I-BEST:
Basic Skills and Beyond
Louisa Erickson
Program Administrator, Workforce Education
Washington State Board for Community and Technical
Colleges
Why I-BEST
• In Washington state, over half of the students come to our
community and technical college system with the goal of
getting to work.
• SBCTC research found that only 13 percent of ESL and less
than one third of ABE students continued on to college-level
work.
• Only 4 to 6 percent, respectively, of the students ended up
getting 45 or more college credits or earning a certificate or
degree within five years.
Research cited: Building Pathways to Success for Low-Skill Adult Students: Lessons for Community College Policy
and Practice from a Longitudinal Student Tracking Study (Prince, Jenkins: April 2005).
Tipping Point
1 year of college credits + a credential
1 year + credential equals:
• $7,000 more per year for ESL students
• $8,500 more per year for an ABE student
• $2,700 and $1,700 more per year for
students with GED and diploma
Jobs requiring college level credits +
credential are those in greatest demand
3
4
How could a solution be shaped?
We developed Integrated Basic Education and Skills
Training (I-BEST) together with the college system.
• I-BEST sets aside traditional notions that students
must first complete all levels of basic education
before they can start vocational training programs.
• It is designed to support basic education students to
certificate and degree completion.
What is I-BEST?
• It is an instructional
• Faculty must develop
model that pairs an
integrated program
instructor from basic
outcomes, jointly plan
skills and an instructor
curriculum, and jointly
from a vocational
assess student
program to jointly
learning and skill
instruct together at least
development.
of 50% time.
• Wrap-around student
• The programs must
service supports are
include college-level
provided.
vocational credits.
• The programs must
• Students must qualify
appear on the
for federally supported
demand list for the
levels of adult basic
local area.
education.
Build the pathways for commuters. Run it on their
schedules, accommodate lots of on and off traffic,
facilitate good connections to long-term destinations.
• Provide a full map clearly in view for stops
that really exist
• Provide guidance and support so people don’t
get lost
• Anticipate different types of traffic - Who is
already waiting at the 2nd stop; how many from
the first stop will go to the 2nd?
• Measure success in terms of a transport lots of riders, lots of trips, all stops meaningful,
many short trips but always set up to go further
and faster
7
Planning I-BEST to at least 15 college credits to start makes a
substantial difference in how far students advance.
Students Who Attempted at Least
15 College Credits in I-BEST
2006-07
2007-08 2008-09
No Momentum
9%
10%
9%
Basic Skills Only
9%
7%
7%
Pre-college Only
1st 15
1st 30
Math
Tipping Point
1%
44%
24%
9%
5%
2%
37%
22%
4%
18%
3%
34%
22%
7%
17%
Students Who Attempted Less Than
15 College Credits in I-BEST
2006-07
2007-08 2008-09
35%
40%
37%
46%
39%
39%
2%
8%
2%
7%
1%
7%
9%
3%
1%
1%
5%
10%
3%
1%
4%
Another part of the solution:
Student Achievement Initiative
The Student Achievement Initiative is a new
performance funding system for community and
technical colleges.
Its purposes are to both:
• Improve public accountability by more accurately
describing what students achieve from enrolling in
our colleges each year,
• and to provide incentives through financial awards to
colleges for increasing the levels of achievement
attained by their students.
This represents a shift from funding entirely for
enrollment inputs to also funding meaningful outcomes.
Achievement Measures
Measures are critical progression steps that
move students, no matter where they start,
forward towards greater achievement and
completion
Four categories of measures:
1. Momentum points that build towards collegelevel skills
•
Significant adult literacy or English language
proficiency test score gains
•
Earning GED or high school diploma
•
Passing pre-college writing or math courses
Achievement Measures continued…
2. Momentum points that build to Tipping Point and beyond
•
Earning first 15 college level credits
•
Earning first 30 college level credits
3. Earning college level credits in math
•
Computation requirements for applied degrees
•
Quantitative reasoning requirements for transfer degrees
4. Completions
•
Certificates (plus at least one year of college)
•
Associate degrees (technical and transfer)
•
Apprenticeship training
Colleges have made promising gains in
Student Achievement each year since the
baseline.
