The Big Problems With Pearson's New GED High School Equivalency Test (2023)

What may not be so well known is that what was once a program run by the non-profit American Council on Education is now a for-profit company that includes Pearson, the largest education company. biggest in the world.

And the new GED test developed by Pearson, which went into effect on January 1, 2014, is much more difficult than the old one, and the failure rates are staggering. According to the GED Testing Service, pass rates fell 90 percent in 2014 compared to the previous year, though part of the reason is that far fewer people are taking them.

How heavy is the new GED? Inthis story from Daily BeastIn January 2015, Matt Collette, an educational reporter and radio producer in New York with a master's degree from Columbia University, reported that he felt "burned out and stupid" after completing a practice GED and was in most of the four parts. good . The GED has four content areas: literacy, science, mathematics, and social studies.

Why is this so difficult? The new test, now only administered on computers, targets the Common Core and focuses on college readiness rather than workforce readiness.

Because of these problems and the cost ($120 per test), some states, including New York, have stopped using the GED.

On Tuesday, July 14, the Texas State Board of Education will host a public hearing on the Texas High School Equivalency Certificate, which requires passing the GED. Adult literacy agencies plan to testify to the growing frustration they see regarding the GED, arguing that adult education students should be able to choose which equivalency test they want to take in high school. Other test alternatives to Pearson's GEDn include McGraw Hill's HiSET and TASC HSE.

Here's a post about how the new GED is impacting adult learners by Amber Sims, vice president of strategic partnerships for the nonprofit LIFT, or Literacy Instruction for Texas, whose mission is to teach adults to read by providing basic education. for adults, GED and ESL. courses in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Sims also serves as a volunteer elementary school reader in the Dallas Independent School District and is a member of collective community work groups such as Winning in Neighborhoods Strategically and Partners in Progress, which focus on improving educational and employment opportunities for the South. of Dallas. She is also a member of The OpEd Project's Dallas Public Voices Greenhouse.

By Amber Sims

It is testing time. You're pretty confident about your chances of taking the GED test, and then the following question occurs to you in the math section:

For this question alone, you use almost five minutes of your 120 minutes for the 46-question math test. If you had the solution key, you would know: “But you can't solve this task. Because the rangefinder measures the distance from the ranger's eyes and you don't know how high his eye is above the ground."

I take this question from an actual completed GED practice test as evidence that the makers of the test have created a GED that is much more difficult than it needs to be. I can confirm this hunch by looking at the dramatic drop in the number of people who have passed the GED since its review two years ago.

According to GED Testing Services, of the 248,000 people who took the test last year, about 86,000 successfully earned a GED. That's a free fall from last year's 800,000 test takers and nearly 560,000 GED recipients in 2013.

Pearson, the UK education company and administrator of the new computer-based General Equivalency Diploma (GED), has argued that these numbers are to be expected for a new test. Many GED prep sites that serve adult learners, including LIFT, the Texas-based literacy organization I work for, would see it differently.

LIFT has been working with adults for more than 50 years and we've seen the number of students passing the GED test drop from 21 in 2013 to just two in 2014. Read the GED headlines across the country and you'll see a recurring theme: the exam is noticeably more difficult than it used to be.

Test takers must be able to write at 25 words per minute and be proficient in advanced algebra to align the new test with the National Core Curriculum. Also, the cost has increased from $80 to $120, requires a credit card on file, and there are very few local testing sites. As a result, it's nearly impossible for the average GED student to pass, and it's becoming even more impossible for us to find the GED-qualified workforce we desperately need across the country.

The test created by Pearson has now made it extremely difficult for low-income Americans to obtain a degree needed to fill virtually any job in this country, and the impact on America's identity as the "land of opportunity" is proving catastrophic. .

One such person is one of our clients named Karen, who has the intelligence, skills and experience to make her the perfect candidate for a higher paying "intermediate skills" job that offers a path out of poverty. The mother of two is a minimum wage home care aide. She has been coming to LIFT for over two years but is really struggling with this new test.

In the next few years, cities across the country will generate thousands of "middle-skill" jobs, such as programming specialists, nursing assistants, help desk and technology workers, who are said to earn an average of $25 per job. hour.to a new reportabout Dallas-Fort Worth, which is part of a series by J.P. Morgan Chase, which covers labor market conditions in major US metropolitan areas. The minimum requirement for all of these jobs requires at least a bachelor's degree or equivalent and additional education or training no higher than a bachelor's degree.

But to give more low-income, low-skilled people a chance to get those jobs, we must offer them new ways to get the credentials they need, and one way is to give adults something other than the GED to show equivalency. high school for references. In fact, 10 states have already eliminated the GED test and replaced it with other tests; Texas delayed its decision until June 2016. If we are to prepare for these jobs, states must move quickly to do the same and help add more qualified candidates to the workforce.

Getting there will require a community effort to equip more of our residents through bachelor's and equivalency training programs. Those of us in the adult education field are eager to join the effort to create more employable residents. But we need to invest more to help our residents earn a high school diploma or its equivalent to meet both the demands of employers and the needs of families.

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This is a response from Randy Trask, President of the GED Testing Service.

