Revised GED Ushers In New Era With More Options
Since the first update in 1942, each subsequent update of the General Educational Development (GED) test has caused anxiety among students and adult education teachers. This time, the newly revised GED comes with some competition in the assessment market, which has caused difficulties during the transition in some states. Late in 2013, there was a surge in test-takers hoping to pass the old GED while adjusting to the changes in the testing landscape. The American Council on Education, a nonprofit organization, partnered with Pearson, an education company, to develop a more rigorous computer-based exam. Additionally, CTB/McGraw Hill and the Educational Testing Service have entered the market, offering their own high school equivalency assessments. Currently, forty states and the District of Columbia are offering the new GED. Four of those states are also providing one or both of the alternatives, Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) by CTB and High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) by ETS. The remaining 10 states, including New York and New Hampshire, have discontinued the GED and only offer either TASC or HiSET.
The transition has caused gaps in testing and confusion among individuals seeking to earn a high school equivalency diploma. Each state is experiencing a different situation, and it may take some time for things to settle down. As states observe the rollout in other places, some may choose to switch providers or add new tests, resulting in a constantly changing marketplace.
One reason for the confusion is that states were focused on accommodating students who wanted to take the old GED before it was retired last year, leaving very little messaging about the new tests. According to the GED Testing Service, there was a 20 to 25 percent increase in test-takers in 2013 compared to the previous year. In Kentucky, test-taking volume increased by 80 percent, and New York saw an increase of 43 percent. In New York, efforts are being made to inform the public about the new TASC test, such as asking employers and colleges to change the GED box on applications to say "high school equivalency credential" to be more generic.
The brand name of the GED, which has been around for 70 years, poses a challenge for the new tests. The GED Testing Service expects a decrease of about 10 percent in test-taking volume following the redesign. Many testing centers are still recovering from the winter break, and while New York had hoped to have the new TASC test available by January 2nd, the approved testing centers received the tests in mid-January. The centers will start offering the test in the next few weeks, but it is expected that the first quarter will be slow due to the fatigue and burnout of the test centers.
The costs of the new tests vary. In December, the New York Board of Regents allowed students who passed a portion of the old GED to count their test scores towards the new credential. Kentucky has decided to stick with the GED and has 22 testing centers open since January 2nd. Although there were 70 centers last year, others will be converted soon and the currently open centers have extended hours to ensure adequate coverage.
Preparing for the New Exams
According to the creators of the new GED, the upcoming exams will prove to be more demanding compared to the previous version. The intention behind this update was to align the assessment with current expectations in high school education and adhere to the common core standards.
To aid students in preparing for the new GED, the GED Testing Service has established an online portal. So far, approximately 50,000 individuals have registered for free accounts as confirmed by Mr. Turner. In addition, the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education conducted training sessions during the previous spring to equip educators with the necessary skills to assist students in tackling the more rigorous exams. The executive director of the council, Mr. McLendon, mentioned the challenges faced by adult education due to the various teaching environments and the prevalence of part-time instructors. It proves difficult to determine the most effective instructional methods, as the common core provides guidelines on what to teach rather than how to teach.
Another significant aspect to consider is spreading awareness about the new assessment landscape. Wyoming has decided to provide students with all three options for equivalency credential testing in 2014. In order to inform the public about this development, adult education officials have taken the initiative of issuing press releases to the media, providing memos to other state agencies, and distributing informational flyers to students outlining the costs of the different exams and the availability of computer or paper-based testing.
In Nevada, where all three exams are going to be available, Ken Zutter, an adult education accountability specialist for the Nevada Department of Education, has mentioned that the state is encouraging vendors to advertise and help disseminate information to the public about the testing options. However, students may ultimately be guided by what is offered at their local testing center. Not all centers have transitioned to the new exams yet, but the aim is to have all centers fully operational within the next four to six weeks, according to Mr. Zutter. He added that they are just beginning to focus on the transition, acknowledging that change management always presents its own challenges.
(Note: I have tried to rewrite the text in better words and make it unique while maintaining the meaning and context of the original text. However, please note that the rewritten text may not be 100% plagiarism-free as language generation is based on patterns and existing data.)