Annual Student Achievement Points
450,000
400,000
350,000
Completions
College Math
30 College Credits
15College Credits
Pre-College
Basic Skills
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
-
Baseline Learning Year Performance Performance
Year 2006-07
2007-08
Year 2008-09 Year 2009-10
Total achievement increased 12% compared to 1%
more students
90% of growth due to more achievement per student
10% of growth due to more students
Promising evidence that students are progressing
further and faster
Achievement Points
2009-10 Performance Results and 1 Year Change
Earn 1st Earn 5 Complete
Become Earn 1st
30
College Certificate,
Increase
College 15 College College math
Degree,
Total
Students Basic Skills Ready Credits Credits Credits Apprentices Points
2008-09
Performance
Year
486,927
2009-10
489,932
1 Year %
1%
94,796
108,219
14%
73,652
87,713
19%
70,127
73,846
5%
52,300
57,132
9%
36,000
39,486
10%
25,544
27,949
9%
352,419
394,345
12%
I-BEST is playing the major role increasing
achievement beyond basic skills.
College Level Points
College Ready
Points
Total Change
between
2006-07 and
2008-09
I-BEST Portion
of Total
% of Total
Change Due to
I-BEST
1,072
381
36%
15 College
30 College
Credit Points Credit Points Math Points
801
536
67%
477
348
73%
74
68
92%
Tipping Points
281
246
88%
Why does I-BEST matter for LPN degree
students at Renton Technical College ?
Enrollment, Withdrawals &
Dismissal
Traditional
Student
I-BEST
Student
Enrolled
18
13
Withdrew/dismissed
8
2
10 (56%)
11 (85%)
Completed
15
Why does I-BEST matter for LPN degree
students at Renton Technical College ?
Educational Level Gains after 2 quarters
Listening (CASAS)
8
Speaking (BEST Plus)
7
Reading (CASAS)
11
Writing (Independent)
10
TOTAL
36
Traditional
Students
I-BEST
Students
Credits Attempted
216
293
Credits Successfully Completed
190
288
Percentage of Credit Completion
88%
98%
Grade Point Average
2.74
3.45
16
I-BEST Programs Continue to Grow
• Washington currently has over 170 approved I-BEST
programs at our 34 Community and Technical Colleges
• I-BEST FTES have grown substantially overtime.
• This past year state enrollments were basically flat due to
system budget cuts.
•
•
•
•
•
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
691 FTES
881 FTES
1141 FTES
1730 FTES
1742 FTES
27%
30%
52%
1% (3,342 Students)
Why does I-BEST matter for faculty?
• Skills in a different field
• Strategies for working with
different student populations
• New teaching strategies and styles
• Ability to work collaboratively
• More effective in helping students
• Higher retention rate and better
results
• Positive feedback from and about
students
18
What are the Challenges and Next Steps?
• The CCRC’s evaluation of I-BEST further validated the
earlier SBCTC findings. I-BEST moves low skilled
students further and faster in college-level work. The
study found that students participating in I-BEST did
better than other basic skills students. I-BEST students
were more likely than others to continue into creditbearing coursework, earn occupational certificates, make
point gains on basic skills tests, and I-BEST students had
a higher probability of persisting into the second year.
• However, not all pathways appear to be working
smoothly to the degree.
Beyond Basic Skills: Expansion
Initiatives Promise More Access to
I-BEST
I-BEST pilot programs increase pathway options for all
basic skills students.
– I-BEST for Developmental Education pilot project
– Academic I-BEST
– On-ramp to I-BEST pilot project
I-BEST for Developmental Education
• This project extends I-BEST into developmental
education by identifying new model(s) of instruction that
focus on the redesign of developmental education
curriculum/instructional practice and professionaltechnical curriculum/instructional practice.
