Earn a high school diploma through the library

The Spokane County Library District has joined a nationwide online program that will allow local residents to earn their high school diplomas and prepare for college.

The online program, called Gale Presents: Excel Adult High School, allows people to take and complete online classes at their own pace and on their own schedule. Those who complete the program will receive a high school diploma, not a GED certificate, Public Services Manager Stacey Goddard said.

“Some people really want to circle back and prove to themselves that they can earn that high school diploma,” Goddard said.

Excel Adult High School is for adults ages 25 and up. Goddard said the age limit was picked so that the program wouldn’t compete with other diploma and GED programs that exist for those close to the usual age people would graduate from high school.

Goddard said a colleague heard about the online program and Goddard thought it would benefit people who are working, taking care of family members or who live in more rural areas and lack transportation to existing programs. The program went live at www.scld.org last week and several people have signed up, including a resident in Deer Park, Goddard said.

“It’s going to give some people an option they didn’t have before,” she said.

The online program is available to anyone living inside the district’s service area, which is all of Spokane County except for within the city limits of Spokane and Liberty Lake. The digital program is not covered under the district’s reciprocal use agreement with Spokane and Liberty Lake that allow residents to borrow books no matter where they live, Goddard said.

The online program is available to any resident in that service area, even if they don’t have a library card .

“It’s not a requirement at all,” she said.

People have to apply to and be accepted into the program, but the district pays the cost instead of the student.

“Taxpayers are already paying for this,” Goddard said.

Students in the online program have up to 24 months to finish, but most people take an average of between three and six months to complete a year of high school classes, Goddard said. Completion time depends on how much time the student is able to devote to classes each day.

After applying online, applicants are asked to complete an online prerequisite course within two weeks in order to see if online learning is a good fit. Applicants are then interviewed by library staff to determine if they will be accepted into the program.

The online classes are not offered in a vacuum. Each student is assigned a “success coach” who works with them and free tutoring is available. Those approaching the end of the program are given help with career and college planning and there is also an option to earn free college credits.

“We want participants to succeed,” Goddard said.

Goddard said she’s heard of other libraries who hold graduation ceremonies for those who earn a diploma and said that is something she’d like to do here.

Nearly 6% of adults in Spokane County don’t have a high school diploma or GED and the goal is to help people earn that missing diploma as easily as possible so they can be successful, Goddard said. Based on the number of applications received so far, she’s hopeful the program will achieve that goal.

“We had a very nice response to it,” she said. “We’re very excited.”

More information is available at www.scld.org/digital-library or by email at excel@scld.org.