GSMBC COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

EDUCATION THE CENTER HAS A PARTNERSHIP WITH WALLACE COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO FACILITATE THE GED/ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM TO ENGAGE THOSE INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT A HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION IN THE HEADLAND/HENRY COUNTY COMMUNITY TO COMPLETE THEIR GED AND TO BECOME PROFICIENT IN LIFE SKILLS BY BECOMING EMPLOYABLE AND SELF-SUFFICIENT. THE RELATIONSHIP WITH WALLACE COLLEGE WILL PROVIDE A GATEWAY OF POSSIBILITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS TO EXPLORE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES BY BRINGING THE "COLLEGE TO THE COMMUNITY". WE WOULD EXPAND OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH WALLACE COLLEGE AND OUR LOCAL SCHOOLS BY HOSTING CAREER FAIRS AND EXPLORATION DAYS, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS, AND BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST WITHIN INDUSTRY AND EDUCATION. THE GED/ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE THEIR PROGRESS MONITORED BY THE INSTRUCTOR ASSIGNED BY WALLACE COLLEGE. GED PRACTICE TESTS AND ASSESSMENTS IN MATH, SCIENCE, AND LANGUAGE ARTS WOULD BE GIVEN TO ESTABLISH INITIAL BASELINES AND A WORK PLAN DEVELOPED BY THE PROGRAM INSTRUCTOR TO SET INDIVIDUAL GOALS IN PREPARING THEM FOR THE EXAMINATION. COMPUTER BASED TRAINING AND STANDARD TEACHING MODULES WILL BE PROVIDED WITH THE CENTER HAVING WITHIN IT, A COMPUTER LAB WITH WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS AND MEETING ROOMS FOR INSTRUCTION. AFTER-SCHOOL TUTORING AND SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS WILL BE PROVIDED IN THE AREAS OF MATH, SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGY, AND THE ARTS. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CERTIFIED TEACHERS WITHIN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, ALONG WITH COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS WITH REQUISITE EXPERIENCE IN TUTORING; MATH, SCIENCE, AND READING TUTORING WILL BE PROVIDED FOR STUDENTS WHO NEED ASSISTANCE AT NO COST. TEACHERS AND TUTORS WILL HAVE BACKGROUND CHECKS PERFORMED AND THE CENTER WILL MAINTAIN THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF ACCOUNTABILITY. TEACHERS/TUTORS WILL HAVE MEETINGS WITH PARENTS TO ESTABLISH AN EFFECTIVE, COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIP AND EACH STUDENT WILL BE MONITORED THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR (WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS, PROGRESS REPORTS, AND REPORT CARDS) TO GAUGE THE SUCCESS OF THE CENTER'S TUTORING PROGRAM AND TO KNOW WHAT AREAS OF CONCERN EACH TUTORING SESSION NEEDS TO FOCUS ON. COMPUTER BASED MODULES AND ONE-ON-ONE TUTORING SESSIONS USING WORKSHEETS AND BOOKS WILL BE UTILIZED. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE COMPUTER SOFTWARE PROGRAM ALEKS WILL BE USED. ALEKS STANDS FOR ASSESSMENT AND LEARNING IN KNOWLEDGE SPACES, WHICH IS AN ONLINE PROGRAM FOR MATH, SCIENCE, READING, AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE. THE LEARNING IS PERSONALIZED AND THE ASSESSMENTS ARE ADAPTIVE, ALLOWING THE ALEKS TO DELIVER THE EXACT CONTENT THAT THE STUDENT NEEDS. THE ALEKS QUICKLY ASSESSES THE STUDENT'S KNOWLEDGE OF A COURSE BY USING JUST 20 TO 30 QUESTIONS IN MOST CASES. THE REASON THE ALEKS WORKS SO WELL IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME 45 MINUTES OR SO) IS THAT IT ADAPTS TO THE STUDENT'S RESPONSES. IN OTHER WORDS, EACH QUESTION IS BASED ON THE STUDENT'S ANSWERS TO ALL OF THE PREVIOUS QUESTIONS. USING THIS PROGRAM ALLOWS TUTORS TO ESTABLISH A BASELINE AND WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STUDENTS' TEACHERS IN BUILDING UPON THE SKILLS THEY ARE LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM EACH DAY. THE CENTER WOULD USE THE SRA READING LABORATORY. A PROVEN K-12 LEVELED READING PROGRAM TO HELP STUDENTS AND PARENTS/GUARDIANS TO PROMOTE READING AND READING COMPREHENSION WITH THEIR CHILDREN. AS ONE OF THE EARLIEST PERSONALIZED LEARNING PROGRAMS, SRA READING LABORATORY HAS IMPROVED THE READING AND INDEPENDENT LEARNING SKILLS OF MORE THAN 