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In general, for teachers to prepare to teach, run a class, and assess student work, they need a class with students, well-structured courses, and an assessment to measure student progress. Teachers should be prepared to use traditional and virtual settings for a successful classroom. Teachers should also use three knowledge-learning objectives, declarative, procedural, and problem-solving. A literature review was conducted to determine their relevance to this study. Analysis revealed that research supported using the three learning objectives and virtual and traditional classroom settings.

Bridge-to-college programs aim to help people complete high school and enroll in postsecondary education, two milestones that increase access to economic opportunity. These programs help students obtain their high school credentials while encouraging postsecondary transition and success. Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) in Green Bay, Wisconsin, implemented a bridge-to-college program in 2015 to help more students earn their GED credentials and transition to postsecondary education. This GED Bridge program had three components that distinguished it from NWTC's traditional GED class, called GED Prep 2: (1) a NWTC-developed "contextualized" curriculum -- one that focused on original texts and materials related to specific careers (to build students' academic skills and raise their awareness of those careers) -- in contrast to GED Prep 2 classes that focused on GED test preparation materials; (2) individual support to help students plan their transition to postsecondary education, plus career exploration and transition planning in class; and (3) managed cohort enrollment, meaning that students started each class section together, in contrast to the open enrollment of the GED Prep 2 class where new students could enroll at any time. This report describes an evaluation of NWTC's GED Bridge program that included impact, implementation, and cost analyses. The impact analysis employed a random assignment design. Eligible applicants were randomly assigned to either the GED Bridge class or the GED Prep 2 class and followed for 18 months. The research team used administrative data to measure differences in class attendance and persistence, GED testing and completion, and enrollment in postsecondary education. This evaluation contributes to a small but growing body of research that suggests that bridge-to-college programs may be effective in improving both GED completion and postsecondary enrollment.

The GED® test was built from the ground up to give students a test that measures the skills they need to succeed. The test focuses on the foundational knowledge and skills needed for career- and college-readiness, so colleges and employers know that students who pass the GED® test have the skills to excel on the job or in the classroom. This Educator Handbook is organized into the following four chapters: (1) The GED® Test -- A Closer Look; (2) What Scores Look Like; (3) Strategies for Teaching the Test; and (4) See If Your Students Are Ready.

At no time in recent history has the importance of adult education been greater and the funding more threatened. Despite the fact that as many as 93 million adults in the U.S. may need basic skills services to improve their economic prospects, funding for these services is stagnating at the federal level and being slashed in statehouses and state agencies across the country. Demand remains high, with at least 160,000 people on waiting lists that exist in nearly every state. At the same time, the labor market is shifting to one that requires workers to have postsecondary credentials to compete. With this shift, the adult education system must transform the way that services are delivered--helping students meet these new demands by preparing them for college and career success, not just a secondary school diploma. To begin the conversation about how to meet existing and emerging needs with shrinking resources, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and the National Council for State Directors of Adult Education (NCSDAE) surveyed state directors of adult education in February 2012. The goal was to glean information about important policies that govern the way adult education is funded, including the costs borne by local districts, community colleges, and other providers and by the states, the federal government, and students. The results shed light on a national system whose state branches are more different than they are similar. States vary widely across each topic covered--with one critical exception. Most strive to keep costs low for students, who desperately need adult education services to build a better life for themselves and improve their economic prospects. The field of adult education is changing, and with it, financing and tuition policies are shifting to meet new priorities. This survey provides a close look into instrumental funding and tuition policies, but more research should be done to understand how state policy can encourage programming in support of college and career readiness, as well as how federal and state policies may affect overall funding levels for basic skills services. Appended are: (1) Percentage of Funding, by Revenue Source; (2) State Tuition Policies; and (3) State Policies on GED[R] Testing Fees. (Contains 7 tables, 3 figures, and 30 endnotes.) ["Sinking or Swimming: Findings from a Survey of State Adult Education Tuition and Financing Policies" was written with Lennox McLendon.]

