Master Achiever Center (MAC)

Cammie Ochoa, MAC Specialist

Today's blog post features a Q and A with Cammie Ochoa, Green River Community College's resident MAC Specialist. She'll be talking about services available through the college's Master Achiever Center.

Hi Cammie. Welcome to the blog. To start, can you give us a short overview of the Master Achiever Center?

Cammie: The Master Achiever Center strives to provide Basic Skills students with resources and academic advising in order to support them in reaching their educational and career goals.

What services does the MAC offer?

Cammie: A wide variety of services are offered in the MAC. We support students with identifying and defining their educational and / or career goals. In addition, we assist students in mapping out their specific certificate or degree courses and selecting classes to take each quarter. Another unique service we offer relates to finding an appropriate funding source to pay for school. This can be a very challenging task for many students, but we are here to help take students through each step and make sure they have funding in place. The MAC also offers a number of helpful workshops throughout the quarter, including the Tutoring and Resources Orientation, COMPASS Preparation Workshop, and the Scholarship Search Workshop.

Who is eligible to receive MAC services?

Cammie: The MAC serves students enrolled in Basic Skills. These are students taking ESOL, GED, ABE or I-BEST classes. Each quarter, we make presentations in these classes and invite students to make an appointment and utilize MAC services.

Are there any other highlights about the MAC that you would like to share?

The Master Achiever Center Team

Cammie: The MAC is a fairly new department on campus - we've only been open for just over a year! Developing the MAC from the ground up has allowed us to create processes and procedures which really take into consideration the needs of our Basic Skills students. We have been able to try things and make adjustments as needed depending on our results. It's an exciting time to work in the MAC! Recently, we added additional staff to support the MAC's expansion. We have a full-time AmeriCorps member to support our MAC Peer Mentoring Program and a part-time Advisor / Specialist to provide additional advising support at our Kent Campus. With these additions, we will be able to serve more Basic Skills students, providing them with guidance and support in reaching their educational and career goals.

Questions? You can reach Cammie by phone at 253-833-9111 ext. 2016, or by email at cochoa@greenriver.edu.

Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training

What is I-BEST?

The acronym stands for Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training, and it represents a ground-breaking approach to adult education. A program pioneered in Washington State, I-BEST integrates, or blends, basic skill instruction with vocational instruction. 

Why did I-BEST come about?

According to the State Board For Community & Technical Colleges, a new approach to adult education was needed in light of research that found only 13% of English as a Second Language (ESL) and less than 33% of adult basic education (ABE) students continued on to college-level study.  In addition, the influx of non-English speakers as well as the significant number of adults lacking a high school diploma or GED demanded a new paradigm for addressing adult literacy and vocational training.  

How does I-BEST work?

It's a simple formula: Basic Ed + Skills Training.  That is to say, students work on basic reading, writing, and math skills AND earn college-level credits that apply toward a vocational degree or certificate at the same time.  This is accomplished through a dual-instructor delivery method.  I-BEST classes are team-taught by an adult literacy instructor and a vocational instructor who co-develop and co-deliver instruction.  One helps with comprehension, the other specializes in content. This model contextualizes learning and increases the likelihood that students will complete certificates and continue on with their education.

Does I-BEST get results?

Yes! I-BEST improves retention and student success.  According to the SBCTC, I-BEST students are more likely to make point gains on basic skills tests.  They're also more likely to complete a  vocational certificate and persist into the second year of college-level study.     

Wondering if I-BEST is for you?

Almost 3,000 students throughout Washington's 34 community and technical colleges were served by the I-BEST Program in 2009!  And the numbers are only growing.  Need job skills training? Don't have a GED or High School Diploma? Need to improve your English reading and writing skills?  Then you might be a good fit for I-BEST.  To learn about available I-BEST career pathways at Green River Community College, contact Cynthia Gaede in the Language, Academic Skills and Wellness Office at 253-833-9111 ext. 2317.

Funding Tip!  All four Workforce Education funding streams - Worker Retraining, Opportunity Grant, BFET, and WorkFirst - support I-BEST at GRCC.