Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Changes in Adult Education program bring students closer to employment
Do you know anyone who didn’t finish high school and doesn’t have an equivalency diploma?
It turns out that a lot of us do. Across the state there are about 500,000 people age 18-64 who don’t, and approximately 7,000 of them live in Lawrence County.
The reasons (probably also about 7,000) don’t matter. But as Tennessee’s Administrator of Adult Education Jason Beard said here last week, “There are 10,000 reasons to get your diploma, and they all have a dollar sign in front of them.”
People who have a high school credential will make an average of $10,000 a year more than people who do not. When you multiply that by the number of years most of us work, those reasons are very hard to argue with.
Beard was in Lawrenceburg to talk about changes in the way Adult Education services are delivered across the state. Since “we exist to get people jobs,” Adult Ed is no longer part of the Tennessee Department of Education, but operates under the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development.
The restructuring eliminated many supervisor positions and reinvested savings of $2.5 million into instruction, in part to improve Adult Education teacher salaries. “We made it a legitimate career option,” Beard said. “We brought in more talent, and our teachers are better trained to teach adults an adult curriculum.” Adults learn differently than teenagers, he added.
In Lawrence County and the rest of the South Central Workforce Development area, the change also meant a literal relocation to each county’s Tennessee Career Center. Our program didn’t have to move very far, just a short walk from its former headquarters at the J.C. Barnett Education Center (formerly West Highland Elementary).
“Our services are more integrated than ever before,” Beard said. Immediately after an adult student passes the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), he or she can simply walk up the hall to get help finding a job. Counselors with Adult Ed also help students enroll in post-secondary programs at college or technical school. Local Adult Education Lead Teacher Ron Stepp said when calls go out to program graduates about the annual graduation ceremony many can’t participate because of job or school commitments.
Adult Education shouldn’t be confused with the school system’s Adult High School, where students take classes to make up credits they’ve missed and earn a Lawrence County Adult High School diploma. Adult Education prepares students to take the HiSET exam, commonly but mistakenly referred to as the G.E.D. HiSET has been the official test in Tennessee since 2014, and is free with a voucher given to those who pass the practice test.
An equivalency diploma is far from a “second rate credential,” Beard said. “People have made a bad decision (dropping out of school) and learned from it. Our students come to us labeled as failures. They show a lot of bravery just walking through the door.”
Adult learners have “soft skills” that serve employers well: social and communication skills, good character traits and attitudes. They may also be academically superior. Compared to a 5th grade average reading level for K-12 graduates, those who pass the 7.5 hour HiSET have at least an 8th grade reading level. The HiSET is “an objective test” – employers can know equivalency diplomas were truly earned, not awarded to a student who has been passed along through school with insufficient skills.
In Lawrence County, Adult Education Classes are offered on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons. Tennessee is one of only four states that offer an online training option – students can take classes at home or at the Career Center’s computer lab. Adult Education also offers workforce training, basic computer skills and English for Speakers of Other Languages. Classes can be conducted at a job site if employers have several who need training.
To learn more, call the local office at 931-766-1405 extension 106, or 1-866-801-GRAD.
PARTNERS supporting Lawrence County Adult Education include local government and the business community. Coffee mugs (pictured) with information about the program are being used at local restaurants to make more people aware of the opportunities it offers.
Pictured left to right are Lisa Grigsby of Lawrence-Giles Adult Education; Shine Armstrong, whose Square 40 Restaurant uses the mugs; County Executive T.R. Williams; and local Adult Education Lead Teacher Ron Stepp.
