Education. At this time, her responsibilities and duties increased to encompass all data collection and management, analysis, and reporting of the school-wide data of Mt. Diablo Adult Education (MDAE). Sandy's increased responsibility and duties included overseeing MDAE's Title IV Pell Grant and IPEDS data collection and reporting, Federal Perkins Grant data collection and reporting for MDAE CTE Programs, as well as for MDAE's student learning outcomes data for CASAS State reporting using the TOPSPro Enterprise system and ASAP. In 2014-2015, with the awarding of national accreditation of the CTE programs of MDAE by the Council on Occupational Education (COE), Sandy added overseeing all data collection, management and reporting of CTE programs' student data to the COE as well.
Sandy has always been and continues to be instrumental in the critical operations and on-going process of collecting, managing, analyzing, and reporting accurate student data that supports the quality of programming by MDAE. Sandy makes a tremendous impact supporting school improvement based on data driven decisions and ensures accuracy of MDAE's reporting to the State, Grantors, and all stakeholders. ASAP Connected is the single Student Information System (SIS) platform that maintains MDAE student data, attendance, student outcomes, and invoicing. It is critical to the daily operations of MDAE. Sandy has become a strong voice for the data needs of all our regional adult education programs, working in partnership in an unofficial advisory capacity directly with the ASAP vendor, VANCO. As a result of her expertise and input to ASAP (VANCO) through ongoing weekly communication with ASAP support staff and leadership, many software adjustments have been made to better ensure data for program improvement is accurate and accessible to MDAE, and benefiting all agency users statewide.
Sandy is well respected by ASAP and all her data and adult education colleagues. She is often asked to review new features, provide feedback, and pilot new features. Sandy takes on these challenges without hesitation knowing that a thorough vetting of new features can provide greater flexibility, accuracy, and resources for all adult education agencies statewide. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019-2020, Sandy worked with ASAP and the instructional platform known as CANVAS which MDAE has adopted as its primary remote teaching/learning management system, to integrate the two programs to better facilitate instructors' use of the two platforms for registering students, tracking attendance, and for teaching students online.
Over the years, Sandy has participated in numerous data-related meetings, training programs, and events about CASAS, TOPS Enterprise, IPEDS, Perkins Grant and ASAP Network, and IPEDS. She has also made a number of excellent, well-received presentations at these meetings and events as well. Sandy has been the go-to person for all MDAE staff for all data related questions and needs for MDAE's FPM, WASC, and COE reporting and program reviews. She always manages, analyzes, and provides data, data analysis, and reports accurately and timely. She pleasantly and professionally keeps staff in step and on time for meeting all reporting deadlines. Her focus on reporting timelines and accurate demographics has helped countless qualified CTE students receive critical financial support for their education at MDAE. She is always willing and available to aid the staff of other California adult education agencies and is often called upon to do this for new employees who must learn all the many and various state reporting nuances, rules of federal and state programs, as well as learn the nuances of the data collection process and reporting systems used for this purpose.
Over the past several years, Sandy has taken on the role as the main support staff for MDAE's online CASAS testing of students in all MDAE program areas. She stepped into this role as she saw the need for support of the staff for this important, more recent form of agency-wide testing. Last year, Mt. Diablo Adult Education received a six-year WASC Accreditation and a six-year COE Accreditation. Sandy was recognized by the staff as instrumental throughout the process for assisting adult education staff committees to take a deeper dive into the data. She divided complex reports into digestible bites of information that enabled informed decisions. Her patience and ability helped create a positive, confident work team as MDAE navigated through the accreditation process.
Sandy became a CCAE member shortly after she was hired in 2003. Over the years, Sandy has consistently supported CCAE efforts and regularly attends school, chapter, and section CCAE events. It is with great pleasure that MDAE honors Sandy Kawamura with this Excellence in Support Services award .