The recent July 9 blog article (The Big Problems with Pearson's New High School GED Equivalency Test) gets a number of things wrong, both factually and perceptionally. While we welcome a proactive conversation about the new GED® test, we must ensure that the conversation is respectful of the tens of thousands of adults who have passed the test and the thousands of adult educators who serve these adults on both the test and in the exam. prepare for life after the test.

In recent years, it has become clear from feedback from employers, colleges, universities, and test takers that the value of the GED® certificate has eroded. Although the GED® test was originally developed at the request of the United States Armed Forces Institute, the Department of Defense had downgraded the previous test to a second- or third-category credential for admission. That was a clear sign that employers were looking for a change.

It also became clear that GED® graduates were losing ground in the job market. They were unable to compete with high school graduates for the few low-skill jobs available, and fewer than 12% earned the vocational training and college degrees needed for the growing segment of mid-skill jobs. In fact, research by a Nobel Prize-winning economist shows that the earnings and other key outcomes of GED® graduates were comparable to those of high school dropouts, not college graduates. However, GED® graduates quickly saw that their income and career prospects were similar to those of high school graduates when they pursued vocational or college education.

Today's GED® graduates want jobs as firefighters, teachers, paramedics, certified nursing assistants, dental hygienists, and computer programmers, to name a few. These jobs require higher education, additional professional training, or special certification. Whether it's the military, fast food, retail, hospitality or health care, employers want employees with the skills now measured by the GED® test. Skills like critical thinking, problem solving, and digital literacy.

Furthermore, the blog post relies on false information to promote a one-sided view. The GED® test sample question is not a question that does not appear on either the GED® test or the practice test, and it is not even a question from a reputable textbook. The Daily Beast article referenced in the article is based on the author's reaction to a practice test that is not an official GED® practice test, although the author wants readers to believe that is the case. . Why bother using fake questions when you can find examples of authentic GED® test questions on the GED® website?

Contrary to what the article suggests, I am happy to report that the national pass rate for the GED® test is approximately 68% over the past six months. One in four states currently have a pass rate of over 70% and a handful have a pass rate of over 80%
Proof. For comparison, the national pass rate for the above test in 2012 was 69%. In fact, on the new GED® test, students do better in all subjects except math. They do almost the same in math as they did on the previous GED® test, but they can no longer make up for a lower math score with higher scores in other subjects. You see, in the past, GED® test takers could hide lower math scores by applying additional points from other subjects to reach the passing score total. As of January 2014, students must demonstrate the mathematical proficiency of an average US high school student to pass the GED® test and receive a certificate demonstrating true equivalency to high school level knowledge and skills. We must ensure that our adults have the skills and knowledge of a typical high school graduate to restore confidence in the GED® certification and prepare more adults for jobs in today's workforce.

Throughout the history of the GED® program, each new series of GED® tests has changed to meet the new needs of students. Each time the test changed, students demonstrated that they could meet the requirements, and employers benefited from a better educated and better prepared workforce. This will be the case again. We are already seeing trend lines that show GED® graduates are entering college and career programs in greater numbers. We have thousands of success stories directly from GED® graduates, like 52-year-old Sergio from Texas. I encourage you to read some of the incredible stories that GED® graduates have told. They are proud of their achievements and we should be equally proud of their achievements and future prospects.

The focus should not be on which test is easier to pass, but on how we as a nation invest time, energy, and resources to give these students a real second chance at a better life, not a second chance at poverty.

randy trask
President, GED Testing Service

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And here's a response to Trask from Amber Sims, author of the post:

While tens of thousands of people have equipped themselves with a GED, tens of thousands more have been left without living wage jobs and a better life for themselves and their families because of a test imposed on them. Americans want and need additional high school equivalency testing options.

Mr. Trask acknowledges that the GED pass rate has hit 68% in the last six months, but he does not provide data to counter the 2014 figures. It should also be noted that these dates and other dates he lists are not yet They are on the GED website. In fact, more than halfway through 2015, GED officials have yet to release the official numbers for the 2014 test, and the last press release on their website is from January 2015 (apart from the response to this post ). If these numbers are to be used in articles, GED officials must also provide documentation to support these claims and make them readily available.

Mr. Trask points out that people are now looking for jobs like firefighters and teachers, they always have been. The real difference is that no matter what career path people are seeking, the GED or other high school equivalency test becomes a prerequisite. GED officials collect data that concludes that some people are looking for a job while others are looking to further their education. GED leaders should consider separate tests to differentiate these two very different populations.

In response, GED officials failed to address the enormous costs associated with testing and preparing for nationally recognized tests, and how you can use your stature to work with states to reduce the costs that thousands of Americans face and represent a very heavy burden. real. While earning a high school diploma is a great investment, test takers should not have to choose between taking the test or jeopardizing their quality of life.

LIFT would like to invite Mr. Trask to Texas to meet with some of LIFT's student workers and local employers who need to hire entry-level employees so he can hear their feedback and explain his position to them personally. LIFT is honored to host the meeting and continue the dialogue on this very important topic.

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Update: The Texas State Board of Education decided to submit an RFP offer to explore alternatives to the GED test.