In an era where education intersects seamlessly with technology, we are so proud to introduce two groundbreaking initiatives aimed at revolutionizing the learning experience: the Education Unplugged podcast and the new GED mobile app, GED & me™

I am happy to share information about our new podcast Education UnplugGED, which I host. My podcast interviews take you on a journey to uncover the evolving landscape of education and workforce development. Through candid conversations with thought leaders, educators, and industry experts, I’ll delve into pressing topics shaping the future of learning. From innovative teaching methodologies to the impact of technology on educational outcomes, each episode offers listeners a deep dive into the challenges and opportunities facing education today.

My conversations with guests from diverse backgrounds provide a 360-degree view of how education is adapting to meet the demands of a rapidly changing workforce. Whether you’re an educator, a student, or an industry professional, this podcast promises to inspire, inform, and provoke thought on the future of learning.

Mark your calendars for an event that promises to ignite inspiration and innovation in the adult education ecosystem. From July 24-26, 2024, GED Testing Service proudly presents We Are Not Done Yet. This gathering of educators, program administrators, industry leaders, and learners alike will delve into the future of education and the continued pursuit of excellence in academic achievement and innovative partnerships and apprenticeships and other options for GED graduates.

The theme of the conference We Are Not Done Yet captures the ongoing journey towards educational advancement, innovation, and empowerment. In a rapidly changing global landscape, the quest for knowledge and skill development never ceases. “We Are Not Done Yet” invites participants to embrace a mindset of continuous improvement and exploration, acknowledging that there are always new horizons to conquer in education.

Highlights of the GED Conference 2024 include:

• Keynote addresses by Marcus Bullock and GED President Vicki Greene
• Train the Trainer session – the first in five years will be especially useful for new professionals
• Attendees can choose from 54 interactive sessions including hot topics like:
  • ChatGPT: Transforming Classroom Instruction, Amplifying Lesson Planning, Empowering Student Learning!
  • Innovative teaching techniques such as Beyond the Basics: Teaching Algebraic Reasoning Like a Boss
  • Best practices in correctional facilities;
  • Two GED Analytics sessions for instruction for basic and power users.
  • Here is more information on all the sessions.
• Preview the GED mobile app, GED & Me^TM, now available for pre-order at the Apple App store. You can download it here.
• Networking opportunities: Connect with peers, educators, and industry leaders to share ideas, collaborate on initiatives, and build lasting professional relationships.
• Exhibition hall: Explore the latest advancements in educational and technological resources through our exhibition hall, featuring demonstrations and hands-on experiences.

Whether you’re an educator looking to enhance your teaching methods, an administrator learning from your colleagues and other thought leaders, or celebrating student successes, the GED Conference 2024 offers something for everyone. Together, we will chart the course for the future of education and reaffirm our commitment to lifelong learning and changing lives through education.

Here is more information on how you can still register.

President Biden signed legislation on June 19, 2021, making Juneteenth a federal holiday. The measure was passed in the House and Senate with bipartisan support. As educators, we are entrusted with the profound responsibility of teaching history in all its complexities, including moments that reflect the triumphs and challenges of our nation’s journey toward equality and justice. One such pivotal moment in American history is Juneteenth. This celebration holds deep significance for understanding the struggles and achievements of African Americans in their quest for freedom and equality.

Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day, commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of slavery following President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued two and a half years earlier. This delayed announcement came about because Texas was one of the last Confederate states where slavery continued to persist even after the Civil War had ended.

Juneteenth symbolizes the liberation of African Americans from the bonds of slavery and the beginning of their journey toward full citizenship and civil rights. It marks a critical milestone in American history, illustrating both the enduring struggle for freedom and the resilience of African American communities in the face of adversity.

For educators, Juneteenth offers a valuable opportunity to engage students in meaningful discussions about the legacy of slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the ongoing struggle for civil rights. By exploring these topics, students gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of American history and the enduring impact of slavery on our society today.

Observing the Juneteenth holiday and integrating it into our curriculum allows us to celebrate African Americans’ achievements and contributions while addressing the historical injustices they have faced.

Juneteenth serves as a reminder of the ongoing pursuit of equality and justice for all Americans. By recognizing and celebrating Juneteenth, we all affirm their commitment to diversity, inclusion, and the pursuit of a more just society.

