ROWAN-CABARRUS PROGRAMS PREPARE STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE

Two-hundred fifty-six students graduated from Rowan-Cabarrus with their high school equivalency diplomas in 2016.

“The high school equivalency test opens the door to college and better jobs. It gives the graduates the respect they deserve, and the satisfaction of earning a high school credential with the hope that they will continue with their education,” said Gary Connor, executive director of the Rowan-Cabarrus Pre-College Studies programs.

Graduates ranged in age from 16 to 77, with an average age of 27 years. Forty-nine percent of the graduates live in Rowan County and 51 percent in Cabarrus County, with 64 percent female and 36 percent male. Further, among these graduates, 36 percent, move directly into a post-secondary degree, certificate or diploma program at Rowan-Cabarrus, up from 18 percent just two years ago.

Rowan-Cabarrus provides both instruction and resource materials to students preparing for the High School Equivalency at no cost. Classes are scheduled on the North and South Campuses and at a variety of community locations for convenience and access. The RCCC Foundation awarded 300 students funding to pay for their GED testing requirements.

“Our goal is to bring education to the students. It’s our ‘meet them where they are’ philosophy,” said Craig Lamb, vice president in corporate and continuing education. “While it’s not possible for every program, our overarching goal is to be available and accessible to students. That’s why our students can now earn numerous degrees completely online. It’s why the high school equivalency classes are offered morning, afternoon, evening, online and at multiple locations across the College’s service area.”

Students are given an assessment test upon entering the program, from which an individualized learning plan is developed for each student. This identifies the area(s) the student needs to work on and sets a clear pathway to successfully passing the high school equivalency exams. Ninety-two percent of those students taking the high school equivalency preparation class have been successful in passing their exams. This rate is an all-time high.

The College’s SOAR (Skills, Opportunities, Awareness, and Readiness) program is for the intellectually disadvantaged student and it has seen tremendous growth in the past year. One of the goals of the SOAR program is to prepare our students for gainful employment. In order to achieve this goal, we have entered into several partnerships throughout Rowan and Cabarrus counties giving the students the opportunity to showcase their skills.

“To date we have seen just under 20 percent of our participating students gain employment as a result of this program. Our goal is to raise the expectations of Rowan and Cabarrus counties,” said Craig Lamb, vice president of corporate and continuing education.

Additionally, the Rowan-Cabarrus English as a Second Language (ESL) program has seen an increase in enrollment as well. In 2016, the College graduated the second largest number of ESL students since the beginning of the program. More than 12 percent of our ESL students have gone on to achieve their U.S. citizenship and 32 percent of our ESL students have transitioned either into the high school equivalency program or into a post-secondary program at the College.