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$3.5 million grant aims to
increase digital, career, and college-readiness skills of adult English
learners
Below and attached is a news release announcing the $3.5
million I-DEA grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The first 10 college grantees were named today during the State Board business meeting: Big Bend Community College, Institute for Extended Learning (Spokane Falls CC), Lake Washington Institute of Technology, North Seattle Community College, Pierce College Puyallup, Renton Technical College, Seattle Central Community College, Shoreline Community College, Tacoma Community College, and Walla Walla Community College.
Sent to: State Board members, Presidents, Presidents’ Assistants, Trustees, PIOs, and SBCTC staff
Sherry Nelson | communications and outreach associate
Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges
slnelson@sbctc.edu | p (360) 704-4308 | f (360) 704-4415 | c (206) 369-6509
From: Sherry Nelson
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 3:16 PM
Cc: Laura McDowell; Sherry Nelson
Subject: NEWS RELEASE: $3.5 million grant aims to increase digital, career, and college-readiness skills of adult English learners
$3.5 million grant aims to increase digital, career, and college-readiness skills of adult English learners:10 community and technical colleges grantees announced today
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Students with low-level English skills will have access to a new set of technology-enhanced educational resources and tools thanks to a $3.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The State Board forCommunity and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) announced the Integrated Digital English Acceleration (I-DEA) project grant today.
The program — which builds on the success of the nationally recognized IntegratedBasic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) initiative — targets adult learners in the lowest three levels English as a Second Language.
By the end of the project pilot, I-DEA learners will increase English language, digital, and career and college readiness skills with fewer hours of instruction than learners in traditional programs.
Among other goals, college and partner community-based organizations (CBOs) will create open source curriculum and identify best practices of technology-enhanced instruction that allow more students to be served with less in-class instruction. Courses and techniques developed with the grant will be open sourced, allowing colleges and CBOs in Washington and around the world to replicate I-DEA.
“This generous grant means our colleges can develop innovative, technology-based tools to tap the potential of a growing and under-served population,” said Marty Brown, SBCTC executive director. “Not only will it lead to better skills and better jobs for the students; their success increases the economic vitality of the state.”
In its first year, the project will support 10 college and CBO learning hubs across the state, adding 10 additional partner sites in the second year and the remaining 14 college-CBO partnerships in the third year. Eventually, I-DEA will serve about 1,600 adult learners in cohorts at all 34 community and technical colleges and partner CBOs.
The first 10 college grantees were named today during the State Board business meeting: Big Bend Community College, Institute for Extended Learning (Spokane Falls CC), Lake Washington Institute of Technology, North Seattle Community College, Pierce College Puyallup, Renton Technical College, Seattle Central Community College, Shoreline Community College, Tacoma Community College, and Walla Walla Community College.
Instructors and technology coaches will be trained to use a suite of online tools to create and refine online learning modules based on I-BEST’s core components.
Students will use eLearning resources — including open source online instructional tools — for 50 percent or more of their learning experience at no extra cost, with loaned laptop computers and online access provided to ensure availability of reliable technology. Targeted student support includes online advising and e-tutoring.
The project lays a foundation to prepare students to enter I-BEST and other post-secondary programs to gain job-specific skills.
I-BEST is a teaching model that challenges the traditional notion that students must complete all basic education before beginning a job training program; an approach that often discourages students, because it is time-consuming and the basic skills classes alone do not qualify for college credit. I-BEST pairs two instructors in the classroom – one to teach technical skills content and the other to teach basic skills in reading, math, writing or English language – so students can move through school and into jobs faster. And I-BEST students start earning college credits immediately.
I-BEST has demonstrated the effectiveness of applied skills, rigor, and support services to accelerate student performance and progress to college and career readiness. U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary Martha Kanter recently recognized I-BEST as the only program proven to move this population of adults further and faster to postsecondary education credentials.
# # #
The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges is led by a Governor-appointed board and provides leadership, advocacy, and coordination for Washington’s system of 34 public community and technical colleges. Each year, nearly 500,000 students train for the workforce, prepare to transfer to a university, gain basic math and English skills, or pursue continuing education.
