Shelton State Community College

Adult Education and General Educational Development (GED) Classes
Our course of study and materials are designed specifically to prepare adult learners to pass the test and earn their high school equivalency diploma. The GED test covers five subject areas: Writing, Reading, Social Studies, Science, and Mathematics.

English as a Second Language (ESL)
We offer English as a Second Language (ESL) classes in Tuscaloosa County. We teach English skills by using real life situations, like going to the doctor’s office or filling out a job application as well as providing a civics component.

PLUS Tuscaloosa is a community wide effort using trained volunteers to teach adults to read.  The program is administered and coordinated by the Shelton State Community College Adult Education Program and is funded by the Department of Post Secondary Education and by contributions from community organizations, churches, businesses and individuals.  PLUS Tuscaloosa has three goals: to raise awareness of the problem of adult functional illiteracy; to recruit and train volunteer reading tutors; and, to encourage participation of those who need assistance with reading. If you would like to volunteer to help someone learn to read or if you know someone who needs reading help, call PLUS Tuscaloosa (205/391-2671)

Free Materials
All of our classes and materials are free. We are funded by the Department of Postsecondary Education.
 
Free GED Practice Test
We offer free GED practice testing. We suggest that adult learners take the GED practice test before scheduling the official GED test. The practice test will identify if there are any areas that need to be worked on before taking the official GED test. We offer the practice test as a courtesy to help individuals gauge whether or not they are ready for the exam. Shelton State Community College does not administer the official GED Test.
 

GED
Shelton State Community College does not administer the Official GED Test. To obtain information about official GED Test sites or to request a duplicate copy of your GED Test Scores contact Mr. Joe Macaluso at the Department of Postsecondary Education (1-800-392-8086 or Official GED Test Scoring Center or Department of Postsecondary Education, 401 Adams Avenue, Suite 280, Montgomery, Alabama 36104). The fee to take the GED is $50.00; there is a $10.00 fee for duplicate scores.

GED Scholarship                                                                            
GED recipients are eligible to participate in a tuition scholarship program.Alabama GED Scholarship (AGS)Applications may be downloaded from the AL College system web site at http://www.acs.cc.al.us. Click on GED, then Scholarship Application.  A copy of the press release may also be viewed at this site.

WorkKeys

 •  Identify the key job skills and the levels of competency needed to meet job requirements.
•   Assess the skills of applicants and the skill levels of current employees to pinpoint current

    skill levels.
•  Compare the skill levels of applicants against the minimum job skill level requirements as

    well as determine any training needs of the current employees.

 
By using WorkKeys through Shelton State major industries are bridging the skill gaps between employment and the current worker applicant pool. Over 2000 individuals have been assessed using the WorkKeys system. Instructors will provide information about scheduling the assessment.
 
Career Readiness Credential (CRC)
Alabama has unveiled a new Career Readiness Credential (CRC) initiative.   Students who qualify for AE (18 or older – 16 and 17 year olds who have officially withdrawn from school and need a GED or have a high school diploma but are functioning below grade level 12.9) will attend at least 12 hours of Adult Education classes and work on skills based on their individual Plan of Instruction (POI). Targeted instruction such as WIN, KeyTrain, Aztec and Plato can be used in place of or in conjunction with the traditional Adult Education computer programs and workbooks. The students will take posttests.  When their targeted instruction and TABE posttests indicate, they will be eligible to take the WorkKeys© assessment. The WorkKeys© scores will be used to determine if they qualify for the CRC credential and will indicate the level of the credential (bronze, sliver, or gold). 

 
Several things to remember – the CRC will be an economic boom for our state and will help our students find employment.  It will in essence be a statewide database of qualified employees. The CRC will document a person’s skills based on WorkKeys©  which is a job skills assessment system measuring “real world” skills that employers believe are critical to job success.  These skills are valuable for any occupation – skilled or professional – and at any level of education. 

Quality Instruction
All of our teachers are experienced professionals who are dedicated to seeing learners achieve their goals. We use up-to-date high quality study materials. Many of our classrooms are equipped with computers that have programs designed to help learners prepare for the GED  and the CRC. Each student works at his/her own pace on specific skills. Our instructors give a skills test to evaluate the adult learners’ skills in reading, spelling, language, and math. The test allows our instructors to identify the specific skills that each learner needs to work on. There is no pass or fail on this test. It simply allows us to identify individual needs and design an individualized course of study for each adult learner. Instructors guide adult learners through their individual courses of study and help the learners whenever the learners have problems with the material. Individualized instruction and testing can also be helpful for students who want to brush up on their skills in preparation for COMPASS, Ability to Benefit, GED, and WorkKeys  testing.