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

Community colleges around the country are faced with the task of teaching basic skills courses to over 2.5 million students. These students are often unable to make the transition to college-level coursework, an inability that has significant income-related implications. Individuals who do not take college coursework and earn an occupational certificate earn significantly less than those who do so. In an effort to aid students in making the transition from basic skills education to college coursework, the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges developed the Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) program. The current study found I-BEST positively impacted six of seven educational outcomes as compared to a control group. Although the study did not find a relationship between I-BEST participation and positive changes in wages and hours worked, the authors attribute this to the participants entering the workforce during a recession. Due to the known positive relationship between college coursework and income, it is expected that future studies will find positive workforce outcomes among I-BEST participants.