For additional information regarding Juneteenth, please see the following resources:

Read: Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth by Alice Faye Duncan, 2022

Watch: Henry Louis Gates Jr. on the significance and history of Juneteenth, CBS News, 2023

Listen: Juneteenth: The Untold Story of One Man’s Love, Beyond Black History Month, 2022

This time of the year is so special as students celebrate the great accomplishment of graduating from educational programs that will enhance their lives and provide a brighter future. This is why GED Grad Day was created – to celebrate the accomplishments of recent GED Grads. Since many grads do not get a chance to walk across a stage, this is our way of applauding and honoring their hard work. Before COVID, Grad Day was a one-day social media event. We scheduled posts to celebrate grads, share their stories, and create social buzz throughout the day. Once COVID hit, Grad Day became Grad Week. We spread the social posts throughout the week in hopes that a week-long campaign would help drive engagement.

In 2023 we returned to Grad Day and had our first-ever virtual commencement ceremony. We also turned Grad Day into an awareness campaign that targets prospective and current learners to use Grad Day as a target date to complete their GED. Last year, I was honored to make opening remarks and was moved by our commencement speaker Dr. Rolundus R. Rice, and by our inspiring grads, Fina, Katie, and Gabriel. At the height of the stream, we had over 700 people join us live. Since then, the recording has had over 16.5k views between Facebook and YouTube.

This year we are delighted to again livestream the ceremony on our Facebook Graduates Community Group. Please share this information with your students so they can join us and celebrate the many GED graduates this year. You will not want to miss it – this Friday, May 17, 2024 at 1 PM ET on our Facebook Graduates Community Group. You still have time to submit a shoutout to one of your students or remind them to recognize a Class of 2024 grad on this year’s Wall of Love: https://testimonial.to/gradday-2024. The Wall of Love will be shared publicly on Grad Day.

If GED Grad Day wasn’t exciting enough, we will also launch our new podcast, Education UnplugGED, this Friday, May 17! I will host the podcast and will be interviewing grads, educators, and companies to share success stories and spread the word about the GED credential. Our first episode features Kellie Blair Hardt – GED grad, math tutor, and GED Testing Service board member. Bookmark this page and check back on Friday for the first episode!

The GED Testing Service would like to welcome the state of Tennessee back after an eight-year hiatus. The state officially offers the GED as of April 18, 2024. Since Tennessee last offered the test in 2016, we have made many innovations, such as GED Marketplace, an updated website, and a soon-to-be-launched GED Mobile App that will make it easier for learners to connect with the GED.

A Tennessee State Administrator expressed his excitement: “We are thrilled to be back in the GED family after an 8-year break. This partnership is set to soar once again.” With the GED program, Tennessee’s adult learners can now leverage its unique benefits, joining the ranks of new GED program graduates entering the workforce and succeeding in postsecondary programs at unprecedented rates.

Adult learners in Tennessee who are at least 18 years old can once again take the GED test in either English or Spanish. The GED offers several innovative features, including a comprehensive and mobile-friendly website, GED.com. This platform provides tools to help students navigate the GED testing process and preparation while educators can access useful free resources in both English and Spanish. We also offer additional benefits like College Ready + Credit. If students score in the 165-174 range, they have the skills needed to start college-level courses and may be exempt from placement tests and remedial courses in college. A score of 175-200 could make them eligible to earn college credit, depending on their program.

Learners in Tennessee will also be eligible to participate in GEDWorks, a program endorsed by some of the nation’s most renowned brands, including Amazon, Jiffy Lube, Taco Bell, and KFC. This program is a comprehensive support system, offering employees and, in some cases, their family members everything they need to study for and earn a GED credential, all at no cost. The GED Testing Service offers flexible testing options for learners, in addition to learners having access to convenient testing appointments each week, giving learners complete control over which tests they take and when. To find more information on adult education programs in Tennessee, visit: Find Your Program (tn.gov)

As we recently celebrated Mother’s Day, we included this inspiring student’s success story to applaud her journey as a Mom and GED Grad!

What was the motivation to pursue your GED?

I have struggled with motivation for as long as I can remember. Challenges scared me, and perseverance was not my thing. However, I believe that God places people in our lives to lead us to greatness.

