CLCP Retreat March 25, 2015

Latanya Overby, Director - Georgia GED® Testing Program

Office of Adult Education

Technical College System of Georgia

GED® and the GED Testing Service® are registered trademarks of the American Council on Education® and may not be used or reproduced

without the express written permission of the American Council on Education.

Agenda

• History of GED test

• Current statistics

• Demographics

• Recent promotion results

• New testing policy

• FY14 GED Graduates by county

• WellCare Update

Pop Quiz

• 1. 1936

• 2. 1942

• 3. 1956

• 4. 1975

What was the first year the GED test was offered?

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GED Testing Program

• First tests developed – 1942 by the United States

Armed Forces Institute (USAFI).

– measured the major outcomes and concepts generally associated with

4 years of high school education.

• Administered only to military personnel (WWII veterans).

• Civilians first allowed to take the tests in 1952.

• Now, the GED® Tests are developed and overseen by the

GED Testing Service® in Washington, D.C.

5

History of the 2014 GED Test

2008 - ACE announced they would release the next

GED test series 2012 on a computer platform.

2009 – Test Development of the 2012 “5th Edition”

cranked into high gear

• Idea of “GED® Test with Honors” is born

• White paper on GED® 2020 Initiative is written

2010 – ACE cancelled the 2012 “5th Edition” and

announced the new 2014 test incorporating college and

career readiness.

History of the 2014 GED Test

2011 - ACE created a joint venture with Pearson VUE

to create the GED Testing Service, LLC.

• Decision was made to separate the roll-out of the computer

testing platform from the implementation of a new test.

• Georgia was the first state to pioneer the computer platform.

2012 – Test production in full swing

• Professional development of educators begins.

• Georgia implemented 40 computer testing labs.

History of the 2014 GED Test

2013 – Test forms finalized

• Standardization and Norming Study (SNS) designed and launched

• Tutorials and supporting materials released

• Free practice test

• Georgia implemented an additional 19 computer testing labs.

2014 – Release of the new 2014 GED test

• MyGED™ Portal

• GED Ready™

• GED Analytics™

History of the 2014 GED Test

2014 – Georgia Activities • Mobile testing implemented

Youth Challenge Academy

Department of Corrections

Department of Juvenile Justice

Private prisons - CCA / GEO Group

City and County jails - various

Four content areas:

Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA) (150 minutes)

- Section 1 (35 minutes*)

- Section 2 (45 minutes)

- Student Break (10 minutes)

- Section 3 (60 minutes*)

*The time allotted for sections 1 and 3 may vary slightly,

but the total test time will always be 150 minutes.

Mathematical Reasoning (115 minutes)

- Part 1 - (first 5 test questions) calculator not allowed

- Part 2 - (remaining 41 test questions) calculator allowed.

Effective February 21, 2014, the standard time allowance on the GED®

test - Mathematical Reasoning was increased by 25 minutes.

Effective November 10, 2014, the option to use a handheld TI-30XS

Multiview Scientific Calculator is allowed on the Math, Science and Social

Studies.

The 2014 GED® Test Specifications

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The 2014 GED® Test Specifications

– Science (90 minutes)

– Social Studies (90 minutes)

- Section 1 (65 minutes)

- Section 2 (25 minutes)

• English and Spanish

• Students can test three times on the same subject without waiting. After the

third attempt, there is a 60-day waiting period before trying again.

• Seven different item types:

– Extended response

– Drag-and-drop

– Drop-down

– Fill-in-the-blank

– Hot spot

– Multiple choice

– Short answer

• Delivered on computer (not online)

• Paper testing only available as an accommodation

Current Statistics

• FY15 - July 1, 2014 – January 31, 2015

– See handout

Score Distribution

GED® Math Test Score % Distribution GED® RLA Test Score % Distribution

Score Distribution

GED® Science Test Score % Distribution GED® Social Studies Test Score % Distribution

Who is taking the 2014 GED Test

in Georgia?

Demographics

July 1, 2014 – January 31, 2014

Average Age 24

Highest Grade Completed

Race / Ethnicity

Reason for Testing

Influential Factor to Test

Work Status

Prior Year Income

GEDTS Promotion Period January 24,2015 – February 28, 2015

Handouts

• New Testing Policy

– Additional dry erase boards for test-takers

• FY14 GED Graduates by County

• WellCare

Conclusion and Contact Information

• Q & A

• Contact for further information:

– Latanya Overby, Director – Georgia GED Testing Program

loverby@tcsg.edu | 404-679-4959