ABE/GED/AHS

• Adults who are at least 16 years of age.
  • Students under 19 must be formally released from high school before registering for classes. Contact your local school district for release forms. 

• Persons with Foreign Student Visas (J-1, F-1, M-1, B-1, or B-2) may not participate in publicly-funded education. International students should inquire with the Bellevue College English Language Institute. 

Placement

The placement policies are used to place students in courses in which they will be most successful and achieve the most outcomes. 

ABE considers placement through English and math assessments that occur upon Intake. 

Intake

All new students must participate in a BaTS Intake process for assessment, goal setting, and Ed Plan prior to the quarter start. Returning students are not required to complete the BaTS Intake process unless it has been three years since previous attendance; however, Interview Sessions are still required to ensure proper placement and Ed Plan. 

Progress

Students who receive a grade of 75% or more in a course demonstrates having met the course outcomes. Those who receive a “NC” grade may repeat the course. 

Students may not repeat a course more than three times. A student who has not successfully completed a course after three attempts will be advised to step out of the program until there is a change that will allow the student to make the expected progress. Such student will also be referred to other community programs that may better meet his or her needs. 

During the Initial Intake Interview, an Ed Plan is completed with a Program Manager, Program Navigator, or faculty member. Washington State sets the minimum requirements for the high school diploma including a total of 19 to 24 credits in English, math, history, government, art, science, physical education, occupational subjects, and electives. Throughout the Intake Interview, student mastery of learning outcomes within the various subjects are reviewed to develop a working transcript and Ed Plan to complete remaining high school requirements. 

Students are placed into courses based on credit needs and on ability. The following options may be available:

AHS

All Basic Education and Transitional Studies courses at Bellevue College are aligned with (CCRs) College & Career Readiness Standards as mandated by WIOA. Adult High School options develop student reading, writing, and/or math skills within high school content-based courses. Student Ed Plans should articulate the quarterly course requirements to complete the remaining high school requirements needed. 

Upon completion of content courses, grades are recorded as such:

• Grades “B” or above demonstrate meeting learning outcomes and earn high school credit.
• Grades “CR” may count towards fulfilling high school elective credit.
• Grades “NC” do not receive high school credit. 

Ability to Benefit I-BEST HS+

Ability to Benefit is a federal program that allows students without a high school equivalency to benefit from student federal financial aid to pay for post-secondary education and training. To be eligible, students must:

• enrolled in an eligible career pathway program, and
• demonstrate eligibility by:
  • testing at a certain level of ability,
  • earn six college credits successfully, or
  • co-enroll in I-BEST and HS+ programming. 

I-BEST is a nationally recognized program that supports students in literacy, work, and/or college-readiness skills to move further and faster through higher education and into living wage jobs. BaTS supports I-BEST programming in a variety of pathways. For more details, please review our I-BEST page HERE. 

HS+

High School Plus is a WA State high school equivalency program for those who are 18 years or older. 

Students can gain high school credits by meeting learning outcomes through:

• previously earned high school credits
• job trainings and certificates
• life experiences
• various assessment scores
• our program courses and curriculum

Students may be enrolled in individual content courses or a Portfolio Course to complete the remaining requirements to demonstrate high school competency. Portfolio courses are online, self-paced courses that allow students to complete a variety of learning modules to demonstrate competencies in various subject areas at the same time. Credit may be awarded based on any work partially or fully completed.

The GED®, or General Educational Development assessment, is a group of four academic tests acknowledged within the United States that certify high school equivalent knowledge. BaTS supports GED® test preparation in conjunction with the Bellevue College CEO Program. These courses do not include the certified assessment or cost thereof. 

Basic and Transitional Studies courses are graded to show a student’s course completion and progress. Students will be awarded a grade based on the assessment of their ability to meet the outcomes of the course. 

Upon completion of courses, grades are recorded as such:

• Grades “B” or above demonstrate meeting learning outcomes and earn high school credit.
• Grades “CR” denotes that course outcomes were met. Course may count towards fulfilling high school elective credit.
• Grades “NC” denotes that courses outcomes were not met. Course may not count towards high school credit. 

Grade Scale

A     90-100%

B     80-89%

CR   75-79%

NC  Not yet complete

All grades and credit accrual must be recorded prior to the end of the quarter in which a student is enrolled. As a result, it is recommended that students meet with Program Navigators and Managers prior to quarter end to ensure appropriate credit recording. Record retention follow the guidelines found in the Community & Technical College Retention Schedule (Section 5.3). 

Students may not repeat a course more than three times. A student who has not successfully completed a course after three attempts will be advised to step out of the program until there is a change that will allow the student to make the expected progress. Such student will also be referred to other community programs that may better meet his or her needs.