I was very fortunate that a woman named Lessie Parker entered my life and became my mentor. This woman saw greatness in me before I had seen it in myself. She pushed me to get my high school diploma and an industry-recognized Office Administration credential. After I obtained my high school diploma, a few years later, I started to desire “more” in life. I signed up to attend one of my local colleges and found out that my high school diploma was not accredited. Devastated, I immediately lost hope. Fortunately, an Alamo College advisor encouraged me not to give up, but she recommended that I attend the Adult Education Program at Palo Alto College. At first, I was embarrassed and nervous as I felt I was attempting a goal I could not accomplish. Thankfully, I overcame that fear and signed up that week.

What are the most rewarding aspects of completing your GED?

One of the most significant rewards of earning my GED was the personal growth it sparked. For the first time, I confronted my fear of higher education head-on and declared that I would ‘Finish.’ This mindset shift led me to tackle more challenging obstacles and develop a pattern of perseverance.

How did your GED credential help you pursue further education or job opportunities?

Earning my GED credential once again taught me how to have Faith and tap into a God-given strength to overcome. This strength and new mindset made me want more, knowing I was more than just a GED Recipient. I was destined for greatness, and the veil of endless, unused opportunities was broken when that credential was gained, opening the doors to career and employment opportunities awaiting me.

I started my career in the Alamo Workforce Development through the Texas Workforce Commission with something that couldn’t be earned or learned. I had “experience.” I walked the walk and could now talk the talk. I could relate realistically to serving the demographic of people who didn’t receive a high school credential. I have enjoyed working in the Alamo Workforce Development for eight years and have started my own life coaching and consulting business. I will receive my BA in Behavioral Science Psychology/Life Coaching in 2026 and finish my MA in Psychology as a Licensed Therapist (LPC).

Please share any advice with current GED learners.
I advise future GED learners always to be honest about where they are mentally. You can want better and greater, but the results will be very discouraging if you aren’t ready to work. It’s not that you can’t accomplish or complete the task. Your mindset hasn’t changed yet. You have to be willing to go against the person you currently are and work towards becoming the person you want to become, as they are always battling against each other. You can overcome so much more than you think. Remember, obtaining your GED credential is one success of many to come. The best is yet to come!

GED^® Testing Service recently reached out to adult educators, program directors and jurisdiction administrators for feedback on program administration and services we provide, such as professional development. We also wanted to learn about expectations and interest in services beyond the GED credential as graduates take on other challenges in school and work. Our annual Satisfaction Survey was conducted in March 2024 with 498 responses, including 55 Jurisdiction Administrators and GED Program Directors. 20% of the adult educator respondents work in a Correctional facility that offers the GED test.

Here are some of the highlights of the survey:

• 86% of respondents agree or strongly agree that their relationship with GEDTS is very important to them

• 76% of those surveyed are satisfied or very satisfied with the progress of students in their jurisdiction earning their GED credential

• 68% agree or strongly agree that their program is better because of their partnership with GEDTS

• 61% of adult educators believe GEDTS should play a role in helping GED graduates go to college, while 53% would like GEDTS to help GED graduates find jobs

• 53% of respondents strongly agree (16%) or agree (37%) that GEDTS advocacy has positively impacted the state of adult education in their jurisdiction

• A variety of comments were mentioned as areas for improvement, including a desire for more efficient test center set-up, more preparation materials and guides in Spanish, and more efficient phone service for learners, as well as updated sample test practice questions on GED.com. The survey affirmed a strong bond between State Relationship Managers, jurisdiction administrators, and program administrators and educators, and overall high satisfaction levels with the operations support received.

Although the survey will be conducted annually, we welcome your continued feedback and comments on how we can work together and enhance our programs and processes to better serve you and our adult learners. We are thankful to those of you who took the time to provide us with this valuable feedback.

During the last few months, I have met many learners, educators, program administrators, and employers in person. This is my favorite part of my position as President and CEO at the GED Testing Service. It is truly energizing to be in a room full of like-minded professionals who are there to help, guide, and empower adult learners to change their lives and discover their full potential!

I am particularly glad this April, being Community College Awareness Month, that we can celebrate with so many of our education partners at various community colleges around the country, as well as state programs. This includes the recent celebration that we had the privilege to join the Coalition of Adult Basic Education as they celebrated their 25^th Anniversary with a great conference in Nashville.

