Our ELL GED class is up and running at the West Bend campus! In our ELL GED class, students are given the option of preparing for and taking the GED tests in English or in Spanish. All five GED tests are offered in both languages.

“I want to get my GED because I want a better job and it’s good for me personally,” said Apolinar, an ELL GED student on the West Bend campus.

Preparing For the GED Tests

As with our regular GED program, students choose an area of study to focus on first. The five GED tests consist of Civics, Social Studies, Science, Math, and Reading through Language Arts. Students choose a topic that they would like to study first. We work through the different units, focus on areas of need, work on test-taking skills, and take practice tests to prepare for the GED. There is a bilingual instructor on the West Bend Campus two nights a week to provide support for students in both English and Spanish. MPTC has study materials available in English and Spanish in the SSC at all three of our campuses. Books and study materials are able to be checked out from the Moraine Park Campus libraries as well. Many of our students choose to study on their own at home in addition to here on campus in order to move through the material more quickly. 

Benefits of Spanish Language Materials

Having the GED test and test prep available in Spanish is a helpful tool for our Spanish-speaking students. By having the content in one’s native language, students are able to show their knowledge base without having to face a language barrier. “I want to take the test in Spanish so I can understand everything. My first language is Spanish and I can understand [the material] better,” Marlene, an ELL GED student. Students are often able to read faster in their native language and with all of the GED tests having time constraints, offering the tests in one’s native language helps in this area as well. 

The SSC on all three campuses helps support our ELL GED students. Spanish language instruction is offered on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-6 p.m. on the West Bend campus. If you or someone you know is interested in taking the GED in English or in Spanish, please have them contact our ELL Program Support Specialist Tony Rodriguez at 262-306-5302 or arodriquez@morainepark.edu.

Last year, Moraine Park Technical College served almost 7500 students in Community Education. Of those, 36.65% were age 62 or older. We help older adults learn new skills by providing classes in subject matters from yoga to computer basics. Continue reading