GED Changes Coming in 2014

Students in the process of getting their GED will have to complete their curriculum studies for graduation before the end of the year to avoid losing GED credits.

The General Education Development test is changing in January, and Rebecca Loli, coordinator for adult basic education and GED programs for A-B Tech, says it means those in the middle of getting their certificate don’t have much time left to do so. “If they have not fully completed the GED by the end of this year, their scores expire and they will need to start over on the 2014 GED series,” she explains.

In 2014, after 70 years of being administered by a nonprofit organization, the GED program will become a public-private partnership with Pearson VUE, the largest testing company in the nation.

Disparate Impact on the Poor

A report released this month by the NC Justice Center says the changes to the test may have a disproportionate impact on low-income and low-skilled adults. More than 800,000 working-age adults in North Carolina lack a high school diploma. The new GED will be available only by computer, making it less accessible to communities without up-to-date technology and people without the technical skills to take the test, explains Loli.

“Before, you might have been able to pack up your paper, pencil, and test booklets and go and administer a bunch of tests,” Loli says. “Now you have to have it set up as a computer-based, official test center.”

The new system also will test more cognitive reasoning skills than the current version. As a result, A-B Tech and other community colleges are increasing the number of teacher-led GED classes to help students with the upcoming transition.

About A-B Tech Community College

A-B Tech offers associate degrees, diplomas or certificates in more than 50 curriculum programs through its five academic divisions: Allied Health and Public Service Education, Arts & Sciences, Business & Hospitality Education, Emergency Services, and Engineering & Applied Technology.
The Division of Economic and Workforce Development/Continuing Education offers opportunities for specific job training and retraining and personal enrichment classes.

A-B Tech enrolls nearly 27,000 curriculum and continuing education students, and an estimated one in four Buncombe and Madison residents has attended a class at the college.