Crownpoint adult ed program awarded

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Karen Francis
Diné Bureau

CROWNPOINT — From being on probation by the state to earning an Award of Distinction within one year, the Navajo Technical College’s Adult Basic Education Program has come a long way since Jasper Joe took over as director of the ABE program.

“When Jasper Joe took over the ABE program, the program was facing enormous challenges.  The state office had put the program on probation and was demanding significant changes in the way it operated.  A short year later, Jasper and his staff have turned the program around and received an Award of Distinction.  This is a dramatic turnaround,” said Dr. Francis Becenti, director of outreach and engagement.

The turnaround has been so dramatic that Joe was recently appointed one of the six members of the state’s ABE/GED Director’s Committee, which advises the Higher Education Department on issues related to program management, assessment and accountability.

With the appointment, NTC has been designated an official GED testing center for the first time in its history.
“This means that students will no longer have to travel to Gallup to take their tests, but will be able to take their GED exams on the Navajo Tech campus,” Joe said.
With locations in Crownpoint, Torreon and Pueblo Pintado, the Navajo Tech ABE program serves a total of 268 enrolled students.

Recently, Navajo Tech’s ABE program was one of six statewide that received the award from the New Mexico Adult Education Association at a banquet in Santa Fe for “having demonstrated outstanding performance for all four incentive areas.” Last year none of the state’s 32 programs were eligible for the award, according to Joe.
Thanks to the award, the program also received an additional $19,410 for its budget.

Joe said that the extra funds will be spent on enhancing the instruction program so that more students are able to earn a GED in the future.

Parn Etre-Perez, state director of ABE under the state’s higher education department, said in an e-mail, “Finally six ABE programs received incentives,” and commended the programs for achieving the honor.

The four incentive areas include the gains that students have made in mastering their study areas, the number of post tests given to students, the program’s overall retention rate and the number of graduates earning their General Equivalency diploma.

The program has also received a $130,000 grant from the Navajo Department of Workforce Development to strengthen the college transition program where students can enroll in college programs when they are close to passing the GED exam. About 60 students enrolled in ABE are expected to take part in the transition program and will receive full tuition, books and supplies as incentive to continue their studies to work toward college degrees.

Monday
November 17, 2008
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