Graduation Ceremony was Record Breaking

On Saturday, June 1, 2019, the M.S.D. of Wayne Township’s Adult Education Program had 181 graduates proudly walk at their High School Equivalency (HSE) and Career Certification ceremony.  Mr. John Taylor, Assistant Superintendent, proclaimed “Congratulations to the Wayne Township Adult Education staff and the graduating class of 2019 for a record-breaking year!”

WTAE graduation speaker, Jerry Hu, reflected on his journey from learning English and achieving his US high school equivalency diploma.  Jerry recalls a day when a cashier would ask “Do you want your receipt in the bag or with you?” and he would respond with a huge smile “Oh yeah!” The entire audience laughed as many of them reflected back to a period of time when they too felt confused by a simple conversation. Today, Jerry is a student at New Beginnings Computer Training program studying CompTIA where he just scored 1,000 out of 1,000 on his first initial assessment exam.  In a few months, Jerry’s life will take flight into the IT industry.

Last year, WTAE designed a new HSE Bootcamp that is equipped to help community members pass the Test

Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC).  Last year, WTAE enrolled 150 HSE Bootcamp students and of those 130 students are now graduates.  This represents an 87% student graduation rate and a 95% subject passing rate.   The TASC test includes five subject areas: reading, writing, math, social studies, and science.  Many students are now able to complete their HSE on a fast track path.  The students who do not pass are able to attend Adult Education classes to do targeted instruction to build the skills necessary to pass.  This year, WTAE had 184 HSE students eligible to walk at graduation.

With the City of Indianapolis and the Department of Workforce Development, WTAE has also stepped into the world of career certifications.  Students are able to earn free tuition assistance.  Within one school year, our career training enrollments and certification rates have grown by approximately 30%.  This year, 135 students have attained industry-recognized certificates and are stepping into new careers such as medical assisting, dental assisting, sterile tech processing, emergency medical technician, bookkeeping, computer technology, teaching assisting, truck driving, welding, and heating and cooling.

WTAE graduation speaker, Chris Wyatt, talked about being a cancer survivor as well as a caregiver to three grandchildren.  Full of emotion, Chris shared “I needed a new career that would allow me to step up and provide for my family.  WTAE opened those doors for me and I am forever grateful for this opportunity.”

Provided by:

Where Student Lives Take Flight

Wayne Township Adult Education Results Based Education

Jenn Wigginton

Jenn is the IAACE Executive Director. Her passion for adult education shines through in everything she does for IAACE. You can invite her to a chat for questions anytime. Click here to book a time to chat with Jenn