GED Testing Service tracks the outcomes of GED graduates in a number of ways. One of the metrics we look at is what percentage of and how quickly GED graduates go on to postsecondary education programs.

For context, under the 2002 program about 60% of candidates reported that they took the GED test to enable them to go to college. The most recent data for the previous program (from 2009) indicated that about 46% percent of GED graduates had gone on to postsecondary education within 6 years of completing their credential, but only about 12% of graduates of that program ever obtained any type of postsecondary credential.

The study postsecondary progression rates under the current program that has been in place since 2014, we selected a random sample of GED graduates who received their credential in 2014, and then tracked their progress in postsecondary education through matching data with the National Student Clearinghouse. The table below shows data on those students in subsequent years:

We also selected additional samples of GED graduates who credentialed in 2015 and 2017, to compare their one-year PSE progression rate to the original 2014 sample, to see if there was consistency in moving to postsecondary education over the years. That data is summarized in the table below:

This data match shows that graduates of the 2014 GED program are moving on to postsecondary education at a faster pace than under the previous program, that the postsecondary progression rates appear to be fairly stable over different cohorts of students, and that the rate of postsecondary enrollment over time is in line with the motivation for taking the GED test that was originally identified by candidates in the year they credentialed.

In next month’s Marty’s Corner, I will share how GED graduates are performing in postsecondary institutions based on findings from this data match.

–Martin Kehe, Vice President of Assessment Services for GED Testing Service

GED Testing Service will be offering several presentations and professional development workshops during COABE’s 2019 Annual Conference being held March 31st through April 3rd at the Marriott New Orleans.

While you’re at the conference be sure to stop by booth 701 to meet the GED team and get new flyers, brochures, classroom posters and GED swag!

We also encourage you to join us at the Presidents’ Welcome Reception sponsored by GED Testing Service. Monday, April 1st from 6 to 8 pm you will have the opportunity to mingle and network with fellow educators at the Cabildo New Orleans in the historic French Quarter.

Reception attendees will have the chance to join us in a traditional second line parade from the Marriott to the Cabildo.

Here’s a rundown of the professional development sessions we’re offering each day:

Monday, April 1

Unique Solutions for a Unique Environment

Testing in corrections has its own unique challenges from test preparation to test delivery. This session will review successful classroom modifications, tools and resources for educators, and test delivery considerations for the unique situations that arise for test administrators.

Presenter: Mellissa Hultstrand
Room: Regent
Time: 8:00 am – 9:00 am

You, Your Students, and the GED® Score Reports—Success Begins Here!

If you have been thinking that the only thing score reports do is provide students with their test scores, we are about to change your mind. In this double session, we will dig deeper into how to score the extended response and the information on the score reports so you can target and personalize instruction across all four content areas.

Presenter: Debi Faucette
Room: Regent
Time: 11:15 am -12:15 pm

Tools, Tips, and Products to Improve Student Pass Rates

New tools from GED® Testing Service are helping teachers identify exactly where their students need more focus to be successful on the GED® Test. New products for students and teachers will be introduced to help students practice and supplement classroom instruction.

Presenters: Brian Smith and Vicki Greene
Room: Regent
Time: 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

The GED® Test After 5 Years: Outcomes, Ongoing Research, and What’s on the Horizon?

This session will examine the GED® test that has now been in operation for 5 years. We’ll discuss some of the recent format modifications, improvements on the horizon, and what we’ve learned to date. In addition, the presenters will provide updated information on student outcomes.

Presenter: Ann Evers
Room: Regent
Time: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Tuesday, April 2

All About Accommodations

The accommodation landscape is changing rapidly. It is important for everyone to understand what accommodations are available on high stakes tests which will help candidates with disabilities unmask their potential. This session will discuss the types of accommodations that are available and how to assist test takers in securing the proper documentation to request them.

Presenter: Debbie Bergtholdt
Room: Balcony K
Time: 8:00 am – 9:00 am

Reading, Reasoning, and the GED® Test

In this session, we will explore reading and reasoning strategies that can help your students better understand what they are reading, essential skills for the GED® test, and real-life situations at work and home.

Presenter: Susan Pittman
Room: Regent
Time: 8:00 am – 9:00 am

GED® Educational Innovation: Tools, Tips and Resources

If you have worked in adult education less than 18 months, this workshop will boost your understanding of the components of the GED® Program and provide the inside scoop on the content area tests. This session will also highlight key instructional areas that are challenging for students and how you can focus instruction in your classroom.

Presenter: Scott Salesses
Room: Regent
Time: 11:00 am -12:00 pm

Improving GED® Student Persistence

This session will discuss how GED® Testing Service is using behavioral tools to create a student-centered experience and help more adult learners persist and earn a GED® credential. We will share the student journey research we have conducted and how what we found can be applied to adult education classrooms to help your students persist, graduate, and identify a career pathway.

Presenter: Sarita Parikh
Room: Regent
Time: 1:15 pm – 2:15 pm

New Look – Same Reasoning Through Language Arts

The results are in, and the Reasoning through Language Arts Test has changed to meet the needs of today’s GED® test-takers. In this session, you will have an opportunity to explore new strategies to help students build their skills and earn more points on the RLA test.

