Literacy Education classes are offered to provide an educational opportunity to a broad range adults who wish to improve their proficiency in a variety of basic educational skills or who need to complete their high school or equivalent program. These classes are designed to meet the needs of adult learners 18 years of age or older. Potential students who are 16 or 17 years old will need to first attend an Information Session for Minors as part of an application process prior to admission into any of the Literacy Education classes. Click here for more information on the Minor Sessions or call VGCC at (252) 492-2061, ext 3315.

Basic Skills now offers a class for nonreaders and/or new readers! The class is designed to help adults who are new to the world of reading or for whom reading has always been a difficult struggle. This nontraditional classroom setting greatly helps students progress in the reading process. For more information, call VGCC @ (252) 492-2061, ext. 3315.

Adult Basic Education (ABE) classes are offered to prepare students for the reading, writing and math requirements of today's technological world. Students work with instructors to improve in areas the student, instructor and tests indicate are areas of limited proficiency. In VGCC's ABE classes, students learn the basic skills needed in order to enroll in either the Adult High School Diploma Program or the GED Program.

General Education Development (GED) classes help adults earn the equivalent of a high school diploma by preparing them for the five-part certification test, the General Education Development Test. The GED test measures a student's proficiency in writing, social studies, science, literature and arts, and math. The GED test is administered on campus regularly. GED instructors guide students through an individualized study process and together they determine when the student is ready for testing. Each class instructor is trained to administer practice GED tests. When students demonstrate proficiency on these practice tests, an appointment is made for the official GED test with the chief GED examiner. The cost of the GED test is $7.50.

The Adult High School Diploma Program is currently offered during the day at each of VGCC's four campuses. The curriculum was developed by the North Carolina Community College System and is approved by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The curriculum reflects the subject content and testing requirements set by the Department of Public Instruction. Classes are free, but students are required to purchase their own books. In order to qualify for admission, a student must be 18 years of age, and demonstrate reading proficiency on at least a beginning high school level and should need less than 5 credits to complete high school. Call VGCC at (252) 492-2061, ext 3456.

The objective of Literacy Online is to provide educational opportunities primarily for adults 18 years or older and for certain other persons who have, by the necessities of life, taken on various adult responsibilities. The program addresses the needs of these persons who lack sufficient mastery of basic skills to enable them to function as effectively as possible in society. Literacy Online expands the opportunities for a subset of potential students to address these skill issues outside of a traditional classroom environment through the use of the Internet and computer technology. Literacy Online programs includes complete Adult High School Diploma (AHSD) and General Education Development (GED) programs. Literacy Online is offered on a semester basis, utilizing curriculum aligned with the requirements of the State of North Carolina and is FREE to any resident of North Carolina who does not have a high school diploma. For more information, contact VGCC by e-mail or call (252) 492-2061, ext 3212.

If you are interested in a Literacy Education course for obtaining your GED or high school diploma, or for improving your basic skills through online learning, contact VGCC by e-mail or call (252) 492-2061, ext. 3315, for more information.