Adult Education in Nevada is comprised of:

• Adult Basic Education (ABE) / English as a Second Language (ESL)

  Funds from the federal Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, as well as some state dollars, provide for adult basic education and literacy services in order to assist adults to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and self-sufficiency; to assist adults who are parents to obtain the educational skills necessary to become full partners in the education of their children; and to assist adults in the completion of a secondary school education. Participants served through the ABE/ESL programs are adults 17 years of age or over who have less than a high school diploma.

• Adult High School Diploma Programs (AHSD)

  Adult High School Diploma programs are funded by the state and serve students age 17 and older who do not have a high school diploma. Components of the AHSD program include core curriculum, electives, support services and the high school proficiency exam. Most programs are self-paced and competency-based with open enrollment and exit. Programs also prepare students to take the GED tests. Many of the programs have incorporated instruction in English as a Second Language due to the increasing demand from Nevada’s fast growing immigrant population.

• General Educational Development (GED)

  GED Tests offer an opportunity to adults who, for whatever reason, leave high school without graduating to earn the equivalent of a high school diploma. The GED is an assessment instrument to validate the academic skills and knowledge that the adult has learned in both formal and nontraditional settings. With 20 test sites in Nevada, GED credentials were issued to 4,121 people in the year 2000.

For more information, contact:

Mary Katherine Moen
Adult Education Director
Nevada Department of Education
700 East Fifth Street
Carson City, NV 89710
Phone: (775) 687-9167
Fax: (775) 687-9114
Email: mkmoen@doe.nv.gov
Website: www.literacynet.org/nevada/