Transcript Washington State Plan and Supporting Documents Several

Integrated
Basic Education
and Skills Training
Overview of I-BEST Program
And
ABE to Credentials Implementation Grant
July 12, 2011
Today’s Agenda
 Webinar Basics
 Dr. Robin Parker, MSU-RCU
 ABE/I-BEST Overview
 Eloise Richardson, MCCB
 Letter of Intent/Guidelines
 Dr. Joan Haynes, MCCB
 CTE/Workforce/TAA Grant
 Dr. Shawn Mackey, MCCB
 Questions
ABE/I-BEST Overview
Eloise Richardson
Director of ABE/GED
Mississippi Community College Board
What is I-BEST?
 Integrated
 Basic
 Education and
 Skills
 Training
Training that provides adult basic
education and specific occupational
skills at the same time.
Economics
 Skills Gap:
 Employers can’t find qualified workers.
 Workers can’t find jobs.
 Wage gap:
 Low education = low wages and high
unemployment.
 Family wage jobs = require some combination
of academic attainment and credential.
Challenges
 Many students lack skills needed to
enter workforce education programs.
 Too many students struggle and don’t
complete.
 Many students need additional
support while in vocational training.
What does the Washington
State I-BEST program include?
 A vocational credential, a good paying job,
and a clear pathway to a better job.
 Engaged employers and agency partners.
 Partnerships across campus - professional
technical, basic skills, and student services.
 Deliberate recruitment, screening, and
support.
 Simultaneous workforce and basic skills
instruction, with student gains in both.
How does Washington State
know that I-BEST works?
 I-BEST students earn more college
credits than their peers in basic
skills.
 I-BEST students complete at a higher
rate than other ESL or workforce
students.
Washington State
Research
The I-BEST program is a model bridge program
that integrates education in basic skills with
technical instruction.
According to Washington State research, the
percentage of students who earn their first 15
college credits is substantially higher if they are
part of the I-Best program (53%), compared to
basic skills students who attempt college
coursework in other ways (11%).
In addition, I-BEST students were substantially
more likely to earn certificates during their first
year.
Where is I-BEST today in
Washington State?

140 programs approved

Occupation clusters include:
 Automotive technology/Engine repair
 Office support technology
 Manufacturing/Trades
 Early childhood education
 Health care
 Corrections/Law enforcement
Research Bibliography
SBCTC: Building Pathways to Success for Low-Skilled Adult Students: Lessons for Community
College Policy and Practice from a Longitudinal Student Tracking Study (The “Tipping Point”
Research) . http://www.sbctc.ctc.edu/data/rsrchrpts/Resh_06-2-TippingPoint.doc
SBCTC: I-BEST - A PROGRAM INTEGRATING ADULT BASIC EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE
TRAINING http://www.sbctc.ctc.edu/Data/rsrchrpts/Resh05-2-I-BEST.doc
WTECB: Employers Having Difficulty Finding Qualified Workers.
http://www.wtb.wa.gov/Documents/EmployerSurvey.doc
NCHEMS (National Center for Higher Education Management Systems)
http://www.nchems.org/Staff/dennis.htm
CLASP: The Language of Opportunity: Expanding Employment Prospects for Adults with Limited
English Skills. http://www.clasp.org/publications/LEP_report.pdf
JFF: Breaking Through - Helping Low-Skilled Adults Enter and Succeed in College and Careers
http://www.jff.org/JFF_Pages.php?WhichLevel=3&lv1_id=3&lv2_id=33&lv3_id=36&ShowPr
oject=2
MDRC: Improving Basic Skills - The Effects of Adult Education in Welfare-to-Work Programs
http://www.mdrc.org/area_publications_4.html
What are the basics of an
I-BEST Program?


Integrated Instruction – requires
pairing an adult basic education
instructor and a professional
/technical instructor so the students
gain both skill sets at the same
time. (50% overlap)
Includes 3-5 hours a week of noncredit ABE instruction.
What is
Integrated Instruction?
TECHNICAL
TECHNICAL
INTEGRATED
TECHNICAL &
BASIC SKILLS
BASIC SKILLS
CONTEXTUALIZED
BASIC SKILLS
Traditional Models
IBEST Model
How does an Integrated
Class Work?

Collaborative planning between ABE
and CTE/Workforce to incorporate
basic skills competencies



Curriculum
Lesson Planning
Assessment
How does an Integrated
Class Work?


