It’s Time For A GED Test News Roundup!
5. Ann Richardson earns GED at 82
“At 82 years old, Ann Richardson earned her GED diploma and became the only one of her 11 brothers and sisters to complete a high school education,” says reporter Deidre Wilson.
This story is pretty short, but I included it in honor Ann Richardson’s accomplishment! I wish there was more here about Richardson’s background, and how she prepared for the test, but it’s still an amazing story nonetheless.
This is more proof that age doesn’t mean anything when it comes to test success! If she could do it, so can anyone as long as they’re willing to put in the time and effort required!
4. Two Dougherty County inmates get GEDs
Two inmates at the Dougherty County jail in Georgia successfully completed high school equivalency tests, according to reporter Re-Essa Buckels. The two inmates were Travious Jackson and Jafarius Patterson. The education program at this jail sponsored by Albany Tech College now has a track record of 28 inmates passing the test!
“When it’s easy to throw people away behind jail bars, it’s program like this that give inmates a second chance,” the report states.
Education in prison has been shown to lower recidivism—the tendency of convicted criminals to reoffend after release—by several studies. My take on this is that offering more educational opportunities like this one in prisons isn’t a be all and end all solution, and won’t work for everyone.
It’s possible that inmates who take advantage of the educational benefits offered in prison are already the type of inmates who won’t go on to offend again anyway, so it’s hard to see a direct connection yet. However, the results from the studies done so far are definitely very significant, and I’m really hoping more research will be done on this in the future!
More education is always a good thing, and I can only see positive things coming out of programs like this! The story of Jackson and Patterson is a great story of triumph, and these two will undoubtedly inspire many other inmates to pursue furthering their education in the future.
3. Fewer city residents are taking high school equivalency exams, New York State
In this story written by Selim Algar, Algar reports that the number of adults in New York State passing a high school equivalency exam has dropped to nearly half of what it was in 2010!
In 2014, New York State elected to switch from the GED test as the primary New York State High School Equivalency Diploma to the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC™). What was the reason for the switch? Most likely the cost. In New York—where the state covers the cost of high school equivalency tests—the price per GED test exam taker rose from $70 to $120. In contrast, the TASC only costs $54 per test taker.
Back in 2010 before the switch, New York’s high school equivalency test pass rate was about 60 percent, which was already lower than the national average of 73 percent. However, since the institution of the TASC, New York’s pass rate has gotten worse.
In my opinion, New York State would have been better off not switching to the TASC, even though it costs less. Consider this: it’s estimated that workers in New York State who have no high school diploma or high school equivalency degree are more than twice as likely to be unemployed in comparison to the average worker. Also, note that approximately one out of every 3 individuals in this category are living below the poverty line.
Sure, I realize that this is a very complex issue, and that it isn’t nearly as black and white as the data suggests, but I still think it would have been much more beneficial economically to have not switched to the TASC.
What’s the reason for the sharp decline?
- Too many test takers are testing with little to no preparation, which is pulling down the average.
- Fluctuating scores may be fairly normal whenever a new high school equivalency test is introduced.
- Not enough resources/support are available yet to help test takers pass.
It’s only fair to point out that there’s been a decline in students taking and passing high school equivalency tests nationwide over the past few years; it’s not just a problem in New York!
2. The Official GED Testing Service Continues To Offer Excellent Deal
Up until March 15th, students who Pre-Pay for a test on the official Testing Service website will get a free practice test with their purchase! Practice tests are an absolute must for success! Practice tests are vitally important for many reasons, but if you aren’t using them right now, here are my top 3 reasons to start:
- Practice Tests will show you where you’re at with your studying
- Practice Tests will reveal the topics you need the most work on
- Practice Tests will get you used to working under timed conditions
It might seem like I’m really pushing practice tests, and that’s because I am! They’re really that critical for test preparation!
When it comes to choosing which practice tests to get, your first choice should be the tests offered by the official Testing Service. Since they’re the ones who offer the actual exam, why not just go right to the source?
1. Test Prep Champions Lowers The Price Of Math Guide From $14.99 to $9.99
Mailing list subscribers get a free 50 problem sample, and also a 50% off discount on their purchase of the full version! Some have told us that by offering this, people will just sign up, get the free sample/discount code, and then unsubscribe from our email list. Sure, a few people have done this already, and we respect their decision!
The Champions’ Guide comes with 209 comprehensive practice problems and solutions that cover virtually everything test takers need to know. This includes:
- Conquering fractions
- Winning with word problems
- Simplifying algebra
- Beating questions with equations
- Demystifying geometry, including the pythagorean theorem (which test takers say shows up a lot!)
..And much, much more!
This concludes the Test Prep Champions’ GED Test News Roundup for the week of Feb 26th – March 4th! Thanks for reading it, and good luck with your studying!