At the recent COABE Conference, I was honored to share the stage with inspiring educators like Kelly Mobray, Director of Adult Education from the Salina Public Schools in Kansas and Gregory Larson, GED Coordinator from Los Angeles City College, as well as Alicia Kouparitsas, Chief Customer Officer with WithYouWithMe, our GED Tech Apprenticeship partner. During this session we shared success stories from programs that were innovative in providing GED learners with the additional services and support they needed to succeed. We continue to be so grateful and inspired by the fantastic work all educators and administrators offer every day to offer the best possible educational journey for our learners.

To fully understand the GED^® test, it is best to understand how the GED is developed. To ensure the integrity of the test, every item used on a GED test and GED Ready^® practice test undergoes a rigorous review process across several stages, including initial development of the content, expert content reviews, committee reviews, field testing, data reviews, and forms construction. Multiple quality checks by internal and external experts are completed throughout the process, ensuring the accuracy and validity of all GED content.

Spotlight on….is the first of a series of articles about the GED administrators and educators around the country and around the world. We are starting this series with the State of Alaska!

It has been a while since we have talked about the GED Mobile app. A lot has happened in such a short amount of time, we would love to get you caught up!

You may recall when we last connected in October 2023, we shared that 60% of GED learners do not do anything within a year of creating their account and that we are working to solve this problem with the App. We shared that we designed the app for the independent learner. Our research revealed that the primary need for this learner is confidence building, guidance, support, and study. We shared that the app will be useful alongside the website, not in lieu of. And we mentioned that we would be beta testing soon.

Let us fast forward to where we are now…

We launched a beta app in early February in record time. We have more than 400 independent learners using the app and helping us to fine tune it for a broader audience.

During beta we are learning a lot about the app from these learners. We learned what friction points exist and are adjusting the app to be more usable. We learned that the app is helping learners to study. It is boosting confidence in that 50% are now confident or very confident about taking their tests, compared to 22% before using the App. And it is improving their overall understanding of what they need to do to complete the GED– 79% say they have good or complete understanding of the steps they need to take to accomplish their GED, compared to 57% before using the App. There are lots of other data points we are studying. These are key because they reveal that the app is providing enough value and all the data suggests that we can bring the app to a broader population and make an impact for these learners.

We recently invited a group of Teachers and Administrators to look at the app. We are asking them to let us know if they see any potential for it in the classroom in its current state and to offer ideas on how we could adjust in the future to be a companion in the classroom. While we are currently focusing on the independent learner, this app will be ever evolving, and we need input from current users and future users.

There are a lot of apps that claim to help with the GED. Some are useful. Some are not. This is the ONLY official mobile app from GED Testing Service, designed and created by the company that created the GED test. We have the benefit of outcomes tracking with mobile app users, allowing us to modify and change the experience based on thousands of data points. All these factors set our app apart from all others.

We are excited for this opportunity to connect with and support our learners in a whole new way. We are working hard to learn as much as possible from our beta users and will make the necessary adjustments to bring the app to a broader audience very soon. We expect to be in the Apple app store by the time we see you at the conference in July!

We look forward to seeing you at the 2024 GED Conference in sunny southern California, where you can immerse yourself in educational inspiration alongside the cool waves of the Pacific Ocean. This year’s event will be grander than ever on all levels – more innovation, more ways to connect, more educational initiatives and programs to discover – and we’re just getting started!

We are glad to share that Early Bird Registration is now open at the rate of $495.00 until March 29, 2024; registration will then increase to $555.00 until sell out.

Join us for learning, inspiration, and new perspectives. Here are some of the innovative sessions for this year’s annual conference include:

• Train the Trainer session for the first time in 5 years! This will be especially useful for professionals in our new states and a great reminder for our seasoned educators.
• Integrated Education and Training programs to address workplace partnerships, apprenticeships, and marketing opportunities for programs at the local level.
• Learn about the GED Mobile app, how to navigate this new powerful tool, which will be extremely helpful to our learners.
• Spanish-language sessions ranging from Introduction to the GED to Math and Reasoning Through Language Arts/Extended Response Content Sessions.
• Two GED Analytics sessions for instruction for basic and power users.
• Be inspired by GED Graduate of the Year awards – by the stories of strength and resiliency of our 2024 GED graduates.

As always, we welcome attendees of all abilities. GED Testing Service is dedicated to creating a culture with a sense of inclusion, respect, and support, embracing individuals of all backgrounds. This year, we will have a sensory friendly room that will be accessible to all.