Like most high-stakes testing programs, the GED[R] testing program allows examinees who do not pass on the first attempt to retake the GED Tests. Studies and reports have described GED Tests candidates' characteristics and testing performance, but no study has targeted repeat examinees. A series of questions related to repeat examinees remains unanswered: Do repeat examinees have the same characteristics as examinees who pass the GED Tests on the first try? What are repeat examinees' retesting behaviors? What relationship do testing center policies have to a repeat examinee's decision about retesting? The goal of this study is to provide an accurate description of characteristics and testing histories of repeat GED Tests examinees and to examine relationships of individual characteristics and testing center policies with examinees' test performance. Testing and passing rates by GED Tests examinees' social and demographic characteristics are disclosed. The study employs multilevel analyses to disaggregate relationships of individual factors and testing center policies with examinees' decisions about retesting and their passing status. Overall, about half of GED Tests examinees who did not pass the GED Tests on their first attempt retested. Thirty-two percent of all first-time non-passers retested and passed. Among repeat examinees in the current study, nearly 60 percent of them eventually passed the GED Tests through persistent effort. Fifty-four percent of repeat examinees retested in Mathematics, and 49 percent retested in Language Arts, Writing. Status as a young candidate, a white candidate, having completed higher than fifth grade, having a higher first-attempt score, having a goal to enter a two-year college, or taking the Official GED Practice Tests was associated with a higher chance of retesting. At the testing center level, both requiring GED Tests completion in one day and allowing testing in one content area at a time reduced the probability of retesting. The probability of passing also increased for young, white males with English as a primary language, who had a higher first-attempt score, who completed higher than fifth grade, and who had a goal to enter a two-year college. At the testing center level, requiring a retesting fee, requiring GED Tests to be completed in one day, and allowing testing in one content area at a time were negatively associated with the chance of passing for repeat examinees. Completion of GED Tests before scoring increased a repeat examinee's probability of passing the GED Tests. The longer repeat examinees waited before retesting, the higher their chances for passing the GED Tests. Implications of these and other findings from the study are discussed, and suggestions for future research are offered in this report. Appended are: (1) Descriptive Statistics for Candidates Who Did Not Pass on Their First Attempt, by Retesting Status: 2006; (2) Distribution of GED Tests Candidates Who Did Not Pass on the First Attempt, by Reasons for Testing and Retest Status: 2006; (3) Descriptive Statistics for Repeat Examinees, by Passing Status: 2006; (4) Fully Conditional HGLM Results for the Likelihood of Retesting (Population Average Model): 2006; and (5) Fully Conditional HGLM Results for Likelihood of Passing the GED Tests (Population Average Model): 2006. (Contains 9 tables and 3 footnotes.)

This report summarizes 2008-2009 data for facilities serving neglected or delinquent youth within Austin Independent School Disrict's attendance zones that used federal Title I funds.

This paper presents a list of frequently asked questions about the 5th Edition GED (General Educational Development) Test. This paper answers the following questions: (1) With the announcement of altered plans for a 5th Edition GED Test release, will the current 2002 test series continue beyond January 1, 2012?; (2) What should I tell the public, the adult educators and testing professionals in my jurisdictions about changes to the GED testing program and changes in the 5th Edition release?; (3) What elements of the GED 20/20 Initiative will begin in 2010?; (4) Will test-takers be able to combine test scores past January 1, 2012?; (5) When will a new GED Test replace the current test series?; (6) How far in advance will jurisdictions be notified of a new test series release?; (7) How will the Computer-Based Testing (CBT) pilot jurisdictions be selected?; (8) What are the goals of the CBT pilot?; and (9) How will jurisdictions not participating in the pilot be involved or informed of the details? (Contains 2 footnotes.)

The growing number of youth enrolling in adult literacy education is a little-documented trend across the nation that is having a major impact on programs in some areas but appears to be unnoticed by educational policymakers and researchers. A central question is whether youth enrollments provide an opportunity for adult literacy education to serve dropouts as soon as possible after they leave school (thereby improving their ability to obtain better jobs, pursue further education, and contribute to their communities), or whether problems associated with serving these youth outweigh any benefits. The information the author gathered for this chapter does not suggest a definitive answer to this question, but it does lay the groundwork for a more informed response. There is clearly a need for more research to determine, for example, whether adult literacy education is successful in helping these youth earn high school credentials. In addition, there are important policy issues, such as whether adult literacy programs should receive additional funding to serve such youth. (Contains 2 notes.) [Chapter 3 in: Annual Review of Adult Learning and Literacy. Volume 1; copublished with Jossey-Bass, Inc.; see ED436673.]

