Under 18
This document must be requested from the school of last attendance for all enrollments under the age of 18.
This is one thing that makes our program different from other programs in our region.
We do not offer traditional GED classes. Students can schedule appointments for tutoring/review when convenient for their schedule or utilize our walk-in open tutoring.
We offer free childcare during student appointments for kids ages 6 months to 5 years as long as childcare is requested at least 24 hours in advance of your appointment. If you are interested, we can set up an enrollment appointment with free childcare included.
We use this info to keep in touch with the student.
Email and Phone number.
It is important that we check and try to get this info from every student.
This is the first thing we do when a student comes in to enroll.
Make sure they are checked in at the front desk, and mark them as "Showed Up" in Acuity.
Labeling students in Acuity as "Showed Up", "Canceled", or "No Show" helps ensure they are set up with the correct appointment when they reach back out to come in again.
These are the list of things that have to be completed before we can submit to the State of Ohio to approve an under 18 enrollment.
Obtaining a withdraw form, having the parent/guardian fill out and sign the HSE consent form onsite, and have the parent take the HSE consent form notarized and scheduled to bring back for Erica to mail with the withdraw. An instructor should help the student create a ged.com account prior to the mailing step.
This is how often students must attend.
It is up to the student to decide. If the student asks, in general attending 1-2 times per week is a good pace to see progress.
This is our response to students who ask if their previous GED scores are still valid.
In general, yes. Ask the student how old their test scores are.
If they took their GED exams on paper, before 2014, those scores are not likely to count. If their previous GED test was taken on a computer those scores are liklely still valid and an instructor can assist with getting access to those scores once they are enrolled.
This is a question on Aspire Form 1 that needs to be explained to every student.
Question number 5--the PRWORA question--check yes on this question for them.
Explain to each student that this question is about new legislation which requires every student to have certain documents. We don't require that students show us these documents, but we are required to make each student aware that it is a requirement to have these documents.
This is an explanation of the flow of enrollment paperwork process.
After the student checks in at the front desk:
Take the student to be seated at the enrollment table, tell them you will be right back with enrollment paperwork. When you sit down with them to explain paperwork, this is good opportunity to ask how they heard about us and get to know them a little more. Ask if they have any questions you can answer before you get started explaining the paperwork.
Let them know the enrollment process is 2 parts: paperwork and then an assessment. Let them know they can choose to do all of it today or they can split it up over a few appointments. Call out the important sections of paperwork: PRWORA question #5, Release of Info, the grey PRWORA section on Aspire Form 2. Briefly explain the rest of the paperwork before leaving them to complete the paperwork independently. Check on them every 10-15 minutes to see if they are doing okay and/or have any questions.
This is what we request that the student bring to their first appointment if we know they are under 18.
A withdraw form and a parent/guardian to sign the HSE consent form.
This is our response when a student asks how long does it take to earn a diploma.
Example response:
This is one of our most frequent and hardest questions to answer because it depends on many factors (your initial skills and strengths, your availability to come in, etc) BUT what we can say is our program is set up so that you have the most efficient experience possible. We don't require that students complete a certain amount of study hours, the only requirement to take a GED test is to pass a practice test first.
This is what we do if students say they already filled out this paperwork previously.
Search them in capsule to see if they are enrolled for the current school year. You will see an FY26 tag/label under their name if they are. If you see this, check their folder to see if they already filled it out for the the current school year.
If you do not see the FY26 tag/label, say something like:
You may have completed this paperwork if you were enrolled here previously, but in order to get you enrolled for the current school year, we have to have you update this information. It is part of the Ohio Department of Education's requirements of all students.
This section on Aspire Form 2 must be completed by the student before we can submit their paperwork to Aspire.
The Release of Info section on Aspire Form 2 needs to be explained to students and completely filled out by every student. The student must: print their name, accept or decline, sign, and date.
Example Explaination: This Release of Info section, if accepted, gives us permission to verify your enrollment or verify your diploma if you ever have an employer or school call us to verify your information.
This is a good thing to do right before or during the student's locator
Check to make sure the student has filled out all forms completely--but especially the mandatory sections of contact info/DOB, Yes to Question 5 on Aspire form 1, Release of Info Section on Aspire Form 2, Learning Syles and Washington 13.
