GED graduate found recipe for success at CTC7/16/2010 - Without a high school or GED diploma a person will earn on average $9,000 less a year than someone with a secondary education credential. That number along with statistics of higher chances of arrest and jail time, poorer health, more troubled finances and lower self-esteem are all reasons that people turn to Chattahoochee Technical College for help to pass the General Educational Development test.
Chattahoochee Technical College officials honored 93 students who recently passed the test at its Appalachian campus ceremony Thursday. Approximately 265 CTC students have passed the series of five tests as of the end of third quarter fiscal year 2010. Overall, since the merger of Chattahoochee Technical College a year ago, 919 testers have earned a GED diploma through one of Chattahoochee Tech’s two GED testing centers. One of those now holding her diploma in her hands already has plans laid out for a future – one in culinary arts.
Shauna Powell of Talking Rock, Ga. plans to continue her education in the culinary field with the hopes of expanding on her love of cooking. After studying for the test since the age of 16, Powell is dreaming of the day when she will own her own business.
“With the help of God,” she said. “I hope to someday have a bed and breakfast in the North Georgia Mountains.”
A self-proclaimed avid reader, Powell overcame the struggles of dyslexia and speech issues to earn her credential. She credits that hard work and determination of overcoming her learning disability with being a strength in that area now.
“Growing up I had some difficulty with dyslexia and speaking,” she said. “It took a lot of work to learn to read well, but I loved being read to and was totally in love with books. I was able to get past my difficulties and now reading is my best subject. I am an avid reader of just about any book I can get my hands on.”
Powell was one of more than 1,700 who studied for the test at CTC during fiscal year 2010. GED preparation classes are offered at no charge through Chattahoochee Technical College’s Adult Education program at a variety of locations in its six county service area. Classes in reading, writing, and math skills as well as classes for those who are unable to read, write, or speak the English language are part of the program.
“With an estimated 1.24 million adults in our state who are without a high school or GED diploma, it is easy to forget those that have worked hard to pass the tests and now are better for it,” said Jon Collins, executive director of adult education at Chattahoochee Technical College. “But each of these students is a success story and this is our chance to celebrate these accomplishments.”
The GED test provides adults at least 16 years of age who are beyond the age of compulsory high school attendance under state law with an opportunity to earn a high school equivalency diploma. In order to pass the GED test, a student must pass a series of five tests in writing skills, social studies, science, interpreting literature and arts, and mathematics. Successfully passing these sections demonstrates that the student has acquired a level of learning that is comparable to that of high school graduates. Tests are now scored from 200 to 800 points. A minimum standard score of 410 is necessary to pass each individual exam, and an average standard score of 450 is required to pass the full battery.
Powell, a poll worker in Pickens County, was featured as a speaker at the ceremony. The daughter of Mitchell and Marie Powell, she was homeschooled from the first grade until she was 16. Then she began classes at CTC to prepare for the exam that would allow her to continue her education.
“I chose CTC because it was local,” Powell said of her decision to attend adult education classes. “They were very helpful in the areas I needed help in – like algebra.”
For more information on adult education offerings at Chattahoochee Technical College, visit www.ChattahoocheeTech.edu for a location near you.
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