100 MILLION STUDENTS IN 63 COUNTRIES, BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST TRUSTED NAMES IN LITERACY LEARNING. WITH AN EASY-TO-USE BOX OF SELF-GUIDED AND LEVELED SELECTIONS FOR A GIVEN CLASSROOM, SRA READING LABORATORY LETS YOU DEVELOP CONFIDENT READERS THROUGH SUPPLEMENTAL AND PERSONALIZED K-12 READING CONTENT THAT ENSURES EACH STUDENT IS WORKING AT THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL AND MOVING AHEAD AT HIS OR HER OWN PACE. THE PROGRAM HELPS STUDENTS: O DEVELOP COMPREHENSION, VOCABULARY, FLUENCY, WORD ANALYSIS, AND STUDY SKILLS O REINFORCE SPECIFIC SKILLS IN WHICH CERTAIN STUDENTS SHOW A WEAKNESS O ENGAGE THEIR INTERESTS AND INCREASE THEIR KNOWLEDGE BASE USING A WIDE ARRAY OF FICTION AND NONFICTION SELECTIONS O TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THEIR OWN WORK AND PROGRESS THE TEACHERS/TUTORS IN THE CENTER WILL BE ABLE TO TRACK THE PROGRESS OF EACH STUDENT USING COMPUTER BASED SOFTWARE AND READING PROGRAMS, IN CONJUNCTION WITH MONITORING THEIR PROGRESS REPORTS AND REPORT CARDS AS PROVIDED BY PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PARENTS/GUARDIANS TO ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF THE STUDENTS ARE ACCOMPLISHED. AS STUDENTS COMPLETE THE NORMAL SCHOOL YEAR, SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES LEARNED CAN BE LOST OVER THE SUMMER MONTHS. THEREFORE, CONTINUING THE READING, MATH, AND EDUCATIONAL FOCUS THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER IS PARAMOUNT. THE SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAM WILL CONSIST OF A 2-WEEK, HALF-DAY PROGRAM (BAM-12NOON) OFFERED OVER 3 SESSIONS, ENGAGING STUDENTS IN CONTINUED MATH AND READING INITIATIVES, AND WILL ALSO INCLUDE FUN RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES, CRAFTS, MUSIC/ART EXPRESSION, COMMUNITY SERVICE, AND FIELD TRIPS. THE CHURCH ORGANIZATION HAS PAID YOUTH MINISTRY STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS THAT WILL HELP FACILITATE THE SUMMER PROGRAM. IN ADDITION, CERTIFIED TEACHERS/TUTORS WOULD BE PAID TO ENGAGE THE STUDENTS FURTHER IN THE LEARNING PROCESS. STUDENT SUCCESS WILL BE MEASURED DAILY/WEEKLY AND FEEDBACK PROVIDED TO THE PARENTS BASED ON ALEKS SCORES, READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISES, AND ONE-ON-ONE INTERACTIONS AND TAILORED ASSESSMENTS (WORKSHEETS AND EXAMS).

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT THE CENTER WILL HOUSE A COMPUTER LAB AND MEETING ROOMS TO ALLOW FOR SUFFICIENT SPACE FOR COLLABORATING AGENCIES SUCH AS HEADLAND/DOTHAN AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND SOUTHEAST WORKS TO CONDUCT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS AND JOB FAIRS. INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT COMPUTER ACCESS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO COMPUTERS TO APPLY FOR JOBS, LEARN TO WRITE RESUMES, DEVELOP SOFT SKILLS, AND PREPARE FOR AN INTERVIEW. A KEY ELEMENT IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IS ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY ON THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE EMPLOYMENT PROCESS, FIRST IMPRESSIONS, AND DEVELOPING THE SOFT SKILLS THAT WOULD MAKE AN INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYABLE. WE HAVE PROVIDED JOB FAIRS IN THE PAST AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE A TOUCH POINT REACHING INTO THE COMMUNITY TO ENGAGE THE AVAILABLE WORKFORCE FOR JOBS IN BOTH RURAL AND URBAN SOUTHEAST ALABAMA. WITH OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH WALLACE COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND LOCAL BUSINESSES, THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMPONENT OF WHAT THE CENTER WILL OFFER PROVIDES A PLAN OF IDENTIFYING AND DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION WORKFORCE IN OUR REGION. THE CENTER BRINGS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY AND CONNECTS IT WITH THE COMMUNITY. INDIVIDUALS LIVING IN HENRY COUNTY WOULD NOW HAVE A RESOURCE CENTER WITHIN ITS OWN COMMUNITY PROVIDING THEM ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, EDUCATION AND JOB SKILLS TRAINING, AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR ENTIRE FAMILY.