Program Length
Essentials Skills I, II & III: 72 hours, 12 weeks; 2 classes per week (3-hour long day/night classes)
GED Content: 72 hours, 12 weeks; 2 classes per week (3-hour long day/night classes)
GED Mathematics: 72 hours, 12 weeks; 2 classes per week (3-hour long day/night classes)
Writing Across the Curriculum: 30 hours, 5 weeks; 2 classes per week (3-hour long day/night classes)
* Summer follows a shortened session*
Program Requirements
All students must attend a regional registration and assessment session which includes orientation, an assessment process to determine skills levels in reading and math, and advisement/placement (2 to 3 hour process). Go to http://www.ccbcmd.edu/Programs-and-Courses/Basic-Education/Adult-Basic-Education-and-Essential-Skills/GED-and-Essential-Skills-Registration.aspx for assessment, regional registration information, and schedule updates.
Minimum of 18 years of age; no high school diploma; officially withdrawn or not required to be enrolled in secondary school under state law.
Additional Information
Course Objectives and Outcomes:
Students will increase their educational functional level in reading, writing and mathematics as they progress through the skill levels. The goal of these classes is for the student to successfully pass all sections of the GED® test and transition to post-secondary education and/or workforce training. All GED level classes will prepare students to successfully utilize technology-enhanced items including drop down boxes, fill in the blanks, drag and drop, hot spot, and extended responses.
Essential Skills I: This course enables the student to learn basic educational skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. Learning outcomes include real-life skills, job-related skills, and preparation for further education, including Essential Skills II. Topics include: reading comprehension; language; writing; and basic computation skills.
Essential Skills II: This course enables the student to learn the skills required to develop and review the reading, writing and math skills needed to transition to Essential Skills III. Topics include: reading comprehension improvement; parts of speech; vocabulary; sentence structure; paragraph development; critical thinking skills; decimals; fractions; percentages; and problem solving.
Essential Skills III: This course enables the student to learn the skills required to develop and review reading, writing and math skills needed to transition to the GED course. Topics include: reading comprehension for complex passages; content instruction in science and social studies; essay development; critical thinking skills; and basic algebra and geometry.
Writing Across the Curriculum: This course enables the student to learn the skills necessary to write a successful response to short answer questions on the GED exam. Topics to be covered include: sentence structure; English grammar standards; citing facts; and summarization.
GED Content Area Preparation: This course enables the student to learn the comprehension, analysis, evaluation, and writing skills needed to pass the GED test in the areas of reading, science, and social studies. Topics include: interpretation of informational passages; analysis of specific claims in scientific and historical reading; deriving evidence and developing text-based arguments; interpretation of scientific and historical information from tables, graphs, and diagrams; constructing an analytic response using source texts; and completing a timed response. Students will be prepared to successfully answer technology-enhanced items, including: drop-down; fill-in-the-blank; drag and drop; hot spot; and written response.
GED Mathematics Preparation: This course enables the student to learn specific math concepts required to pass the 2014 General Educational Development (GED) Test. Topics include: complex measurement; algebra; functions; patterns; geometry; complex equations; plotting data; use of online calculator; symbol insertion; and word problems. This course prepares the student to successfully answer technology-enhanced items, including: multiple choice; drop-down; fill-in-the-blank; drag and drop; hot spot; and manipulation of both an online and handheld calculator.
Career Opportunities:
Transition to post-secondary training and education support available to all learners.