What Do You Know About How the GED Tests Empower America’s Young Adults?

A Forum — December 3, 2004

Introduction

The GED Tests, originally developed by the American Council on Education to measure educational outcomes of military personnel during World War II, were first used to test civilians and award a New York state high school credential in 1947. By 1974 the GED Testing Service (GEDTS) was working in partnership with all 50 states. GEDTS develops the tests and establishes minimum age and passing requirements. States award GED diplomas, establish their own compulsory attendance age, establish specific passing requirements which must meet but may exceed GEDTS passing requirements, determine the number and location of testing centers and establish the test fees. GEDTS has a contract with every state, as well as the Canadian provinces, prisons and international administration. In 2002 GEDTS administered 557,364 tests in the U.S.

According to the 2002 Census, there are more than 34 million Americans over the age of eighteen without a high school diploma. Worldwide, over 600,000 adults completed the GED Tests in 2002. Of those, approximately 70 percent (360,000) passed, thus earning their jurisdiction’s high school diploma. . Ninety-seven percent of colleges and universities accept the GED as equivalent to a traditional high school diploma; over five percent of first year college freshmen have earned a GED credential. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, more than 90 percent of U.S. employers regard GED holders as equivalent to high school graduates in hiring, salary and opportunity for advancement. Leading employers offer employees reimbursement for GED instruction classes and test fees.

Forum Summary

Joan Auchter, GED Testing Service Executive Director, stressed four major points in her presentation. First, GED Tests demand achievement. Second, GED Tests allow people to prove what they know. Third, GED diploma holders reflect the mosaic of America. Finally, GED Tests offer an opportunity to grow.

Today’s GED Tests reflect current high school curriculum standards and include content relevant to the workplace and community. The Tests, which take seven and a half hours to complete, measure the core academic disciplines of English (Language Arts-Reading and Writing), Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. The GED Tests also measure communication skills, information processing and critical thinking skills. Developed by committees of educators in each subject area, the GED Tests’ passing standards are based on the performance of a nationally representative, stratified, random sample of 15,000 high school seniors. GED passers must outperform at least 40 percent of the nation’s graduating seniors. (The national minimum standard has increased since 1994, when candidates were required to outperform 26% of graduating seniors.) Individual states may set higher passing standards, but the passing scores established by the GED Testing Service are an absolute minimum. GED Tests have been revised to reflect the skills needed for further education and employment.

GED holders are a diverse group, including many who have gone on to become highly accomplished in their fields. The GED opens doors to people who might otherwise have difficulty advancing in employment or further education. Sixty-seven percent of GED holders say they took the GED to enable them to further their education or training, and 97 percent of colleges and universities in the U.S. accept the GED for entrance. GED holders also report taking the tests in order to get a job or be promoted, and more than 90 percent of employers accept the GED as equivalent to a high school diploma for purposes of hiring, advancement and salary. Many GED holders also report taking the tests in order to be a role model and for reasons of personal satisfaction and self-esteem.

Recently, the GEDTS has changed the way it collects data, creating an international database of all GED candidates, who are asked to answer a series of questions as part of the GED Tests administration process. Eventually, GEDTS will be able to conduct longitudinal research to determine the impact of passing the tests. The new GEDTS Annual Statistical Report compiles this data.

GEDTS is seeing a trend toward younger GED test takers. About 17 percent of test takers are ages 16-17.

GEDTS administers a GED Options Program with states that have elected to allow high school enrollees to take the GED Tests as part of their high school graduation requirements. In Florida, of the 240,000 students in alternative programs, 2000 students are currently enrolled in such a program.

Question and Answer Period

During the discussion period, participants noted that with 34 million Americans without a high school diploma, there are not enough slots in the very important GED preparation programs. Ms. Auchter noted that funding for GED preparation is appropriated at the state level, with different states appropriating different levels of funding for GED programs depending on perceived need. (The testing program itself is funded by candidates’ fees.)

David Boesel of the Social Science Research Group summarized the findings of research on GED graduates. Synthesizing over 300 studies conducted through 1996 and based on the 1978 Series GED Tests, he found that in postsecondary education GED graduates were much more likely to be admitted than dropouts, but more likely than high school graduates to dropout before completion. In the labor market, GED graduates were a little more likely to remain in employment, but they were still less likely to do so than high school graduates. This shows, argued Boesel, the GED is a system for selecting and certifying those who have better thinking skills (among the high school dropouts), but that the GED is not an education and training system. The GED is a useful test; but unlike graduation, it does not screen for many important predictors of high education and workplace success, such as patience, persistence, or tolerance for authority.

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