Beaufort County Community College offers adults an opportunity to complete their high school education through the N.C. Community College System High School Equivalency Program. The program provides a second chance to adults who did not complete high school in the traditional manner. The HSE test battery is designed to measure a person’s knowledge and skills in the areas of language arts, reasoning, social studies, science and mathematics. Starting in 2017, students can choose an online option.

Recently, Jonathan Elsy received his HSE through the program in just two months. The 17-year-old saw that he would not be able to finish high school in time to graduate with his peers. In Elsy’s circumstance, his parents and the school system had to sign off on his discharge from high school.

Elsy’s parents did not want him to quit school, so they talked him into going through the HSE program. His father faced a similar situation in school. Many of Elsy’s friends were either dropping out or getting their HSE. He was anxious to get out and begin working.

While not a bad student in high school, the one-on-one attention he has received from his instructor, Donna Woolard, has helped him succeed. Woolard describes him as a “self-motivated young man. He beat me here in the morning. He was focused on his areas of weakness.”

Woolard said that smaller class sizes are a plus for students who need more individualized attention. Woolard is a new instructor at BCCC, having recently transitioned from teaching seventh grade for 13 years.

“While the goal is to reduce class sizes (in public schools), it’s not always the reality,” she said.

Instructors can move students along at a pace that is tailored to their needs. Students with families, existing employment or less recent classroom experience tend to take longer than Elsy to finish the program.

Woolard hopes that Elsy will stay on at BCCC to pursue a certificate program.

“He can do anything he wants to do. We can’t lose him,” she said.

HSE students have the option of continuing into a curriculum program or pursuing employment. Elsy is considering enrolling in the welding program.

Students will have a new option starting in January, when BCCC will pilot an online HSE program. Students will be self-paced, having directives geared to their needs each week. If they test out of an area, they can move on. They will have three hours of optional face-to-face time with their instructor bi-weekly. While they will be able to ask questions online during virtual office hours, this will give them a chance to seek out personal help regularly.

Elsy has never taken online classes, so he was not sure how he would respond to the option, but the option will help students who currently work, have family obligations or have long commutes to BCCC’s campus. Students who start the online program who encounter problems can transfer into the daytime classes on campus.

Placement testing, available both day and evening, is required for entry into all Career and College Readiness programs. Assessments are also given at off-campus sites.

Students meet with the assessment specialist/instructor who will guide them through enrolling in the class. As students increase their skill level in each subject, instructors like Woolard will help them decide when they are prepared enough to take any or all of the HSE tests.

Students who earn an HSE will have access to greater employment and higher earnings. For some students, the option is less economic than personal. Achieving an HSE can boost their self-confidence and remove a past regret.