Note: Some students are not comfortable revealing their household income on Neighborhood Info Form 2 so if they leave that blank, it is okay. Our goal is to collect as much info as possible to apply for funding, so don't prompt them to skip it, but if they skip it on their own or ask to skip it, this is okay.
If program assistants have time, they can begin processing the paperwork according to the tasks outlined on the student's folder checklist.
This is what you can tell the student if they are havng trouble getting their withdraw form.
Ask the student/parent if it would be helpful if we talked to the school directly. If they say yes, ask them to get an email and phone number for the school and pass this info along to Sarah or Erica.
This is what we tell students who ask if we offer online classes.
We offer an optional online curriculum that includes videos and practice if you are interested. Once you are enrolled, we would be happy to get you set up with the online curriculum.
Our response if the student asks about the difference between the enrollment test, practice test, and GED test.
The enrollment test is called the TABE test and is part of the Ohio Department of Education requirements for all students to complete upon enrolling. This test is not affiliated with the GED, but it is similar in the types of questions and the subject matter. This test gives your instructor more information about your skills and strengths so that they can work with you on making a gameplan for how to prep.
A GED practice test is the test you take to check for progress on your skills. This is typically taken after you've worked with an instructor on prep work or tutoring.
An official GED exam is a test you will take here in our testing center after you have passed a GED practice test. There are four sections of the official GED exam--Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, and Math. When you earn a passing score in each of these sections, you will have earned your diploma.
These are all the forms that can be briefly touched on before giving the student time and space to complete their paperwork.
Briefly touch on these forms: Neighborhood Info, Learning Styles, Student Teacher Contract, Washington 13, Childcare Form, and Student Schedule.
After explaining the important fields of the Aspire forms, you can say something like:
The rest of this paperwork is pretty straight forward but please let us know if you have any questions along the way. The info you provide on the neighborhood info form helps us apply for funding to keep our services free. There are also a couple of forms that help us know more about your learning style and your learning experiences. We also ask all students to read and sign a student/teacher contract that basically outlines that we will respect each other. If in the future you would like to use our free childcare for you kids during appointments, please read over and sign that form. The last form is the student schedule and that is yours form to keep.
After explaining this, leave them to complete this paperwork and check on them every 10-15 minutes to see if they are finished or have questions.
An important thing to do if the student wants to go home after finishing their locator test.
Try to schedule their appointment to come back for their TABE test and their pathway convo appointment on Erica's column in acuity.
This is the general length of time it takes for the State of Ohio to approve an under 18 enrollment for GED testing.
This can take up to a couple of months.
Note: if the student is about to turn 18, it might be faster and less hassle to enroll them after they turn 18.
If submitting for state approval is the route the student takes, students can begin prep/studying with an instructor and take practice tests before the state approves them.
This is what we tell students who ask if we can help out with finding a job or if we do any career counseling after they graduate.
Example Response:
We have a program here called Opportunity Hub that can help out with resume creation and job searches and we would be happy to connect you with them whenever you would like. For the past few years, we've also referred graduates to a nonprofit called Chatfield Edge if they have interest in going to college or going through a certificate program. In the past Chatfield Edge has been able to provide up to $5,000 toward student's goals. After you earn your diploma we would love to connect you with our contact at Chatfield Edge if you are interested.
This is what we tell students who ask for an enrollment letter or attendence hours when they enroll.
Example Response:
My supervisors handle all the requests for enrollment letters and attendance records. I will let them know you are requesting this. What is a good phone number or email for them to get back to you?
This section of Aspire Form 2 must be completed by CM program assistants before we can submit the student's paperwork to Aspire.
The grey PRWORA section.
Ask the student if they have an ID--if they do, check off REAL ID.
If they do not have an ID ask if they were born in the US--if yes, check birth certificate.
For any student not born in the US, we should check off greencard.
After selections are made, initial where it says staff initials and check yes next to your initial.
This is what the instructor will do after meeting a new student who has just finished their pathway convo with Erica.
Fill out a Smart goal form for them and create their portfolio (program asstistants are not responsible for checking off these items on their folder).