Employment Plus is an intervention program offered by the Chesapeake Public School Division (Virginia) that targets high school students who are at risk of educational failure. The program is provided by the Department of Vocational Education and is offered in all high schools. Employment Plus offers an alternative to the traditional high school diploma for students who are 17 years of age and older and who are 2 or more years behind their peers. Students in Employment Plus receive preparation for the Tests of General Educational Development (GED), and they must sign an agreement to seek and maintain employment while in the process. Each high school usually serves an average of 15 students for the Employment Plus program for the school year. The enrollment for the 1997-98 school year in the 6 programs was 85 students. The evaluation for the 1997-98 school year examined the selection of students, the success rate of the program, costs, and overall satisfaction among students, program coordinators, employers, teachers, and principals. Interviews with approximately 65 students and 6 vocational counselors, and surveys completed by 5 principals and 19 employers and teachers provided evaluation data. In addition, the program model was compared with recommendations from the educational literature for serving at-risk secondary students. Evaluation findings show that the program is cost effective and that the model offers most of the strategies recommended for at-risk students. A large number of potential students who could benefit from the program are not considered for enrollment under current identification and selection processes. The cooperative work experience component is successful in some schools but not in others for reasons that usually center on difficulty in finding work. Approximately 50% of students in the program obtain the GED, but the number is higher for students who complete at least 24 weeks of the program. Principals and program coordinators were very satisfied with the program; and students, vocational counselors, employers, and teachers were satisfied. Recommendations are made to continue and improve the program. Three appendixes discuss contacts with other school divisions in Virginia to obtain comparative information and contain the program course catalog and selected student comments. (SLD)

In 1995, nearly three-quarters of a million high school dropouts, age 16 and above, took the General Educational Development (GED) tests in pursuit of alternative secondary certification. The GED performs the following functions: stimulate human capital investment; measure and assess cognitive skills; certify dropouts with specified skill and knowledge levels; and build dropouts' confidence. Accordingly, GED recipients are much more likely to participate in postsecondary education and vocational training than are other dropouts. Although the grade-point averages of GED recipients and high school graduates enrolled in postsecondary education tend to converge over time, high school graduates are much more likely to complete their postsecondary education than GED recipients are. In controlled comparisons, a GED had little effect on labor force participation or unemployment but was positively associated with gains in full-time employment. Studies have shown that GED recipients earn more than other dropouts but less than high school graduates. Although GED recipients had no earnings advantage over dropouts in the short term, their relative earnings increased over time. (The bibliography contains 215 references. Appended are the following: evidence from Wisconsin regarding GED norming; seven tables; discussion of technical issues; and summary of GED follow-up surveys.) (MN)

The Educational Learning and Enrichment Center (ELEC) entered into a contract with the Houston Independent School District (HISD) (Texas) to provide a community-based alternative education program for HISD eligible students who had dropped out of school and were considered to be at risk of not completing their basic education. The 1996-97 evaluation indicated that 296 students were enrolled in the high school equivalency (GED) program in the 1996-97 school year. Of that number, 177 obtained GED certification providing a certification rate of 60%. This exceeded the performance standard of 35%. Five students participated in ELEC's Texas Assessment of Academic Skills program, and these students remained at their home schools. ELEC exceeded the defined performance standard for participation in the various counseling programs. Overall, the program director, faculty members, and students surveyed indicated satisfaction with the ELEC GED program. Appendixes contain the student and faculty surveys. (Contains four tables and one reference.) (SLD)

A summary of a report on the value of the General Educational Development (GED) Tests prepared in 1994 for Congressional hearings on the reauthorization of vocational and adult education legislation includes the following highlights: (1) each year more than 750,000 adults (average age 26) take the GED tests and about 450,000 adults obtain high school credentials based on the tests; (2) the value of the GED credential is determined by the fact that it validly certifies the attainment of high school level knowledge and skills; (3) GED graduates, on average, perform as well as high school graduates in community colleges; (4) more than 40 percent of GED graduates attend college after passing the tests; (5) about 75 percent of colleges and universities accept a high school equivalency credential based on the GED tests; (6) passing the GED tests provides graduates with opportunities for better jobs; and (7) federal support for the GED program should continue, allowing the program to be strengthened and professionalized, targeted to those whose skill levels are suited to this level of study, and made more relevant to adults. (Contains 31 references.) (KC)

A study was conducted at North Shore Community College (NSCC) to determine whether there was a particular score on the General Education Development (GED) Writing Skills Test that would predict a passing score for GED recipients on the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) General English Composition Examination. A total of 73 GED recipients participated in the study. Each had received a standard score of 50 or above on the GED Writing Skills Test, received a total score of 225 or above on the entire GED battery, completed the GED tests at NSCC, had enrolled or planned to enroll at NSCC, and had been interested in receiving credit for English Composition I as a first- or second-semester student. Study findings included the following: (1) 41% of the study sample passed the CLEP General English Composition Examination with a score of 421 or above; (2) a GED recipient had a 63% chance of earning the score of 421 provided he/she had a total GED score of at least 261 and individual test scores of 51 in writing, 54 in social studies, 51 in science, 50 in literature and arts and 46 in mathematics; and (3) using Pearson's Linear Correlation analysis no statistically valid predictability existed between a particular profile of scores achieved on individual tests nor the total score and the passing CLEP score. The study report includes a summary of the research process used, the survey instrument administered to GED recipients who participated, and participant GED and CLAP scores. (AC)