Integrated Instruction
The Washington State Adult Basic Education system is committed to speeding the progress of students towards their goals as workers, family members and members of communities. Primary to this is improving student transition to post-secondary coursework, achievement of Tipping Point skills (45 college level credits and a vocational credential) and further post-secondary success. In this pursuit, providers have instituted a variety of approaches to incorporate important contexts and content into the learning of basic skills.
Contextualized Instruction
This is instruction that uses a targeted context, such as career exploration, financial or health literacy to learn skills in reading, writing, math, critical thinking and communication. Many providers have deliberate “pre-I-BEST” and “pre-vocational” courses that prepare students to be successful in the next step of their career and education pathways.
Coordinated Instruction
Basic skills instruction that is not only in a targeted context but is also coordinated with other courses (vocational or academic) so that the skills and information of the basic skills courses are provided in pace with what is needed in the courses. Examples include ABE classes that support vocational program participation.In addition, some ground-breaking work of the Transitions Math Project has helped coordinate and align math across ABE, Developmental Education and college credit level programs.
Integrated Instruction
Integrated instruction allows students to move further, faster towards their goals by simultaneously combining skill building in basic education and a particular context. In Washington state, the flagship program for integration is I-BEST (Integrated Basic and skills Training), which targets moving students to the Tipping Point of access to family wage jobs along a career pathway (see link to study below). Third party research has shown that this program model out-performs any other for moving students further and faster to college success and vocational credentials.
Teams of ABE and vocational instructors work together to develop and deliver instruction, and
assess student progress in both skill areas. Other examples of integrated instruction include
Academic (pre-college) I-BEST and I-TRANS. In these programs, basic skills and academic program
faculty team teach courses that result in college level credits for Professional Technical program or academic credits aligned with Direct Transfer Agreements with the four-year colleges and universities.
Resources and Projects
Equipped for the Future (EFF) is a National Institute for Literacy research project that seeks
to improve the quality of adult education services by offering the field a comprehensive content
framework, better-defined results, and standards that enable programs to focus on achieving
those results.
The Washington State Adult Learning Standards, based on the EFF Content Standards, provide a framework for contextualizing and integrating content while ensuring that the depth and breadth of basic skills is incorporated. The Learning Standards indicators are a mandatory component for the development of student learning outcomes for SBCTC approved I-BEST programs.
LINCS Resources
Literacy Information and Communication System (LINCS) provides access to resources for contextualization of basic skills for (among other topics):
Tacoma Community College Career Exploration Curriculum (Reading with Understanding for ABE and ESL)
Faculty at Tacoma Community College have completed two sample curriculum projects: Reading with Understanding for ABE and Reading with Understanding for ESL. Both are in the context of preparing students for further trainingand work. It is the intent of the project to make these materials available to all as an open-source.
Contextual ABE Math Modules
Contextual ABE Math Modules provide extra practice for students regarding math required by
many of the I-BEST projects. They were developed with support from WAOL and written by ABE
instructors from around the state. The modules are PowerPoint files and you can open them from
the links, send your students to these links, or download the files and post anywhere you choose.
Transitions Math Project
The Transition Math Project (TMP) is an SBCTC collaborative project bringing together educators from K-12 schools, community and technical colleges, and baccalaureate institutions to help all students prepare and be ready for post-secondary, college-level math – both the fundamental and sophisticated skills needed for academic and career success in the 21st Century. The TMP website contains a variety of contextualized math curricula and other resources.
I-BEST
In Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges, Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) pairs workforce training with ABE or ESL so students learn literacy and workplace skills at the same time. Adult literacy and vocational instructors work together to develop and deliver instruction. Colleges provide higher levels of support and student services to address the needs of non-traditional students. The I-BEST page provides useful information for colleges interested in developing I-BEST programs, including information on how to create integrated learning outcomes and team teaching training.
Research and Data Reports
The following reports can be found in the Research and Data Reports section of this sbctc.edu
- Building Pathways Success for Low-Skilled Adult Students (Tipping Point study) (CCRC)
- Increasing Student Achievement for Basic Skills Students
- How I-BEST Works
Community College Research Center (CCRC)
Top of page