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How I-BEST Works: Findings From a Field Study of Washington State’s Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training Program

By John Wachen, Davis Jenkins & Michelle Van Noy
Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) is a strategy developed by the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, in conjunction with the state’s community and technical colleges, in which basic skills instructors and technical faculty jointly design and teach college-level occupational classes that admit basic skills-level students. By integrating basic skills and professional-technical skill instruction, I-BEST seeks to increase the rate at which adult basic education and English-as-a-second-language students advance to college-level programs and complete postsecondary credentials. Quantitative analyses of the I-BEST model indicate that the program is effective in improving educational outcomes. This report is geared toward college administrators and higher education officials interested in implementing similar programs. It describes how colleges in Washington State are implementing I-BEST, and how I-BEST programs operate. This report is a companion study to Washington State’s Integrated Basic Skills and Training Program: New Evidence of Effectiveness. A version of this paper was published as an article, “Integrating Basic Skills and Career Technical Instruction: Findings from a Field Study of Washington State’s I-BEST Model,” in Community College Review, vol. 39.
  • The Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) Program

Download Links

Download report
September 2010
View article (subscription may be required)
April 2011

Related Publications

December 2012

Contextualized College Transition Strategies for Adult Basic Skills Students: Learning From Washington State’s I-BEST Program Model

September 2010

Washington State’s Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training Program (I-BEST): New Evidence of Effectiveness

May 2009

Educational Outcomes of I-BEST, Washington State Community and Technical College System’s Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training Program: Findings From a Multivariate Analysis

Additional Resources

For more policy briefs and fact sheets, visit CCRC’s Policy Resources page.

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