Adult Education

The Adult Education Program at Richland Community College in Decatur, Illinois, offers a variety of courses to meet the diverse needs of the community. At no cost to students, the Adult Education program provides instruction to students who are interested in improving their basic skills in math and reading, attaining a GED, or developing their English language abilities.

Each course (ABE, ASE, ELA/ESL) may be repeated up to three (3) times. Individuals interested in enrolling must be at least 16 and attend a required orientation. For more information about the orientation, please read below.

 

Orientation Sessions for Adult Education (GED/HSE) Classes and English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes

REGISTER FOR GED ORIENTATION

REGISTER FOR ESL ORIENTATION

Adult Basic Education (ABE)

Adult Basic Education courses in reading and math are available to students who need to review basic skills for personal development or advancement to higher level, ASE courses.

Adult Secondary Education (ASE) and GED Preparation

Adult Secondary Education courses prepare students for the General Educational Development (GED) test. The GED test has four subjects: Reasoning through Language Arts, Mathematical Reasoning, Science, and Social Studies. Types of test questions include: multiple choice, drag and drop, fill in the blank, short answer, and extended response.

Upon successfully passing all four subject area tests, the Illinois and U.S. constitution test, and completing the necessary paperwork with the Regional Office of Education/R.O.E., students are awarded a high school equivalency certificate.

Bridge Courses are ASE-level courses that allow students to develop their academic skills within the context of a specific career pathway. Richland’s Adult Education Program offers bridge classes in the following areas:

• Health Sciences
• Manufacturing
• Hospitality

ABE and ASE Details

Classes meet 3-4 days over an 8-week session. Courses meet both on campus and off-site and are held at various times. In order to enroll, students must attend an orientation, held prior to each 8-week session. During orientation, students learn about the program’s structure and policies and complete entrance testing to determine their placement in ABE or ASE courses. Orientation takes approximately 2.5 hours to complete. Children are not allowed so please plan accordingly.

Richland Community College offers ABE and ASE programming at the following sites:

• Main campus, Richland Community College in Decatur, Illinois
• Clinton Higher Education Center in Clinton, Illinois

To learn when the next orientation will be held, please see the Adult Education Facebook page or call the Adult Education Program at 217-875-7211 ext. 6489 or 6355.

English Language Acquisition (ELA)/English as a Second Language (ESL)

Richland’s ELA/ESL courses are currently offered in Decatur, Illinois. These courses are for individuals who are native speaker of another language and who need to improve their English speaking, reading, and writing skills for academic or employment purposes.

All ELA/ESL courses are free for all levels. Please call the Adult Education Program at 217-875-7211 ext. 6489 to learn about orientation dates and locations or check the Adult Education Facebook page.

Catalog Link

Orientation Sessions for Adult Education (GED/HSE) Classes and English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes

Click here to sign up for an Orientation date

For more information call the Richland Community College Adult Education Office at 217-875-7200, ext. 6355.

Family Literacy

GED preparation classes for parents with children ages 0-3 are offered in partnership with BabyTalk at Central Christian Church. Child education classes, transportation, and parenting services are provided to Family Literacy students.

The Adult Education Program refers interested students to BabyTalk for further screening and consultation.

Literacy Tutoring – Project READ

Project READ helps adults improve reading and math skills through individual tutoring. For more information, visit the Project READ website.

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