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Examines educational experiences and attainment as well as employment and earnings of adult students. The study also identifies the critical points where adult students drop out or fail to advance to the next level in order to stimulate thinking about how to bridge those gaps and facilitate student advancement. (Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, April 2005)

Washington's Student Achievement Initiative measures student progress for the incremental gains made that lead to college success. These measures, called momentum points, are in four categories: improving preparation for college-level courses, building towards a year of college credit, completing college math, and completing certificates, degrees and apprenticeships. This paper describes the success of basic skills students in transitioning to college-level classes, and the momentum they gain towards college success. (Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, January 2008)

Web site for the Transitions Mathematics Project at the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges

From Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. I-BEST is an instructional model that pairs education and professional-technical instructors in the classroom

Summarizes the objectives of and lessons learned from Washington's Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) program. The program pairs English as a second language (ESL)/adult basic education (ABE) instructors and professional-technical instructors in the classroom to concurrently provide students with literacy education and workforce skills. (Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, December 2005)

Under the I-BEST model, basic skills instructors and college-level career-technical faculty jointly design and teach college-level occupational courses for adult basic skills students in both these areas. This paper presents findings from a study on the o

Wonderful research on the success of the I-BEST model. I-BEST is maybe the best example on how to effectively use data to assess the need for reform and the impact of the reform. It is a model that other states should consider strongly.

Examines data from Washington State to chart the educational pathways of first-time community college students, with a focus on those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Looks at rates at which students enter a program of study or concentration, amount of remediation taken by students, and rates at which students earn certificates or associate degrees, or transfer to four-year institutions. The paper makes recommendations for practitioners and policymakers. (Community College Research Center, September, 2011)

Washington Post article on the need for basic skills/remediation among adults returning back to education after leaving the workforce.

From CLASP: Beyond Basic Skills describes strategies that can be used to strengthen connections between basic skills education and postsecondary education to help lower-skilled adults and out-of-school youth attain the postsecondary credentials they need to advance in the labor market. This includes state-level innovations such as: instructional strategies that provide a strong foundation in occupational skills required for jobs in the local economy; acceleration strategies that help students progress further and more quickly in education and training programs in a shorter period of time than traditional approaches, and funding formulas, assessment policies, and other administrative policies that support a statewide vision to provide adults and youth with pathways to better jobs through postsecondary education. The report also includes examples of states and local institutions that are effectively implementing one or more of these innovations.

Report from CLASP for policymakers on how to link basic skills instruction to postsecondary attainment

This research paper from the McGraw-Hill Research Foundation's paper, The Return on Investment (ROI) from Adult Education and Training contends that billions of dollars could be earned, saved and pumped back into the struggling economy as a result in investments in effective and efficient workforce development programs.