Sue McCrory, coordinator of the Testing Center in the Duane G. Meyer Library on Missouri State University’s campus, traveled to the St. Charles County Jail in St. Charles, MO to deliver the HiSET exam to two inmates at the request of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). HiSET is the state-accepted high school equivalency exam.

“About 18 months ago, the then-director of HISET for DESE contacted me because the program coordinator for St. Charles County Jail could not find any test administrators for the HISET local to them to administer HISET exams to their inmates who qualified,” McCrory said.

St. Charles is roughly 4 hours away from Springfield. McCrory is the only person at MSU who is certified to administer both the computer-based test as well as the paper test. Inmates at the facility do not have computer access and must take the test on paper.

In preparation for the exam, the St. Charles County Jail provides practice materials to incarcerated individuals and schedules a test only when the students are adequately prepared. There is also typically an instructor to assist with studying.

At approximately $100, the test is considered an affordable option to aid Missouri residents in obtaining an essential credential for employment. 

“Even inmates in the state prison system cannot get jobs within the prison (like the laundry or library or whatever) while they are incarcerated without a high school diploma or the equivalent. Most employers require a high school diploma or equivalent for jobs, as do any institutions of higher education,” said McCrory. “If you believe that incarceration is at least partly about rehabilitation, then this is absolutely necessary to help them improve their lives and the lives of their families when they leave prison.”

Previously, she has administered the test at the Greene County Jail and to residents of Lakeland Behavioral Health. When asked if she would like to perform this service again, her answer was a no-brainer.

“Of course,” she said. “I see this as part of our public affairs mission.”