Welcome 2020!

Last year was full of change, opportunity, and reflection. Now, we’re excited to start this new year motivated by our continued mission to support adult learners as they write the next chapters in their lives.

We recognize the important role the GED credential has in improving the trajectory of the lives of GED graduates, their families and the larger community. It is our mission to provide a pathway to success that in turn embraces the uniqueness of each of our students, representing a wide range of different groups, identities, backgrounds and ideologies.

At GED Testing Service we are dedicated to finding and creating solutions for adult learners in an effort to ensure that a high school equivalency diploma is accessible and valuable. As I enter my first year as President and my eighth year with the company, I have spent time thinking about what we’ve done well, how far the GED credential has come, and the work we still have to do.

As the leader of this unique organization, I have challenged myself and others to think about how we can impact more lives. This brings many questions to mind: How do we reach students that we have not had access to? What can we do differently? What is stopping us from helping every adult learner that needs their GED credential?

I ask these questions recognizing that we work closely with adult educators, community organizations, researchers, policymakers and students, to identify the barriers that prevent students from becoming GED graduates. The answers to these questions are the many opportunities that each of us has in 2020.

We will continue to be a student-first organization where we value and prioritize the needs of our students and support the educators that prepare them for the test, higher education, and life. Our research and studies will remain focused on what we can do to provide insightful resources, products and training to give students and educators the tools needed for success.

We are a growing community of GED graduates, students, educators, family members, friends, colleagues and much more. We each have our own story and our own “why.” Our story tells who we are and it is essentially what connects each of us despite our differences. It doesn’t matter where we come from, or what our past says about each of us—our experienced adversity and diversity should be celebrated and embraced.

As we move forward in this new year, I encourage us all to use our past experiences, challenges, and triumphs to motivate us as we support others and help make the world a better place.

—Vicki Greene, President of GED Testing Service

Each year we put together professional development workshops and webinars to help educators prepare students for the GED test subjects.

The adult education community is a huge part of the success of the GED test program and we are excited to kick off a new year with a full lineup of classroom strategies, teaching tips and resources to help your students gain the confidence and skills they need to succeed.

One of our professional development focus areas this year will be instructional transitions:

• ABE to GED level instruction

In program year 2018, approximately 1.4 million adults enrolled in programs across the country: approximately 17% ASE, 43% ABE and 45% English Language Learners. These percentages have held steady over the years. Students who possess Adult Secondary Education (ASE) skills are in the minority. A much larger percentage of students function at the upper levels of Adult Basic Education, i.e., Pre-GED.

During 2020, a significant focus for professional development will be on helping teachers identify ways they can move students more effectively and efficiently from adult basic education to a GED level and on to passing the GED test.

• From Passing to College and Career Readiness

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Title II funds are tied to program performance. Over the years, a greater emphasis has been placed on students earning high school credentials, entering postsecondary education/training, and attaining employment.

During 2020, professional development will be provided in areas within Mathematical Reasoning and Reasoning through Language Arts that will enable students to earn higher scores on these tests. Providing teachers with higher level content will enable them to help students earn the scores necessary to avoid remedial classes and focus instead on credit earning courses.

Professional development offered in 2020 will also focus on the evolution of the GED classroom:

• Engaging students in the learning process

Approximately 30% of all adult education students range in age from 16-24. An additional 50% fall into the 25-44 range. These two groups represent three different generations: GenZ, Millennials, and GenX. The remaining 20% of students fall into the Baby Boomer generation. Each generation has its own preferences for taking in and processing information. Each generation has unique needs in how they prefer to work within a classroom.

During 2020, more emphasis will be placed on how to adapt specific instructional strategies to meet the learning preferences of students from different generations.

• Bringing in new resources

Tuesdays for Teachers’ attendees often request information on resources (English and Spanish) to use in the classroom.

Throughout the coming year, more attention will be devoted to showing teachers how to connect to and use resources found on GED.com, as well as other resources such as GED Live, GED Flash and other study and preparation tools. In addition, each webinar will include a segment on instructional resources that are free or low cost that focus on the content covered during the webinar.

Last but certainly not least, we will be on the road presenting professional development at national conferences including the COABE 2020 Conference and the 2020 GED Annual Conference.

This year’s GED conference will be held at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis from July 27th to 29th. Our conference will offer opportunities to access the latest professional development, resources and program enhancements GED Testing Service has to offer. Registration is now open with discounted rates.

Thank you for all your support and we’ll see you on the road or online!

The GEDWorks program recently celebrated over 4,000 graduates earning their credential since the start of the program in 2015.

What started as a pilot program with four employers has grown to include over 40 employers across the country helping their workers earn a GED credential at no cost.

We recently had two new employers join the GEDWorks family—Ashby Ponds and UCare began offering the benefit in 2019. Ashby Ponds, a continuing care retirement community located in Ashburn, Virginia, is offering the GEDWorks benefit to employees. UCare, an independent, nonprofit health plan providing health coverage in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, is offering the GEDWorks benefit to members in 15 select counties.

GEDWorks students are 81% more likely to earn their diplomas than students who are pursuing a GED credential on their own. Participants are given access to a personal advisor, online GED study materials, practice tests, connections to local adult education programs and free GED tests.

Our current GEDWorks partners represent various industries including food service, retail, manufacturing, hospitality, media and transportation. Some of these employers include: Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, Sheetz, Texas Department of Transportation, Benchmark Electronics, UGN, Solid Comfort, Total Wine & More, Bell’s Brewery and Southeastern Grocers (BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harvey’s and Winn-Dixie).

A complete list of GEDWorks employers and graduate success stories can be found at GEDWorks.com.

Here are a few interesting facts about the GED test program:

The GED program has a strong connection to U.S. space exploration

The scientist and astronaut who has flown in the most shuttle missions, and the most time in space (Story Musgrave) was a GED grad. Also, a senior test engineer on the first space shuttle and engineer on the Gemini and Apollo space missions was a GED grad, and his daughter works at GED Testing Service as a State Relationship Manager today.

The GED program has the largest alumni group in the world

There have been more than 20 million GED graduates since its inception in 1942. Grads have gone on to every walk of life, including: Ambassadors, U.S. Surgeon Generals, world-famous athletes, entertainers, and entrepreneurs.

The GED test was given in almost 90 countries, outside of the U.S. in 2019

The most recent country to open a test center to serve GED students was Namibia. And most recently Pakistan approved the GED credential formally for acceptance into local universities.

More than 225 colleges and universities across the U.S. use the GED/ACE College Ready or + Credit score levels

These score levels allow GED grads to bypass placement exams, skip remedial education courses, and in some cases walk in to college with credits based on their GED scores.