Both instructors actively involved
When in content lectures, the Basic
Skills instructor may:



Write key ideas on the board
Re-phrase or ask questions about
concepts that may be difficult
vocabulary
Ask students clarifying questions to
make sure they are understanding
Accelerated
and
Integrated
ABE and GED
programs
• Career exploration
• Contextualized learning
• Skill-building for postsecondary/career
success
• College & career
counseling
Articulated
Career
Pathways
• Accelerated skill-building
integrated with credit
coursework
• Support through gatekeeper courses
• Intensive transition
counseling
Stackable
Credentials
with Labor
Market
Value
• Comprehensive
supplemental services
• Intensive counseling
• Flexible program
options
• Job placement
More Adult Learners Succeeding in ABE to
Credential Pathways
A National Need for Investment in
ABE to Credential Pathways
 93 million adults with basic or below basic literacy
 13% of adults ages 25-64 have less than a
high school credential
 29% have a high school credential but no
college.
 By 2018, only 36 percent of total jobs will require
workers with just a high school diploma or less
 Since 1979, investments in adult education and
workforce development programs have declined in
real terms by more than 70%.
Improving Student Experiences and Outcomes
What low-skilled, nontraditional students
typically face:
ABE to Credential’s
Solutions:
Confusing array of career
programs
Transparent college prep and
career pathways
General education focus as
the default for programs and
services
Programs and services
specifically geared to career
pathways
Long remedial education
sequences
Acceleration, compression
and dual-enrollment
strategies
Inadequate or inaccessible
support services
Array of support services,
including intrusive advising
Programs not designed with
career advancement in mind
Programs designed around
labor market opportunities
and needs
JFF ABE to Credentials
Grant Overview
 Four year initiative: an initial design year and
three years for implementation
 Targets states with ABE governed through
postsecondary education
 Target population: ABE, ASE, and ESL students
with skills at grade 6 and above
 10 states will receive design grants to
develop ABE to Credentials pathways and
develop blueprints for action.
 Five states will pilot, refine, and scale ABE
to Credential pathways in a critical mass of
colleges statewide.
Non-Negotiable JFF Program
Elements
 Explicit articulation of two or more
educational pathways, linked to career
pathways;
 Evidence of strong local demand for the
selected pathways;
 Acceleration strategies, including
contextualized learning and the use of hybrid
(online and classroom-based) course designs;
 Evidence-based dual enrollment strategies,
including paired courses, I-BEST and I-BEST-like
approaches;
Non-Negotiable JFF Program
Elements
 Comprehensive academic and social student
supports;
 Achievement of marketable, stackable,
credit-bearing certificates and degrees and
college readiness;
 Award of some college-level professionaltechnical credits;
 Partnerships with Workforce Investment Boards
and/or employers.
ABE to Credentials Implementation
Grant Expectations from JFF
 8 colleges in each state implementing ABE to
credential pathways at scale in multiple
professional/technical areas
 At least 3,600 students per state earning a
marketable credential.
 States will adopt policies and financing models to
ensure that effective ABE to Credential programs are
sustained and expanded.
 States will engage other community colleges in a
learning network to promote adoption and scale of
effective approaches.
 MCCB has partnered with MSU-RCU and nSPARC for
data deliverables and career pathway development.
Policies Supporting Sustainability and Scale
Data and
Performance
Measurement
Setting goals and benchmarks for adult learner transitions.
Alignment of data systems to measure student progress from
pre-college programs to post-secondary career pathways to
employment; Linking data to innovation to determine which
models help get adult learners to what momentum points by
when (disaggregated by population)
Program Redesign
Demonstration grants for accelerated learning options and
comprehensive (academic and nonacademic) supports;
incentives to link employers with community college credit
programs
Aligned
Expectations
Aligning standards and curricula of pre-college programs with
college readiness; aligning non-credit to credit programs
Assessment
and Referral
Dual enrollment for adult education and college programs; crosswalking assessments for basic skills and college; making adult
education a placement option for some developmental education
students
Finance
Alignment/”braiding” of funding from adult education, community
college, workforce, employer and other funding streams to
strengthen implementation and outcomes
Letter of Intent and
Guidelines
Dr. Joan Haynes
Associate Executive Director
for Academic and Student Affairs
Mississippi Community College Board
CTE/Workforce
TAA Grant
Dr. Shawn Mackey
Associate Executive Director
for Workforce, Career and Technical
Education
Mississippi Community College Board
Questions?