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Downturning economy pushes students to raise their education
By Jason E. Silvers
The Fort Scott Tribune
The GED program at Fort Scott Community College continues to grow at a rapid rate.
The program, which is offered through a partnership between FSCC and Neosho County Community College, is currently in its second year of helping area residents earn a General Educational Development diploma.
Currently, there are 26 participants in the spring program, the highest number of students participating since its inception. Before the program came about, FSCC had not offered GED classes for several years.
Deann Welch, the director of the Maximized Individual Learning Laboratory (MILL) at FSCC, said she attributes this higher number of students seeking their GED primarily to a weakened state and national economy.
"I think the economy has made people realize that a high school diploma is a value -- we're seeing many young adults coming back to school to get that diploma," Welch said.
Last spring, the first GED graduation in several years was conducted at FSCC with 20 participants receiving diplomas. It was the first time in three years the college held a ceremony honoring the achievement. FSCC honored 36 people who had earned GED diplomas over the last two years during that ceremony.
Program coordinators expect graduation numbers this May to be even higher. The program has grown so much this year that coordinators had to add another class session to accommodate the extra students, Welch said.
"Previously, we offered an afternoon and evening class, and now we offer a morning class as well," she said. "It seems to have been successful."
In the GED program, classes are conducted every six weeks Monday-Thursday, and each session lasts three hours. The GED preparation tests come in a series that, when passed, certifies that the taker possesses high school-level academic skills. In order to pass the test, students must score higher than 40 percent of graduating high school seniors nationwide. The tests are offered twice a month, and graduation ceremonies for GED students take place in May, Welch said.
Time spent learning the required material and passing the test varies with each individual student, Welch said.
"It's based upon each person as to how fast they get through the program," she said.
Many people who choose to take GED classes have not earned high school diplomas through traditional means for various reasons, such as leaving high school early or having a physical or learning disability.
To earn a GED certification, students must learn basic material that is taught in high school. The program's curriculum includes math, reading and language arts, and students must later pass a battery of tests covering all of those subjects. Other subjects that need to be learned in order to pass the GED course include writing, social studies and science.
Anyone at least 16 years of age, who is not currently attending another school, is eligible to participate in the GED classes. People who are younger than 18 years of age must have exit papers from the high school previously attended and a parent's permission before enrolling in GED classes.
It is relatively inexpensive for someone who is interested to enroll in the GED program. An optional textbook can be purchased for $25, and there is a $68 fee to take the GED test, the latter of which is not due until the week before the scheduled test date.
"Basically, the class itself is free," Welch said. "We run sessions every six weeks. In each class, we have students from the prior class and new students."
Students who pass the test receive a three-credit hour scholarship at FSCC, and are generally prepared to attend college, Welch said.
"One good statistic we found is that once they go through the program, they're ready for college-level classes," she said. "We find that GED students go right past the developmental Ed classes to college-level classes."
About 60 percent of GED graduates at FSCC go on to attend college or another post-secondary institution, Welch said.
Last year, nine GED graduates received academic scholarships to area community colleges because their GED test scores were high. Eight of those nine students came from Fort Scott.
In the agreement between FSCC and NCCC, FSCC houses the GED program inside the MILL, a computerized learning lab inside the FSCC Academic Building, while NCCC funds and oversees the program.
FSCC employs one full-time instructor and one part-time instructor to teach students in the program. Of the 26 students currently participating in the program, seven are non-traditional students who are at least 24 years of age. Seven students have completed the study course and are ready to take the GED test next week, instructor Ella Jones said.
The majority of the students are from Bourbon County, with one student from Blue Mound and two students hailing from Arcadia, an FSCC statement said.
The next GED class is scheduled to begin Feb. 9, and 20 people are already enrolled in that class, the statement said.
For more information on the GED program, call Welch at (620) 223-2700, extension 430, or e-mail her at deannw@fortscott.edu.