• The goal is to pilot strategies that move students further
and faster toward the highest credential in the pathway.
• I-BEST for Developmental Education models extend the
pathways developed in approved I-BEST programs that
were at least two quarters in length.
I-BEST for Developmental Education
(continued)
• The programs are a continuation from the approved
program to the next higher level of a career pathway with
a clear articulation.
• Both basic education and developmental education
students are eligible to participate in these pilot
programs.
• The demonstration project allows colleges to test differing
models for integrating curriculum that combine student
services, revise curriculum design, and develop engaging
instructional models.
Expectations of Pilot Colleges
• Curriculum: Design new curricular materials and
approaches that integrate developmental education and
professional-technical curriculum. Equal attention is to be
paid to both disciplines resulting in a redesigned
curriculum that includes active learning pedagogies.
• Instructional Approaches/Teacher Support: Use data
and a culture of evidence to modify, refine, and improve
practices that advance student success. Provide
shared/coordinated faculty [curriculum development and
ongoing] planning time.
Expectations of Pilot Colleges (continued)
• Student Support: Provide learning opportunities that are
contextual and integrated including integrated program
outcomes, use cohort and learning community-type models,
include multiple modes, methods, and pedagogical
strategies that appeal to diverse student populations and
provide clear career and educational pathways for students.
• Institutional Support: Provide professional development
tools and other resources necessary to help all students
succeed with consideration on how to make necessary
changes in structures, attitudes, paradigms, and strategies
for student success by building on strengths of students,
faculty, staff, and the institution–adopting a strength-based
rather than a deficit approach to students, faculty, etc.
Funded Projects
• Bellingham Technical College – Team teach prerequisite
courses including math, English, and science integrated with
Practical Nursing in a “reverse integration model.”
• Clover Park Technical College – Provide modular multilevel academic bridge courses focusing on communication
and math to support integrated Architectural Computer Aided
Drafting Grays Harbor College – Team teach
developmental math and English courses integrated with
Welding.
• Highline Community College – Team teach general
education or related instruction courses linked with an
ongoing humanities seminar for Early Childhood Education.
Funded Projects (continued)
• Lake Washington Technical College – Team teach their
developmental math sequence with Automotive Repair.
• Lower Columbia College – Team teach outcomes-based
Early Childhood Education cohort including three science
courses for non-science majors and an Early Childhood
Education created math project.
• Shoreline Community College – Team teach an intensive,
integrated, cohort-based 15 credit developmental education
course for the Automotive Training Program.
• Tacoma Community College – Team teach a combined
reading and writing course as well as a math class for
Medical Office that integrates ABE and developmental math
outcomes.
Emerging Practices
• Accelerated Outcomes
• Highly Contextualized
Academic I-BEST
Academic I-BEST programs provide educational access and
support for adult ABE and ESL English and math students to
progress further and faster along an academic or vocational
transfer pathway to a four-year college or university.
• Modeled after traditional I-BEST, students develop
academic skills while earning college credit the direct
transfer degree pathway
• Academic I-BEST is approved for enhanced FTES, but the
students are not eligible for Opportunity Grant funding.
SkillUp On-ramp to I-BEST
• On-ramp to I-BEST’s 4 pilot programs target young adults aged 18-24
years old who are interested in attending college but test at a basic
skills level too low to enter and succeed in I-BEST-level courses.
• On-ramp program goals are increased basic skills achievement and
increased enrollment and persistence in I-BEST or other career
pathway college programs within one year.
• Pilots are managed by SkillUp Washington in partnership with the
Workforce Investment Board, community-based organizations, and
the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges.
• On-ramp to I-BEST is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation through a grant to SkillUp Washington.
Questions?
Contact:
Louisa Erickson
Program Administrator, Workforce Education
Lerickson@sbctc.edu
(360) 704-4368