Introduction
Research Questions
- Six years after random assignment, what were the effects of I-BEST on receipt of long-term college credentials?
- Six years after random assignment, what were the effects of I-BEST on earnings?
- Six years after random assignment, what were the effects of I-BEST on employment, job quality, and career progress?
- Six years after random assignment, what were the effects of I-BEST on family economic well-being and child outcomes?
This report documents the impacts six years after random assignment for Washington State’s Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) program. I-BEST was designed to increase low-skilled adults’ access to and completion of college-level occupational training in a range of in-demand occupational areas. It is one of nine programs using elements of a career pathways framework that are being evaluated as part of the Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) project, sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The program’s signature feature is a team-teaching approach where students receive instruction from two instructors in the same course: one provides job training and the other teaches basic skills in reading, math, or English. To further support students, the I-BEST programs in this evaluation included dedicated advisors to provide students with guidance on academic issues, navigating the college’s procedures, and career planning. It also provided “fill-the-gap” financial support beyond typical sources, for training and associated materials. I-BEST was developed by Washington’s State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and has operated statewide since the 2006-07 academic year.
This evaluation of I-BEST used a rigorous experimental design. This report describes I-BEST’s long-term, six-year impacts on educational attainment, earnings and employment, and other life outcomes. It extends the analyses of program effects measured 18 months and three years after random assignment.
Purpose
I‑BEST grew out of a concern that adult students who do not have the skills to directly enter college programs were not advancing beyond basic skills courses to college-level occupational programs, and therefore were not earning credentials. I-BEST aims to teach students basic and occupational skills concurrently so they can move more quickly into higher-paying jobs or college-level courses. Colleges in the evaluation operated I-BEST in one or more occupational areas including Automotive, Electrical, Office Skills, Nursing, Precision Machining, and Welding. This research evaluated whether I-BEST was successful in increasing access to and completion of college-level occupational training for low-skilled adults and whether the program’s efforts led to impacts on credentials, earnings, and other life outcomes.
Key Findings and Highlights
Analyses in this report indicate that after six years, I-BEST:
- Had no detectable impact on receipt of credentials requiring a year or more of college study, the confirmatory outcome in the education domain for the six-year impact study. Thirteen (13) percent of the treatment group received such a credential, compared to 12 percent of the control group.
- Had no detectable impact on average quarterly earnings in follow-up quarters 23 and 24, the confirmatory outcome in the employment domain for the six-year impact study. The average quarterly earnings for treatment group members were $5,285, compared to $5,134 for the control group.
- Had no detectable impacts on several measures of positive employment and career progress (secondary outcomes for the study). The evaluation detected no impact on being currently employed in a job that was full-time or offered health insurance, paid leave, or retirement or pension benefits. Neither did the evaluation detect impacts on access to a career network. I-BEST did increase the likelihood of working in an occupation related to training.
- Had no detectable impact on measures of financial wellbeing. The evaluation found no impact on ability to handle an emergency of $400 or more or financial distress. Nor did I-BEST have a detectable impact on receipt of means-tested public benefits.
Methods
To assess the effectiveness of I-BEST, the PACE project used an experimental design in which program applicants were assigned at random to a treatment group that could access the program or to a control group that could not, then compared their outcomes. From November 2011 to September 2014, I-BEST staff randomly assigned 632 program applicants (315 treatment, 317 control). The six-year impact study used data from a follow-up survey conducted six years after randomization, earnings records from the National Directory of New Hires, and college enrollment data from the National Student Clearinghouse.
Citation
Martinson, Karin, and Asaph Glosser 2022. Washington State’s Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I‑BEST) Program: Six-Year Impact Report. OPRE Report 2022-64. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Glossary
- ACF:
- Administration for Children and Families
- PACE:
- Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education
- TANF:
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families