The GED Testing Service released a letter yesterday in response to a recent, widely circulated Associated Press story about the changes coming to the GED exam in 2014. I’ve written a lot about the controversy over the new exam—you can search the archives if you are interested.
The letter asks the adult education community to be “more courageous” when making decisions about the new test, “because that is what it will take to ensure [adult learners] are prepared for the future.”
It goes on to say that the alternative exams from McGraw Hill and ETS now competing with the GED in the high school equivalency testing market fail to measure college and career readiness, and that the revamped GED will be the only test “truly capable of measuring depth of knowledge and the skills that employers and colleges now expect.” Choosing one of the competing assessments “will just leave your adult learners behind.”
Other highlights:
- “We believe adults are capable of acquiring the skills necessary to compete, including demonstrating basic technology skills and college and career readiness in 2014 and beyond.”
- “It’s important that we have substantive conversations about all the issues and changes that we need to make, instead of settling for a cheaper, less effective test. It’s past time that the media and policymakers acknowledge the role that your staff and adult educators play in economic development in your jurisdiction and that you need resources to do the job right.”
So there you have it: those state officials who have chosen one of the alternative assessments are gutless cheapskates who don’t think their learners can actually acquire the skills to compete. Let the substantive discussion begin!
Literacy & Policy 