1. WA State I-BEST Program Planning and Approval
Louisa Erickson
Program Administrator – Workforce Education
WA State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

2. Fidelity I-BEST Program Planning and Approval
What do we mean by Fidelity?
Why is it important?
How do we ensure Fidelity?

3. Program Planning: Selection
I-BEST Program Planning and Approval
Program Planning: Selection
Considerations
For A.O. – 12 credits?
Pathway length, bridging the certificates
Enrollment
Instructors/Potential Teams
Labor Market

4. Labor Market/Demand Program Planning and Approval
Ultimate goal living wage job with opportunities for wage progression
Establishing regional criteria
Employer needs, interest and buy off
Real demand data
Adhering to Demand (Fidelity)

5. SBCTC Program Approval
Program Planning and Approval
SBCTC Program Approval
Must have approved program on file with SBCTC to generate enhanced FTE
Approved programs automatically eligible for Opportunity Grant
I-BEST specific coding allows us to track I- BEST student outcomes, allows us to recognize colleges coding for I-BEST not on approved list.

6. Professional-Technical
Sign off at college level by both Workforce and ABE administrators
Programs must be on the college’s Workforce Inventory
Must be on the demand list with local data supporting demand. Local data defined as the actual number of job openings available for completers that are greater than the number produced by program colleges in the area

7. Basic Skills
Students must qualify for federally supported level of basic skills education.
Students must be pre-tested using CASAS at the start of the program and must be post-tested upon program completion or the end of an academic year, whichever occurs 1st.
CASAS results must be recorded in WABERS
A plan for continued gains and reaching English language proficiency must be developed for students who transition into prof-tech programs who have not yet reached proficiency.

8. Instructional
During a quarter, an instructor from basic skills and an instructor from the professional technical program must jointly instruct in the same classroom, the same students with at least 50% overlap of the instructional time.

9. Labor Market Demand Local and Regional Demand Data
Evidence of exiting with ability to earn a living wage: $13.00/hr. unless in King County, then $15.00/hr. (exception: ECE)
Evidence that local and regional businesses, labor, WDC, and CBOs are active in supporting the college’s effort to begin or expand this program. Partners must be listed.

10. Long-term results
Allows SBCTC to track and monitor for student impacts
Identify high performing (and low performing ) colleges and programs
Positive results allow us to use data and information to cultivate stakeholder support
Ensures certificates mirror traditional, “real” workforce pathways and certificates.
Colleges provide consistent content delivery with different instructional model