Adult Education June 2019 Newsletter

2019 Issue ADULT EDUCATION Newsletter June 2019 IN THIS ISSUE Adult Education Central Arkansas 2019 Commencement Around the Arkansas Adult Education Transitions to New State A

2019

Issue

ADULT EDUCATION Newsletter

June 2019

IN THIS ISSUE

Adult Education

Central Arkansas

2019 Commencement

Around the

Arkansas Adult Education

Transitions to New State Agency

On July 1, 2019, Arkansas Adult Education will become

a part of the Division of Workforce Services (DWS) under the umbrella of the Department of Commerce

Dr Trenia Miles will hold the position of Director, Adult Education Section of DWS

Dr Charisse Childers has been named as Director of DWS, and Mike Preston was appointed Secretary of Commerce

This shift is a part of Governor Asa Hutchinson’s transformation of state government and meets the overall goal of bringing together like agencies

According to the Governor, the fusion workforce services with areas of economic

development will benefit citizens of this state for generations to come

Bringing in high-paying, skilled jobs and having a pipeline of ready workers will help keep Arkansas prosperous.

Graduation

The Adult Education Division (Adult Ed) of the Arkansas Department of Career Education celebrated nearly 300 graduates from four

central Arkansas Adult Education Centers during a graduation ceremony at the Pulaski Academy Connor Performing Arts Center on June

12, 2019 This joint commencement exercise was a first for the state

Overjoyed graduates spontaneously tossed their caps into the air as families and friends sustained shouts and applause Adult Education

Centers that participated in the ceremony included those on the campuses of Arkansas Baptist College, Little Rock School District,

Pulaski County Special School District, and UA-Pulaski Tech Also participating were more than 40 students from the Arkansas National

Guard Youth Challenge Program who received their high school diplomas through the Arkansas Baptist College Adult Ed Center Youth

Challenge is a residential program for at-risk youth located at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock Keyondra Perrin, a Youth Challenge

Cadet, spoke on behalf of the student body

“I got my GED® on May 6,” she said “I’ve enlisted in the National Guard and will be leaving in a few months I fought against all odds,

and although the timeline isn’t what I envisioned and I had a few more bumps than most, I made it I made it I took a situation that

could’ve been really ugly and turned into my future I didn’t give up on myself.”

“We congratulate our graduates on achieving one of many important milestones, both in education and in life,” Dr Trenia Miles, Deputy

Director of the Department of Career Education Adult Education Division told graduates “By earning your Arkansas High School

Diploma, you are poised to climb the next big mountain of life You have the same opportunities as those who graduate from a

traditional high school.”

“There are 470,000 Arkansas adults who don’t have a high school diploma, and that’s about 16 percent of our population,” Dr Charisse

Childers, Director of the Arkansas Department of Career Education said “Those individuals could benefit from an Adult Ed service, just

as these students have When it comes to GED® test preparation, I’m happy to report Arkansas is leading the way nationally.”

In 2018, 88 percent of Arkansans who took the GED® examination passed The national average is 80 percent

“By enrolling in an Adult Education program, our students are choosing to enrich their lives and those of their families,” Childers

continued “When our students obtain the education skills they need to get ahead, they also boost the economy and community in

which they live Our students move on to pursue postsecondary education and high-skilled and higher paying jobs that would otherwise

be beyond their reach had they not come into one of our Adult Education Centers.”

Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr gave the commencement address and encouraged graduates to look to the future

“Continue to be unapologetically bold,” he said “Understand that today, you’ve succeeded, and now it is time to be concerned about

the future and your impact on it.”

Preceding the graduates’ walk across stage, Dianne Doyle, High School Equivalency Administrator for Arkansas Adult Education

announced that many had received college credit or achieved a college-ready status

The American Council on Education has recommended that the new, rigorous testing through GED® qualifies a student to be granted

college-ready status for test takers who have reached a score of 165 on a scale of 200,” she said “Being designated as college ready

allows a student seeking higher education to enter directly into credit bearing college courses, saving time and money by not having

further testing or taking remediation courses Test takers reaching a score of 175 are awarded up to 10 hours of college credit toward a

degree, the same as students who have passed tests after taking advance placement courses.”

