By By SPIROS GALLOS / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Enrollment for the Niles Community Schools Adult Education program is in full swing, with classes beginning Sept. 7.
Enrollment, which began Aug. 16, will run from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday until Sept. 7, after which it will run 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Enrollment is open all year.
The adult education program offers a couple of options for adults wishing to further themselves by completing their high school education.
Students can choose a high school completion program, thereby attaining a high school diploma, or the General Equivalency Diploma (GED) program.
The decision to pursue a high school diploma or a GED depends on how close a student was to graduating before they quit school Fonash said.
To qualify for the high school completion program, students must be over the age of 18 years old and their class year must have graduated already.
To graduate and obtain a high school diploma from the adult education program, students must pass a total of 20 credits.
In order to pass the GED test, students must pass five sub-tests in english-reading, english-writing, math, science, and social studies. Students must receive a 450 point average on all five tests to successfully pass the GED test.
Time is also a factor when deciding which diploma to pursue. The GED typically takes less time to attain than the high school diploma, Fonash said.
Many students in the adult education program students are high school dropouts who want to improve their quality of life.
The adult education program offers assistance to students by evaluating their skills in areas like reading and math and addressing problems by bringing students up to speed in the areas they are lacking in, Fonash said.
After a 74 percent cut in state funding for adult education programs across Michigan, Klemm focused recruiting and enrollment on the alternative education students in the community.
Alternative education is for high school students between the ages of 16 and 18 years old who have not graduated yet. Cedar Lane Alternative Education has recently undergone renovations to accommodate a growing number of alternative education students.
Two portable classrooms were transported from Ring Lardner Middle School and the parking lot was repaved. The project took most of the summer, according to Art Weaver, Niles Community Schools director of maintenance operations.
Students who go back to school also have a positive effect on their children as well. Typically, children of adult education students are more likely to graduate if their parents go back and get a diploma, Klemm said.
For more information on the Niles Community School Adult Eduction Program, contact John Fonash at 684-4480.