July 1, 2015
NUMBER OF GED DIPLOMAS IN KENTUCKY DECREASE WHILE GED TEST DIFFICULTY INCREASE
The General Educational Development test, or GED, was founded as a non-profit test that sought to give people who were not able to get a high school degree an equivalent of that degree. For decades, people have been able to forever change their life by obtaining their high school degree equivalent.
Controversial changes
The enterprising spirit behind those wanting to get their GEDs may now be put to the test.
In 2014, the GED went from being a non-profit organization to being purchased by Pearson Education, a for-profit group. The test faced many changes in an effort to better align with the heavily debated Core Content curriculum currently taught in the nation’s schools.
The new test focuses more heavily on math and science. Test takers should know how to balance chemical equations, and they have to have a proficient reading comprehension among other things.
Also adding to the difficulty of the new test is the way in which the tests are taken ― completely on a computer. Every section of the new test is computerized, even the essay. Whereas the timed essay portion was written out on paper, the new GED test has a timed essay that must be typed out on a computer. This provides another layer of difficulty to students who lack basic typing and computer skills.
Kentucky’s scores down
The difficulty of this new test is evidenced by the number of people who are taking and passing the test. During the 2013 fiscal year, 8,890 students in Kentucky earned GED diplomas, according to the annual GED statistical report, which can be found online at www.gedtestinservice.com. The current fiscal year ends this month, and as of June 8, the state had issued only 1,351 diplomas, which makes Kentucky down by about 85 percent.
Ten states have already opted out of the GED test in favor of other tests like the HiSET, which is the high school equivalency exam offered by ETS, and the TASC, or Test Assessing Secondary Completion, which is the high school equivalency exam from CTB/McGraw-Hill.
Kentucky has one of the highest pass rates of the GED in the nation, improving from a 78 percent in 2013 to an 84 percent in 2014, but that number may be misleading. Anyone who wants to get their GED in the state of Kentucky must first pass a practice test before moving on to the actual GED tests. The passing rate for the state’s GED test is only affected by those people who are able to move on and take the actual test, while people who are unable to pass do not affect it at all.
Lazer Note: Lawrence County Adult and Community Education Director James Ellis could not comment on this topic due to Kentucky Adult Education protocols
