graduates than any other department
D program low key' but successful
ligh it is keeping low key the Adult
Ication/General Educational Deve-
BABE/GED) program at Clackamas
ty College is perhaps the most
[program at the college.
BED will have over 100 graduates
line 10 graduation ceremonies at
It's more graduates than any other
pt, according to Dave Simpkins,
[itchairman of ABE/GED.
basic skills in math and English of
[graduating from this program are
pie to or better than those of stu-
graduating
from ordinary high
[saidSimpkins. "Some college trans-
ctors tell me with surprise that one
pest students was in our program."
BE program is for those adults who
r below grade school levels and
jiem those skills necessary to enter
ol.
[he GED program takes over and
student gain skills equivalent to a
ol education.
130 day students and 350 night
[range in age from 16 to 55 with
cent of these reading at an eighth
pl or below. They are in the pro
puse they dropped out of high
[junior high school and now must
ducation so they can successfully
job market.
[of our students are federal, state
re agency clients," said Simpkins,
[here to get basic skills to qualify
job market or to enter vocational
Most of them go into occupational
And most of those interested in occu
pational skills continue at CCC.
"A higher percentage of our graduates go
to Clackamas than graduates who attend
other schools in the district," said Simp
kins. "We've had transfers from other pro
grams who think most highly of Clackamas
and continue here also."
The ABE/GED program has a high degree
of success, even though most of its students
have failed at one thing or another and come
from bad school experiences.
"I would say that with those students
under 17 we succeed with 50 -o 55 per
cent of them, with 17-year-olds we succeed
with 75 to 80 per cent and with those 18
and over 90 per cent," said Simpkins, "and
these are all people who have failed else
where."
The programs concentrate on teaching
students basic skills of reading, writing and
arithmetic. They learn math through al
gebra and geometry, English grammar and
spelling and a core of principles, concepts
and terms in literature, social studies and
science.
ABE/GED has been in operation for 12
years and was started by Helen Myers, who
held classes in basements, churches or when
ever she could get space. The college picked
it up in 1969 and it has been funded since
then like any other program at the school
with added Federal funding.
"The federal funds are used to pay
students' tuition which would be the same
as any other college student. Not having
these funds would prohibit most of these
people from taking advantage of the pro
gram," said Simpkins. .
"We're nothing more than a country
school with all the emphasis placed on
readin', 'ritin' and 'rithmetic," he said. "We
also give lots of individual attention and
place most of our ¡emphasis on reading be
cause how can a person learn anything if he
can't read."
Tufts leaving
Marlene Tufts, a psychology instructor
at Clackamas Community College, will be
leaving this August for a year in Hawaii.
She has been teaching at CCC since
1969, and will take a leave of absence for
her stay in Hawaii, then return to teaching
at CCC in the fall of 1978.
Tufts is going to start on her doctorate
at the University of Hawaii. She received
her masters at Sacramento State University
in California. Specializing in physiologic; I
psychology, Tufts will be studying sex and
gender.
Her husband and two daughters will be
going with her. "They're almost more en-
thused than I am about going. I prefer
Oregon weather, because I just get sun
burned. I just plan to work a lot and learn
a lot," said Tufts.
Tuft's first priority on the sabbatical
list is to get half of her salary paid while
she's gone. "I'm sure I'll learn more to
benefit Clackamas students," said Tufts.
for your books
at the CCC Bookstore
West Coast Book
June 7 and 8
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