Doyle also announced a partnership with four Arkansas community colleges that will award the credit to graduates scoring 175 on the

test: Northwest Arkansas Community College; Southern Arkansas University Tech; University of Arkansas Community College –

Batesville; and National Park College More than 50 graduates in group qualified for this distinction

exercises Graduates were of different ages and different paths, but all shared a common sense of success

Students earning the Arkansas High School Diploma this year are added to the list

of millions of others who have earned a GED® credential making them the largest

graduating class in America In Arkansas more than 3,300 people earned the GED®

credential during the 2018-19 school year

Earning a high school diploma is a stepping stone toward college, technical

training, a better career and family-sustaining wages The 2019 graduates are to be

commended for the significance of their accomplishment

2019 Adult Education Commencement National Park College

2019 Adult Education Commencement NorthWest Arkansas Community College

2019 Adult Education Commencement North Arkansas College

2019 Adult Education Commencement Fort Smith Adult Education

2019 Adult Education Commencement Arkansas Correctional School District

2019 Adult Education Commencement

Fort Smith School District

Jacksonville WAGE™

On the Move with New Students

Barbara Flake, an Adult Education instructor

with Pulaski County Special School District

is excited to see the continued progress made

by the new students in her class

In addition to providing content area

instruction, Mrs Flake constantly tries to

keep her students motivated and encouraged

while helping them achieve their goals.

NWACC Adult Education Honor Society Induction Ceremony Held

The NorthWest Arkansas Community College Chapter of the Adult Education Honor Society held its

annual induction ceremony on Thursday evening, April 18, 2019 The Adult Education Honor Society is a national honors organization for adult learners The NWACC chapter was organized in 2004 and was the first chapter in the state of Arkansas

Thirty-three adult students were nominated for honor society membership by their instructors To be

eligible for membership a student must be enrolled in the NorthWest Arkansas Community College Adult Education Program Membership requirements include: Attendance: attend class regularly, arrive on

time, and complete a minimum of twelve hours in the classroom; Cooperation: respect other’s ideas and values, participate actively, and work harmoniously with teachers and students; Self-Reliance: comes to class prepared to learn, sets goals and follows through, and takes responsibility for own learning;

Achievement: demonstrate achievement through one of the following: academic advancement on

official program assessments; pass the GED® Test, or earn U.S Citizenship

Guest speaker for the ceremony was Martha Tompkins, assistant principal at Westwood Elementary

School in Springdale Tompkins was born in Mexico and came to the United States when she was 17

years of age She attended East Texas Baptist University where she met her husband She has a

Bachelor of Science from Henderson State University and a Master’s degree in TESOL from Arkansas

Tech University

The induction ceremony was held in the Shewmaker Center for Workforce Technologies on the NWACC campus in Bentonville An informal reception was held following the ceremony

Education

LaTunja Sockwell, a Program Manager for the Research and Evaluation Division with UAMS, recently presented information to students during a

“Lunch and learn” organized by LaTasha Dale, Career Coach

Ms Sockwell shared information on “Slaying Stigma around HIV in our Communities”, and spoke on the importance of finishing their classes and earning their GED® diploma Students were able to ask

questions about myths and facts about HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Communication Circle at Seis Puentes (Six Bridges) Pulaski County Special School District

Cynthia Beene, an ESL instructor with (PCSSD) recently taught an ESL class on “Communication Circles” with a group of ESL students Communication circles, also known as conversation circles, are a great way for students at various educational levels to participate in talking, sharing and learning At Seis Puentes, the teachers find this type of learning activity instrumental in having their ESL students speak more English as well as improve their listening skills Of course, this type of activity isn't just limited

to ESL students

This activity can occur any time during a class - at the beginning for review, throughout class time as a

formative assessment, and/or at the end of class for a final recap of the day's lesson There are so many

ways to facilitate a communication circle and when done properly, can really help break down barriers for learning

ADULT EDUCATION

Newsletter

Adult Education Division

Arkansas Department of Career Education

Three Capitol Mall, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201

501-682-1970 ARCareerEducation.org

Helpful Resources

has published the 2018-19 Catalog of scheduled professional development and

training For a full list of upcoming professional development opportunities, please

visit http://aalrc.org/adminteachers/workshops/PDCatalog18-19.pdf

Look for the 2019-20 Catalog coming soon!

Upcoming Events

ESL Summer Institute

July 9-11 (Homewood Suites/Little Rock)

Adult Education Teacher Summit

July 29-30 (Embassy Suites/Little Rock)

Math Institute - TABE 11/12 (Summer PD) Wednesday and Thursday July 31-August 1

(Embassy Suites/Little Rock)