WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) Program in West Plains has a new home. As of today, the program, which had been offered through the West Plains R-7 School District, is now available through Missouri State University-West Plains.
The program is temporarily being housed in Room 101 of the Lybyer Technology Center until renovations are complete at 308 Pennsylvania Ave., the former home of the Missouri State University Outreach Program offices. University officials hope to move the program to its permanent home in Pennsylvania House around Sept. 1.
“The Adult Education and Literacy Program is an important part of the West Plains community’s overall educational system,” said Dennis Lancaster, interim dean of academic affairs at Missouri State-West Plains. “We are proud to be able to host the AEL Program on our campus and to provide the support it and its staff and students need to reach their educational goals.”
The program prepares area residents to take the state’s high school equivalency examination, which is already being offered each month at the university. The program is being funded with an $88,422 grant awarded to the university by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). It will be administered by Joan Wright, who served as director of the program at West Plains R-7.
Relocation of the AEL Program came with the blessing of R-7 officials, according to Superintendent Dr. John Mulford. “Each year, the West Plains School District evaluates various programming within the district. With the retirement of the district’s AEL Program director, Mrs. Joan Wright, it made sense to review how this program fit within the overall mission and goals of the school district,” he explained.
“From the district’s perspective, there were two other entities in town that seemed to be a better fit for the administration of the AEL Program, with Missouri State-West Plains being one of them. At that point, district officials initiated conversations with university officials regarding applying for a grant that would allow them to assume administration of the AEL Program,” Mulford continued.
“Officials from Missouri State-West Plains were excited about the prospect of procuring this program, took the necessary steps to apply for the grant, and subsequently were awarded the funds to administer the program,” he added. “The best part about this transition is that the majority of the employees who served in the AEL Program for the school district were able to transition to the same role underneath the Missouri State-West Plains umbrella. The AEL Program and staff provide a valuable service to our community, and district officials believe that the shift to the university level will be a win-win for all stakeholders.”
Wright said she is pleased she will be able to continue working with the AEL Program. “When I decided to retire, I knew I wanted to continue working in some way. I have worked at Missouri State-West Plains for several years as per course faculty and have enjoyed the relationship I have with many people there. When the opportunity came up for me to remain involved in the AEL Program and continue to provide needed services to this community, it was something I didn’t think twice about. Education is vital in today’s society for people to improve the quality of their lives, both personally and professionally, and earning the high school equivalency is the first step in making that happen. I look forward to a continued relationship with the university and expanding the services in this area,” she said.
In addition to classes and other preparatory work for the state’s high school equivalency exam, the AEL Program offers preparatory services for the military’s ASVAB test and the ACT test; English as a Second Language (ESL) classes; tutoring services to improve reading, writing and math skills; and a review of basic education skills for admittance to college, vocational-technical and other advanced education programs.
The AEL Program office currently is open noon to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information about AEL Program classes, how to enroll, or the program’s other services, call 417-255-7744.