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DECS Menu ABE/GED/ESL
This tuition-free program is open to all adults who lack the level of literacy skills required for productive employment who have not earned a high school diploma, or who have a native language other than English who wish to learn English.
Click on link below to learn more about it:
ABE/GED Graduation ESL Contact Information Workforce Basic Skills Training GED Test Information Workforce ABE/GED Preparation Classes ABE/GED Guidelines English as a Second Language (ESL) Back to DECS Homepage ABE/GED
Adult Basic Education offers to adults the opportunity to prepare for high school equivalency, college entrance, vocational-technical education, employment or promotion on the job. Through Adult Basic Education classes, students can learn to read and write as well as obtain a basic knowledge of Math, Social Studies, Science, Consumer Education, Job Information, Family Literacy and Civic Preparation. GED Test Information
Classes are offered on a variety of schedules and at various locations.
Lee County
ICC Belden New GED Student Intake Dave Thomas Monday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. ICC Belden WorkKeys Testing Freda Braddock
Julia HoustonTuesday
Friday8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. ICC Belden GED Express Elizabeth Owings Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. ICC Belden ABE/Pre-GED Class Elizabeth Owings Monday-Thursday 12:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ICC Belden ABE/Pre-GED Class Gloria Wallace Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. ICC Belden STARS Reading Class Gloria Wallace Monday-Thursday 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. ICC Belden GED Fast Track
Orientation/Pre-RegistrationGeorgia Shocklee Monday-Thursday
Friday12:20 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.ICC Belden - Literacy/Reading Linda Lipe Tuesday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. ICC Belden Night New GED Student Intake Mike Price Monday and Tuesday 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. ICC Belden Night ABE/PreGED Class Bill Lipe and Laura Lindley Monday-Thursday 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. ICC Belden Night GED Express Joann Brosky and Mary Hill Monday-Thursday 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. ICC Belden Night GED Fast Track
Orientation/Pre-RegistrationMike Price Wednesday and
Thursday5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. ICC Belden Night Literacy/Reading Susan Calvin Tuesday and Thursday 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Allied Enterprises - ABE/GED (Pegram Drive) Georgia Shocklee Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. Nettleton High School J.D. Jones Monday and Tuesday 6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Saltillo High School Joyce Rodgers Tuesday and Thursday 6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Lee County Family Resource Center Blythe Lollar Monday and Thursday 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. H.M. Richards Tracy Barber Monday and Thursday 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Itawamba County
ICC Fulton Campus ABE/GED (Bus Edu, Room 3) Gayle Senter Monday and Thursday 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Chickasaw County Excel Commons ABE/GED Larry Davis Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Houlka Attendance Center Susan Eldridge Tuesday and Thursday 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Houston WIN Center Julia Puckett TBA TBA Pontotoc County Pontotoc WIN Job Center Day ABE/GED Don and Michelle Benjamin Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Pontotoc WIN Job Center Night ABE/GED Don and Michelle Benjamin Tuesday and Thursday 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Monroe County
WIN Job Center - Monroe County Government Complex
Night ABE/GEDPeggy Nash and
Grace SandersonMonday and Tuesday and
Thursday5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. WIN Job Center - Monroe County Government Complex
Day ABE/GEDJulia Puckett Tuesday and Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Aberdeen Parent Center Barbara Rowe Tuesday and Thursday 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. English as a Second Language offers adults who have a native language other than English the opportunity to learn English. Through ESL classes, students can learn to speak, read, write and understand English as well as obtain U.S. Citizenship test preparation and TOEFL preparation.
Classes are offered on a variety of schedules and at various locations.
Lee County
St. James Catholic Church Anita Bryan Tuesday and Thursday 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Pontotoc County
St. Christopher's Catholic Church Linda Burleson and Mary Clark Tuesday and Thursday 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Workforce Basic Skills Training
Workforce Basic Skills Training is designed to upgrade an employee's academic skills. This on-site training helps employers to develop a larger pool of in-house highly skilled employees from which to select in meeting the demands of job growth and retraining. Training is primarily for employees who are high school graduates with academic deficiencies in one or more areas:
- Reading
- Writing
- Math Computation
- Oral Communication (including conversational Spanish)
- Spelling
Work-related skills assessments are performed on-site to identify an employee's basic academic skill needs for a comprehensive training plan. Classes may be scheduled either during the day or in the evening.
Workforce ABE/GED Preparation Classes
Itawamba Community College in partnership with the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges offers ABE/GED preparation classes in-plant to assist employed adults in earning their GED. These 2-3 hour-classes are normally offered on-site at a time convenient to the employer and employees. Classes can be scheduled during the day or in the evening. Enrollment is open-entry and open-exit, giving companies an opportunity to provide a year-round, on-going ABE/GED class that allows participants to progress at their own rate.
Workforce English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes
ESL classes are designed to provide English instruction to employed immigrants. This type of training can cover a wide variety of work-related academic skills depending on the specific needs of the employer. Classes can be scheduled during the day or in the evening. They are conducted similar to the workforce ABE/GED preparation classes.
Class Enrollment
Any adults age 17 and above who did not finish high school can enroll in ABE/GED classes provided they are not enrolled in a public, private or home instructional program. Classes are offered free to any eligible adult.
Seventeen and 18-year-old students must meet ABE/GED Participant Guidelines for 17 and 18 Year Olds Non-Compulsory School Aged Individuals. (guidelines) Sixteen and 17 year old compulsory school age students must meet Compulsory School Aged ABE/GED Participant Guidelines. (guidelines) Sixteen year old students are permitted to enroll in the Tupelo campus day class only. Guideline Details
Student enrollment for specific classes is as follows:
- Tupelo day class – Belden Center, Room 111 – Monday at 8 a.m.
- Tupelo night class – Belden Center, Room 111 – Monday nights at 5:30 p.m.
- Off-campus locations – the first week of each month. Class sites times and locations vary
ICC invites adults who have been successful in passing the GED to participate in a graduation ceremony held at the conclusion of the spring semester. This ceremony is a formal celebration in which participants are recognized for their achievement of obtaining their GED diploma.
Contact/Request Info
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Aquilla Boles
Email: aqboles@iccms.edu
Phone: 662.620.5245
Fax: 662.620.5244
Freda Braddock
GED/WIA Case Manager
Email: fjbraddock@iccms.edu
Phone: 662.620.5208
Fax: 662.620.5244Rhonda Stevens
Email: rfstevens@iccms.edu
Phone: 662.620.5249
Fax: 662.620.5244
Jan West
Email: jhwest@iccms.edu
Phone: 662.620.5247
Fax: 662.620.5244
Dave Thomas
Email: dwthomas@iccms.edu
Phone: 662.620.5246
Fax: 662.620.5244Liz Owings
Email: eaowings@iccms.edu
Phone: 662.620.5248
Fax: 662.620.5244
Georgia Shocklee
Adult Education Instructor
Email: grshocklee@iccms.edu
Phone: 662.620.5253
Fax: 620.620.5244Gloria Wallace
Email: gdwallace@iccms.edu
Phone: 662.620.5242
Fax: 662.620.5244
Julia Floyd Houston
Email: jfhouston@iccms.edu
Phone: 662.620.5241
Fax: 662.620.5244