Carroll Community College: English for Speakers of Other
Languages (ESOL) Adult Education Program Now Administered by Carroll
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Sylvia Blair
Executive Assistant to the President
410-386-8411
Carroll Community College Offers Adult Education
for County Residents
Carroll Community College (Carroll) has received a grant
from the Maryland State Department of Education to provide
adult
education programs to county residents. The grant marks the beginning of a
transition for educating adult learners. For the past 30 years, adult education
programs were provided by Carroll County Public Schools. For the first time,
the community college will provide oversight of adult education.
The program will be housed and administered by staff from
Carroll Community College at the Business and Employment Resource Center at 224
North Center Street in Westminster.
Karen Merkle, vice president of Continuing Education and
Training, said the program is a good fit for the community college. "Our
primary mission is to serve adults. By offering this program, we are serving a
very important need," Merkle said.
"Learners in adult education improve their academic
skills while enhancing their life skills," said Becki Maurio, director of
the Adult Education Program at Carroll. "Lessons present material in a
meaningful way. For example, math problems might be based upon the measurements
that construction workers do or the calculations which determine a child's
grade average. Reading local newspaper articles and writing letters to local
officials or potential employers improve basic literacy skills."
"Carroll Community College will provide not only an
adult learning environment in which learners can thrive, but also the bridges
to post-secondary education and career training which so many graduates find
are necessary to compete in today's job market," Maurio said.
GED Preparation
GED
Preparation helps students who have not yet earned a high school diploma to
improve the basic skills they need at work, home, and in life.
Classes are small and provide instruction in reading,
writing, math, and workplace skills. Classes also help students prepare for the
five areas of the GED exam. These areas
include reading, writing, social studies, science, and math.
Registration sessions start students on the right foot.
Students learn about the program and take placement tests. Advisors meet with
students to recommend classes based on skills and schedules. Students can also
review and brush-up on skills by taking practice GED tests.
Once students pass the GED, the diploma issued by the
Maryland State Department of Education is accepted by colleges and
universities. Some colleges may require additional admissions standards.
External Diploma Program
The
External
Diploma Program (EDP) is a method for earning a high school diploma that is
designed for mature adults who have learned life skills at work, at home, and
in the community. The program evaluates students not just on "book
knowledge," but on life skills including:
Reading
Writing
Mathematics
Oral Communication
Critical Thinking
Occupational Awareness
Participants are asked to demonstrate high school-level
skills in real-life situations. Some examples include reading a map, writing a
letter to a potential employer, figuring out loan interest, comparison
shopping, showing skills from a trade or occupation, and demonstrating home
management experience.
Information sessions are held year-round, free of charge. At
the information session, potential students will learn more about the program.
At that time, skills will be assessed.
What are the advantages of the External Diploma Program? Because the program is designed
especially for adults, the External Diploma Program is:
Based on life skills
Self-paced-most participants graduate in six to ten months
Conducted weekly through one-on-one appointments you
schedule with your assessor
Not classroom-based
Combination of take home assignments and written and oral
assessments at center locations
The diploma issued by the Maryland State Department of
Education is accepted by colleges and universities. Some colleges may require
you to meet additional admissions standards.
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
What is ESOL? ESOL stands for English for Speakers of Other
Languages . ESOL classes for adults are part of the adult education program and
meet at various locations throughout Carroll County with instructors from the
community college.
ESOL students practice reading, writing, and speaking skills
through real-life contexts. For example, a beginning class was improving its
English by practicing the skills needed to find a job. Lessons included reading
newspaper ads, role-playing phone conversations with prospective employers, and
talking about how to prepare for a job interview. Another class recently
finished a unit on housing. Students compared apartment ads, interpreted
abbreviations and security deposit requirements, and determined which option
would be best for their family.
In past years, ESOL students have come from up to 30 different
countries. Some of the most common languages are Spanish, Arabic, and Russian.
For more information about any of these programs, please
call 410-386-2550.
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