THE FOLLOWING IS A DANVILLE AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGE RELEASE
(ABOVE) During a May 18 ceremony in the Mary Miller Gym, Adult Education & Middle College Dean Terry Goodwin addressing students who graduated from DACC’s Adult Education & Literacy program with high-school diplomas.
DANVILLE, IL, June 13, 2023 –Danville Area Community College has launched a new program to help adults whose heavy workload and family demands have thwarted their pursuit of a better life through education.
This month, DACC’s Adult Education and Literacy Department has begun enrolling adult learners in the aptly named “Elevate” program, which helps students dramatically improve their employability and their quality of life. As Adult Education & Literacy Director Chantal Savage-Bryant says, “This is a game changer for residents, particularly those from our most vulnerable populations.”
Funded through the State’s Adult Education and Literacy grant, DACC’s Elevate is free of charge for adult learners. Elevate offers students a pathway to earning their high-school diploma while simultaneously studying to earn credentials in a well-paying career.
This past spring, Elevate combined high-school-diploma studies with a one-semester course leading to certification as a nursing assistant. For the fall, Adult Education is partnering with DACC’s Information Technology Department to combine the pursuit of a diploma with a certificate in Healthcare Billing Management.
To accommodate people studying for their diploma, the program offers flexible scheduling. Adult Education Specialist Stephanie Higgins says, “For many of our students in adult education, life has gotten in the way of their intention to become high-school graduates. So we provide classes that accommodate them as much as possible. The sessions are in eight-week blocks. On the Danville campus, our classes are held during the day or at night. They’re at night in Hoopeston. And for students who are too busy to attend in person, our high-school-diploma preparation classes are also online.”
Of special note is that the State of Illinois now recognizes students who pass a high-school equivalency test as having earned a State of Illinois High School Diploma rather than a high-school equivalency. Adult Education & Middle College Dean Terry Goodwin says, “Unjustifiably, the term ‘equivalency certificate’ has carried a stigma and the incorrect assumption that the graduate had received a lower level of degree. However, when I see how hard our students work to pass either the GED or HiSET test, and when they demonstrate their mastery over the subject matter, it’s clear that they possess knowledge that matches and often surpasses that of traditional high-school graduates.”
At the same time Elevate students are studying to earn a diploma, they may also take classes to earn credentials leading to a good paying job in medical billing. The certification is typically completed in two 15-week semesters, mostly in-person, although some online options will be available.
The starting salary for those with this certification is typically in the $40,000 range. The Healthcare Billing Management Certificate is designed to provide students with the skills and expertise to obtain entry-level positions as medical billers in outpatient settings with a focus on public health department services and billing procedures. As Ms. Savage-Bryant says, “In essence within two short semesters, successful students will obtain an Illinois High School Diploma, a college-level certificate in a high demand, marketable field, and a career.”
Heath Information Technology Professor Marcie Wright will be teaching these classes beginning in August. As with the diploma classes, Elevate is grant-funded with the cost of tuition, fees, and books all free for students. The only catch for the Healthcare billing program is that students need to test at a sixth-grade reading level or better.
To prepare the first classes for Elevate, Adult Education began holding registration and placement testing at the Danville Campus in Prairie Hall earlier this month. These services are available Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Space is limited. The deadline for registration is Fri., Aug. 4. Prospective students may call 217-443-8782 for more information.
Danville Area Community College is a comprehensive community college serving Illinois District 507, which consists of Vermilion County and parts of Champaign, Iroquois, Edgar, and Ford counties. DACC’s main campus is located at 2000 East Main Street, Danville. The College has a higher-learning center in Hoopeston at 847. To apply to DACC, call 217-443-3222 or visit the Web site at www.DACC.EDU.
