The Literacy Alliance (serving Adams County)

Program Overview

High School Equivalency (HSE) Classes

The Literacy Alliance's Project Graduate (HSE/GED) classes prepare adults to take the high school equivalency exam (HSE/GED) or study to meet other educational goals.

When students enter the program, they take a skills assessment. Based on the assessment results, a teacher creates an individualized program of study. Tutors are available to work with students.

To get started, call our office at 260-426-7323 for more information and to schedule an intake and orientation. Our classes are busy, and staff members must pay full attention to the adults there to study. We will not be able to get all the information we need or answer all of your questions if you drop in.

Cost Info

Student and Volunteer Success Stories

Hello, I'm Amber. I just want to say it's an honor to be here this evening telling you my story.

I was diagnosed with learning disabilities at 6 years old. I struggled throughout school because of it. By the time I was 17 years old, I dropped out of high school. I couldn't grasp any of the material that the teachers were trying to teach me. After leaving high school, I attended Youth Life Skills. I quickly dropped out of there too. It was not a place for me and they also couldn't teach in a way for me to understand. I still couldn't get the help I desperately wanted and needed. For years I wandered through life with no sense of purpose nor real goals.

When I turned 20 years old, I got married. I still didn't know what to do with my life without an education. I didn't know where to turn to look for any help. By the time I turned 24 years old I found out I was pregnant and had a very complicated pregnancy. August 24th, 2014, I gave birth my miracle baby, Emberlynn, 9 weeks early. Being a first-time parent, I signed up for a program called Healthy Families offered through SCAN. That's where I learned about The Literacy Alliance for the first time. I asked my caseworker to take me to sign up. Shortly after signing up and attending my first few classes, I knew that this is where I needed to be. I knew they would be able to help me, and they wanted to help me.

Shortly after that my daughter's health went down-hill. I needed to take frequent trips to Indianapolis so my daughter could see 1 of her many doctors at Riley's Children Hospital and eventually she became hospitalized. I called the site coordinator and explained what was going on and she made a flexible schedule for me. I didn't want to fall behind on my class work and I didn't want to get dropped from the program for not being able to attend.

It was hard to balance being a first-time mother to a child with health issues and pursuing my education. I then started doing my class work online, until my daughter's health stabilized. After she was stabilized and able to come back home I started attending classes again on a regular basis and still did some of the work online to get ahead.

I wanted to do a job training program but I knew that it would be very difficult because I needed to have my HSE before completing the job training final exam, and to further complicate things, the job training classes were on the same night and time as my school classes. So, I again talked to the site coordinator and she was able to get me one-on-one tutoring that worked around my schedule and she also gave me a huge push that I needed. Soon after the tutoring I took my final test for my HSE without my IEP being applied and with no special accommodations, I passed with high scores on my first try.

I started the job training classes for patient access and registration with 3 other people. The work was difficult for me but I kept at it until I could grasp it. I would get decent scores on chapter review exams. By the end of the classes, myself and one other person completed the program. Myself and the other student took the national exam and I was the only one to pass. I am now a National Certified Healthcare Access Associate.

I owe it all to The Literacy Alliance. Without the wonderful people that work and volunteer at The Literacy Alliance I wouldn't have an education nor have a national certificate. The people at The Literacy Alliance believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. They pushed me to do my best and to set goals and achieve them. They instilled confidence in me and built me up to be a strong person with high self-esteem. I would like to thank every one of the teachers, staff members, and volunteers who never gave up on me when I felt like giving up myself. They could adapt to my learning disabilities and come up with different lesson plans for me that I was able to understand and fully grasp. They truly care for everyone that walks through their doors, seeking education. They have changed my life and for that, I'm forever grateful.