Basic Education for Adults

I-BEST – INTEGRATED BASIC EDUCATION AND SKILLS TRAINING

Washington’s Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training Program (I-BEST) teaches students literacy, work, and college-readiness skills, placing them on the fast track to successfully move through school and into living wage jobs!

The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges requires I-BEST programs to lead to jobs with a minimum starting wage of $16.24 per hour (as of 2024). Overall, I-BEST students who complete certificates and degrees earn more than these benchmarks. Students enroll in a wide range of high-demand I-BEST pathways in various technical fields.

I-BEST originated in Washington’s very own community and technical colleges and uses a team-teaching approach. Students work with two teachers in the classroom: one provides job-training and the other teaches basic skills in reading or math. Data, collected across the state of Washington, indicates that I-BEST students have a high success rate in course completion; this is largely due to the real-time help I-BEST students receive from two experts as they learn the material in the career field of their choice.

The I-BEST model is also used in academic transfer classes so students can brush up their skills as they learn college-level content toward a degree.
I-BEST shortens the sequence of pre-college courses students must move through before they can start working on certificates or degrees.