The first 10 college grantees were named today during the State Board business meeting: Big Bend Community College, Institute for Extended Learning (Spokane Falls CC), Lake Washington Institute of Technology, North Seattle Community College, Pierce College Puyallup, Renton Technical College, Seattle Central Community College, Shoreline Community College, Tacoma Community College, and Walla Walla Community College.
Sent to: State Board members, Presidents, Presidents’ Assistants, Trustees, PIOs, and SBCTC staff
Sherry Nelson | communications and outreach associate
Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges
slnelson@sbctc.edu | p (360) 704-4308 | f (360) 704-4415 | c (206) 369-6509
From: Sherry Nelson
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 3:16 PM
Cc: Laura McDowell; Sherry Nelson
Subject: NEWS RELEASE: $3.5 million grant aims to increase digital, career, and college-readiness skills of adult English learners
$3.5 million grant aims to increase digital, career, and college-readiness skills of adult English learners:10 community and technical colleges grantees announced today
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Students with low-level English skills will have access to a new set of technology-enhanced educational resources and tools thanks to a $3.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The State Board forCommunity and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) announced the Integrated Digital English Acceleration (I-DEA) project grant today.
The program — which builds on the success of the nationally recognized IntegratedBasic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) initiative — targets adult learners in the lowest three levels English as a Second Language.
By the end of the project pilot, I-DEA learners will increase English language, digital, and career and college readiness skills with fewer hours of instruction than learners in traditional programs.
Among other goals, college and partner community-based organizations (CBOs) will create open source curriculum and identify best practices of technology-enhanced instruction that allow more students to be served with less in-class instruction. Courses and techniques developed with the grant will be open sourced, allowing colleges and CBOs in Washington and around the world to replicate I-DEA.
“This generous grant means our colleges can develop innovative, technology-based tools to tap the potential of a growing and under-served population,” said Marty Brown, SBCTC executive director. “Not only will it lead to better skills and better jobs for the students; their success increases the economic vitality of the state.”
In its first year, the project will support 10 college and CBO learning hubs across the state, adding 10 additional partner sites in the second year and the remaining 14 college-CBO partnerships in the third year. Eventually, I-DEA will serve about 1,600 adult learners in cohorts at all 34 community and technical colleges and partner CBOs.
The first 10 college grantees were named today during the State Board business meeting: Big Bend Community College, Institute for Extended Learning (Spokane Falls CC), Lake Washington Institute of Technology, North Seattle Community College, Pierce College Puyallup, Renton Technical College, Seattle Central Community College, Shoreline Community College, Tacoma Community College, and Walla Walla Community College.
Instructors and technology coaches will be trained to use a suite of online tools to create and refine online learning modules based on I-BEST’s core components.
Students will use eLearning resources — including open source online instructional tools — for 50 percent or more of their learning experience at no extra cost, with loaned laptop computers and online access provided to ensure availability of reliable technology. Targeted student support includes online advising and e-tutoring.
The project lays a foundation to prepare students to enter I-BEST and other post-secondary programs to gain job-specific skills.
I-BEST is a teaching model that challenges the traditional notion that students must complete all basic education before beginning a job training program; an approach that often discourages students, because it is time-consuming and the basic skills classes alone do not qualify for college credit. I-BEST pairs two instructors in the classroom – one to teach technical skills content and the other to teach basic skills in reading, math, writing or English language – so students can move through school and into jobs faster. And I-BEST students start earning college credits immediately.
I-BEST has demonstrated the effectiveness of applied skills, rigor, and support services to accelerate student performance and progress to college and career readiness. U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary Martha Kanter recently recognized I-BEST as the only program proven to move this population of adults further and faster to postsecondary education credentials.
# # #
The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges is led by a Governor-appointed board and provides leadership, advocacy, and coordination for Washington’s system of 34 public community and technical colleges. Each year, nearly 500,000 students train for the workforce, prepare to transfer to a university, gain basic math and English skills, or pursue continuing education.
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