GED test changes affecting passing rates - Monitor
When the test was changed in 2002 it had five sections: writing skills, interpreting literature and the arts, social studies, science and mathematics. It now has four sections: science, social studies, mathematical reasoning and “reasoning through language arts. The previous test, Klowetter said, was written at an eighth-grade level, and now it’s at a 10th- or 11th-grade level. Development of the new test began in 2011. The American Council on Education partnered with Pearson Education and formed a jointly owned entity called GED Testing Service. The entity was formed to create a new exam, said DeEtta Culbertson, spokeswoman for the Texas Education Agency. “As a result, examinee fees have been standardized for the computer-based administration of the exams, automated scoring and online registration systems,” Culbertson said. The new exam is aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and the Texas College and Career Readiness Standards, Culbertson said. The test, she added, is designed to measure the application of knowledge rather than knowledge itself. However, several organizations across the state, including the Tarrant Literacy Coalition, Literacy Connexus and Literacy Texas, are protesting the exam for several reasons. Klowetter, a member of Literacy Texas, said there has been a dramatic drop in the number of people getting their GED. Source: www.themonitor.com
