STERLING, Ill.— A wall in the Whiteside County Regional Office of Education serves as an encouraging but bittersweet reminder to the staff of the Education Outreach Program.Beth Hubbard, program coordinator and case manager looks at the student pictures plastered across it and recalls their stories. There was Natalie*, a 20 year-old student who wanted to graduate but thought she was too far behind. And she remembers Daniel*, a student who struggled to finish his education as a result of becoming a young parent. But Natalie and Daniel were able to achieve their educational goals. “Several of these students are 20 years old and while they are technically able to go back to school, logistically it’s not feasible for them,” Hubbard said. “Stars Suite™ is the only thing that can allow them to complete their courses anytime, anywhere—it’s been a lifesaver. “Stars Suite is the only thing that can allow them to complete their courses anytime, anywhere—it’s been a lifesaver.” Stars Suite features 39 state-correlated courses for grades six through 12 with tracks specifically designed to help students recover credit or accelerate their progress, as well as tools to sharpen their skills for the state test, GED, or the transition to high school. The program, fully supported through a grant from the Northwest Illinois Workforce Investment Board, had already been working for a few years to help low-income students obtain their GED and gain work skills. But Hubbard faced some unique challenges. Often, students came to her only a few credits shy of earning their high school diploma. However, due to transportation issues or other difficulties, some were having trouble finishing their education because they couldn’t make it to class every day. In 2005, program administrators discovered Stars Suite and thought the flexible Web-based program would be the perfect solution. “We don’t have a county-wide alternative school, so this helped us provide an alternative program,” she said. “There was a huge gap that we’ve now been able to close in our county.” Thanks to the Web-based program, 35 students who would have otherwise failed to graduate, have been able to earn their diplomas. While the program has heavily used Stars Suite’s Novel™, its library of core and elective courses, the program instructor, Cathy Jacoby, said they are also trying Stars Suite’s Web-based GED Duo™. GED Duo’s powerful, dual-track GED preparation program raises achievement levels and helps students master skills needed to pass the GED exam. Like the Novel program, GED Duo is available anytime, from anywhere with an Internet connection, enabling busy students to fit study time into their schedules. Recently, the Education Outreach Program was awarded the Outstanding Youth Program Award by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for its service to students in the community. The honor, awarded to exceptional programs, projects, or initiatives that either prepare youth for the workforce or keep them in school, is given to only one program each year. Whiteside County Regional Superintendent of Schools Gary Steinert said he’s proud of the program’s positive impact on students. “The award shows that we’ve put together an exemplary program,” Steinert said. “But the bottom line is we’re helping students get back into school and get their GED or high school diploma. I’m proud of the number of students who have been successful in doing that.” *Name changed to protect student identity
