Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
According to a recent story here in this alternative Cleveland paper, which seems well-reported, there has been an astonishing drop in the number of folks passing the high school equivalency test, the GED, since it was revamped in 2014 to align with the common core. This story says passing rates have dropped by 90%, which is far more than I would have expected. (I would have expected some fall-off, but not nearly that much if this story is accurate)
Were the changes in the GED test phased in too quickly? Is it just that the new test is aligned with more difficult subject matter? And doesn't it bode badly if a second-chance test is so difficult that most of the people fail it and may need several times to retake and pass, if they pass at all? Does this basically just close off another avenue for late-bloomers, drop-outs, prisoners, and immigrants to climb the educational --or occupational--ladder?
Be interested to know what others think of this happening.
The numbers are shocking: In the United States, according to the GED Testing Service, 401,388 people earned a GED in 2012, and about 540,000 in 2013. This year, according to the latest numbers obtained by Scene, only about 55,000 have passed nationally. That is a 90-percent drop off from last year.
And there are serious repercussions. As national economic policy is emphasizing more adult education programs, and most jobs (even Walmart shelf stockers) require a high school diploma, the new GED test has pretty much moved the goal posts way back..
TWO
[i]
Quote:
...for those trying to take the GED test in 2014, passage of the high school equivalency is probably less likely than at any other point in the 70-year history of the test.
The changes were made to bring the test up to date, in some people's eyes. That meant adapting the test to reflect the new Common Core standards being taught in most high schools across the country, doing it online only and not on paper, and requiring more essays. The results have been dramatic:
THREE
[i]
Quote:
... that is precisely the problem with the current test. If the previous version didn't serve the college-driven population well, the current version doesn't serve the job-driven population at all.
John Eric Humphries, a Ph.D. candidate in education at the University of Chicago and co-author of The Myth of Achievement Tests (University of Chicago Press, 2014) says the key warning sign is not how few are passing, but how few are taking the new test. "The most shocking thing is that people taking it has plummeted," he says. "And we have to find out the reason for that. Is it the computer skills needed, the cost, or the content, or a combination?
Last edited by toobusytoday; 08-01-2015 at 05:29 AM..
Reason: PLEASE do not quote more than 3 sentences
It's highly unlikely that we will ever know why since it is a protected test. Unless you have an eidetic memory and can go in and take the test and report back as to its contents, the rest of us will not know what is on the test and whether it is flawed in function.
More and more states are moving toward alternative tests as just reported out of Texas this week. For anyone who might like some help getting their high school equivalency diploma, the http://www.gedforfree.com/ website is worth a visit.
Last edited by toobusytoday; 08-04-2015 at 06:55 PM..
On talk radio years ago the host was talking how hard the test was and he had a college degree. If it was hard then the changes must have made it harder. Students across the country are dropping out of school by the hundreds of thousands and seems it would have been easier just to stay in the school system as a lot of the GED test are things you would have learned by being in school. The cost to take the test has also increased. Its hard now for those who who have dropped out of school and done nothing arent even getting minimum wage jobs.
The GED got revamped by Pearson to align with Common Core.
The test is focused on college readiness, not workforce readiness.
Texas Board of Education had a meeting last week to discuss using McGraw Hill's test instead of Pearson's GED test.
ETS has also developed their own test.
The Pearson GED test is $120 a pop which got too expensive for some states who have switched.
On talk radio years ago the host was talking how hard the test was and he had a college degree. If it was hard then the changes must have made it harder. Students across the country are dropping out of school by the hundreds of thousands and seems it would have been easier just to stay in the school system as a lot of the GED test are things you would have learned by being in school. The cost to take the test has also increased. Its hard now for those who who have dropped out of school and done nothing arent even getting minimum wage jobs.
Dropping out of high school is very dumb in this day and age.High diploma doesn't cut it anymore. You need post high school training to making in this world.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Pearson issued a statement addressing the newfound level of difficulty, saying the new GED was purposefully designed to place students on a path to college or other career training. “Given that today’s best jobs require at least basic technology skills, the GED is now administered in a way that exercises those skills, along with a test taker’s knowledge of the curriculum.”
The statement added, “There is no doubt the GED test is rigorous. Our adult learners compete with high school graduates for jobs and entry into college and job training programs. To hold these adults to a lower standard would be doing them a great disservice.”
Last edited by toobusytoday; 07-24-2015 at 06:14 AM..
Reason: new poster with link
I am 29 years old and passed the 2014 GED about a month ago.
I found it challenging, but not impossible, and I have not stepped foot in a classroom in 12 years, or had a math lesson in 15.
I am now enrolled in community college for Winter 2016, and I feel ready to continue my education. The material they showed me that I would be working on in my math class seemed familiar from the test.
Dropping out of high school is very dumb in this day and age.High diploma doesn't cut it anymore. You need post high school training to making in this world.
Why do people generalize the GED to dropouts? You do know that people facing special circumstances in their home countries who can't prove citizenship, high school graduation, college attendance, etc., have to take it, too, right? I for one am not happy with it, because it's nearly impossible for my adult learners to pass. They need their GEDs; they need their U.S. citizenship, and they need their college degrees!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