Presenter: Adora Beard
Room: Regent
Time: 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm

Wednesday, April 3

Interpreting Visual Images in Science and Social Studies

Our world is filled with visual images. In fact, we often skip the text and go straight to the graphics for the information we need. Join us as we explore strategies and activities you can use to help students enhance their graphic literacy skills in science and social studies.

Presenter: Susan Pittman
Room: Regent
Time: 8:00 am – 9:00 am

Reading, Reasoning, and the GED® Test

In this session, we will explore reading and reasoning strategies that can help your students better understand what they are reading, essential skills for the GED® test, and real-life situations at work and home.

Presenter: Susan Pittman
Room: Regent
Time: 8:00 am – 9:00 am

GED® Math—Getting Back to Basics

Are your students struggling with some of the basic concepts in math? During this session, instructors will explore strategies and activities to help students gain fluency and consistency in quantitative reasoning.

Presenter: Thomas Ross
Room: Regent
Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Algebra Functions and Inequalities—Addressing Challenges in the GED® Classroom

Join us as we explore strategies and activities to help students come to grips with inequalities and functions. You’ll learn how to connect these concepts to real-life situations, so students can see that they use these two concepts every day and don’t even know it.

Presenter: Ronald Cruz
Room: Napoleon
Time: 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm

Calhoun Community College’s Adult Education Program serves 800 to 1,000 GED students annually.

The program offers GED classes at 29 locations including their campuses in Decatur and Huntsville, Alabama, and Corrections facilities and community partner locations throughout a defined service area.

In a recent interview with Janet Kincherlow-Martin, Dean of Institutional Advancement, and Dana Wolfe, Director of Adult Education, we learn more about how the program is using creative marketing campaigns to recruit and enroll GED students.

Could you tell me more about Calhoun Community College’s Adult Education program?

Dana: We have a large diverse program that covers four counties. We offer GED classes, bridge classes, ESL, pathway programs (Ready to Work), WorkKeys assessment, ACT prep and partner with the Manufacturers Skills Standards Council to offer marketable entry level manufacturing skills certifications.

How do you work with the adult education program?

Dana: I am the Director of Adult Education for Calhoun Community College. I administer the program and also aid with student development through curriculum and teacher management.

Janet: As Dean of Institutional Advancement, my office is responsible for marketing all programs through various vehicles. We do press releases and create other collateral that’s shared with career centers. We also build our visibility through social media, our own internal media, the website and advertise through the marquee on campus.

Could you explain how the “GED 4 Me” promotion works?

Dana: It will launch after spring break (late March) and students can come to any campus and take a GED Ready test for free and if they pass all four subjects they can take the operational GED test for free.

Janet: We are thinking that if we get students in the door that is the first step—they are often intimidated about coming on campus. We try to reach them where they are through classes with our community partners. You are less likely to be intimidated going to your church to take GED classes if a college campus intimidates you.

How did this come about? What was the inspiration?

Janet: We did a similar promotion a year ago called “SEE 4 Free.” We have a creative team and we typically like to sit down with everyone on campus because we see ourselves as an in-house ad agency. The emphasis for the campaign was meeting people where they are right now and helping them take the steps they need to earn their GED credential.

Have you seen success with students using similar promotions?

Dana: Within two weeks of advertising our phones were ringing off the hook, we still get calls and inquiries related to the “SEE 4 Free” promotion. I noticed that our enrollment jumped almost 100 students over a month, we had 200 GED graduates come out of our program. It definitely helped with our enrollment and testing numbers.

What are your tips for other programs looking to start similar promotions to support potential GED testers?

Janet: We try to incorporate a lot of different avenues. We rely very heavily on social media for all marketing. The biggest thing is to look at all the options you have— often people say they don’t have the money for advertising. Advertising is the wrong word, they should be thinking more along the lines of marketing because it includes everything and that’s a better way to go about promoting a program.

How is your program connecting your students to workforce development opportunities?

Dana: We offer them the opportunity to become a Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) Certified Production Technician (CPT) which is offered for free through a Department of Commerce grant. Through a partnership with the college we also offer other programs that help them gain career skills including a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Program and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) classes.

What do you enjoy most about working with adult learners?

Janet: I’ve worked with the community college and in education for a long time. The passion for what we do is contagious. You know you’ve made a difference in someone’s life if you’ve ever gone to an adult education/GED graduation and seen the excitement of all the graduates.

Dana: I got into adult education 20 years ago working with the homeless. It has given me the opportunity to see the positive transition—you get to know someone and you help chart out a career pathway for them. You connect them with community resources and people who can help change the dynamics in their life. It’s a blessing and I’ve never cried as much as I do at graduation.

The GED test program is growing internationally—helping students around the world earn their GED credential.

In fact, students in more than 85 countries sat for the test in 2018.

Members of GED Testing Service recently traveled to two Asian countries to meet with current and prospective students to learn more about their experiences and motivations for earning a GED credential. We’ll use this additional information to better understand how to help students understand and better assist those students.

Internationally students utilize the GED credential almost entirely for entry into local and international universities, so we’ve also spent time talking with some universities and government officials.

Beyond our recent student research, we’ve been working with teachers and preparation programs in countries like Bangladesh, South Africa and Thailand. We’ve held professional development workshops to help teachers understand the program and prepare students for the test.

In 2019 we plan to share launch an updated international section on the GED.com website with an enhanced experience for students and preparation partners abroad. We also plan to share more international GED graduate stories there and in our U.S. communications as we welcome learners from across the globe into the GED alumni network.