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GEDTS and Correctional Education:Working Together for a Better Future

Correctional Education Association 2010 Leadership Forum

March 29, 2010Annapolis, MD

Presented By: Nicole M. Chestang, Executive Director

GED Testing Service

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The GED Test: A Second Chance…

• To be a high school graduate…• To go to college…• To prove yourself…• To be a role model…• To compete…• To realize your dreams for a better life…

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Historical Timeline

1942 1945 1947 1959 1963 1973

First TestDeveloped

VTS est.

NYS tests non-

Veterans

Growth in non-Veteran testing

VTS -> GEDTS

CA adopts GED

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American Council on Education’sGED Testing Service

• Develops the GED Test

• Leases the GED Test

• Establishes minimum age requirement

• Establishes minimum passing score requirements

States and Provinces (Jurisdictions)

• Award the diploma/certificate

• Establish compulsory school attendance age

• Establish locations and oversee official testing centers

• Determine testing fees

GEDTS: An International Partnership

From our mission statement: “In collaboration with key partners, we develop, deliver and safeguard our test, we analyze the testing program and its participants, and we develop policies, procedures and programs to ensure equal access to our test.”

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GEDTS’ Reality: Reach

• An estimated 39 million Americans lack a high school credential.

• Annually, 1.3 million U.S. students drop out of high school.

• 10.5 million of these Americans are age 18-34.

• We serve only 778,000 test takers and only 493,000 receive credentials each year.

Your Reality

• Two million…and growing (2008)• The commitment: To prepare the incarcerated

for successful re-entry.• The reality: A full spectrum of needs—from

basic literacy to secondary education…and postsecondary education

The GED Test: At the Core of Correctional Education

Type of Educational Program

Number of Facilities Percent of All Facilities

Secondary Ed. or GED 1,399 77%

Literacy (1st -4th Grades) 1,299 67%

5th-8th Grades 1,203 66%

Vocational Training 956 52%

Special Education 667 37%

College Courses 642 35%

English as a second language 632 35%

Source: Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities, 2005, p.5

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Our Shared Reality: The Environment

• Economy uncertainty (lingering downturn)

• Globalization of the labor market

• Need for postsecondary training—correlating with employer demand for higher skill levels (READ: College & Career Readiness)

• Changing composition of the U.S. Labor Force

Strategic Drivers

•Skills

•Technology

•Information

Drivers & Realities

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Our Shared Reality

• A pipeline that may not be ready for primetime

• Access that is constrained (shrinking budgets, maxed facilities, and testing capacity issues)

• Need for better tools and systems to support the diverse needs of incarcerated adult learners

• Need for greater understanding and awareness among members of the judicial system and among Federal & State policy makers

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0

20

40

60

80

100%

Foreign-bornstatus dropouts

US-bornstatus dropouts

15M

Home-schooled

Our Reality: GED Target Adult Population

Potential GED candidate population

Homeschooled (~0.24M)- Includes homeschoolers between the

ages of ~16-18 (equivalent of grades 11-12)

US-born adults without a high school diploma or equivalent (~10M)

- Includes adults between the ages of 18-44 who have not attained a high school or equivalent credential

Foreign-born adults without a high school diploma or equivalent (~5M)

- Includes immigrants between the ages of 18-44 who have not received a high school or equivalent credential, regardless of whether or not they were naturalized as citizens or participated in the US school system

Our Reality: Proficiency Levels

• Less than 2% of the pool (11th to 12th grade) are close to the college-ready threshold

• Another ~15% of the pool (9th to 10th grade) could reach college-readiness level by investing significant time and having access to current accelerated learning programs

• For the remainder, achieving a 12th grade level of proficiency will be a more significant lift

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The Population’s Proficiency

0

20

40

60

80

100%

Percent of populationby grade level proficiency

Adults without HS diploma orequivalent credential

9-10th grade

6-8th grade

5th grade orless

11-12th grade

EquivalentEFL levels

EFL 6

EFL 5

EFL 4

EFL 3 and below

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Addressing the proficiency gap

College- and Career-ready

proficiency level(target grade

level proficiency)

=

Time investment

for preparation(total prep time)

X

Multiplier for accelerating proficiency (grade level

gain within total prep time)

Target proficiencyProjected proficiency

Starting proficiency level(current grade

level proficiency)

+

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What We Need…Given The Realities

• A test that certifies preparedness

• An integrated approach in which testing is an important but transitional step

• Diagnostics and additional tools—to place candidates to produce the best outcomes

• Use of alternative delivery platforms to ease capacity/access issues

• Recognition that all of these things will take TIME to address effectively.

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Your Concerns

• What increased rigor may mean

• Access

• How do we prepare incarcerated adult learners for a computer-based world?

• How to support “more is needed” given the resources likely to be available

• How to prepare—you need transition time—and as much as we can give you.

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The Test that Almost Was: The 5th Edition

• The 5th Edition was based on content currently taught in high schools

• Any new GED test series must be aligned with Common Core national standards (ELA, math), + other career- and college-ready standards (Science, Social Studies)

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The Shift We Experienced

• The 5th Edition Test wasn’t far-reaching enough.

• We acknowledged that there was a significant proficiency gap.

• We needed a bigger, bolder vision…and to focus on creating a program, rather than just an updated test.

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The GED 21st Century Initiative: Primary Objectives

• To contribute significantly to the Obama Administration’s goal of significantly raising postsecondary completion rates

• To increase access to, and attainment of, postsecondary education (PSE) credentials for adults not currently enrolled in the traditional education system by:

1. Adopting a college/career-ready performance standard; 2. Facilitating the development of a stronger system of

educational supports for GED candidates; and3. Creating the PSE pathways that give meaning to a GED

“college-/career-ready certification”

To

• Content domain aligned to 1999 national curriculum and standards with passing threshold empirically set based on high school equivalency

• Non-standardized paper-based delivery channels

• Few instructional programs that demonstrate significant promise in accelerating proficiency gains

• Few individuals/organizations recognized as leading/coalescing the field

• More rigorous content domain aligned to Common Core with criterion-referenced performance standards for both high school and college/career readiness proficiency levels

• Standardized and modernized test delivery system with computer-based model

• Evidence-based practices in place to make knowledge accessible via accelerated learning

• Champions and exemplary organizations are leading the field

From

Evolution of the field

GEDTS’ Vision for the Field

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Our goal is to facilitate pathways to achieve college/career-readiness and increase postsecondary attainment

Pathways for adults to college/career-readiness, PSE success, and beyond

Attract Accelerated LearningDemon-strate Connect

Ongoing formative

assessment

Academically prepared for PSE

Pathways to instructional

system

Attain

PSEattainment and

beyond

Pathways to PSE

Differentiated instruction

Customized curriculum

• Enroll in PSE and gain access to family supporting careers

• Receive information, counseling, or other supports to enroll in PSE

• Take formative assess-ment to tailor curriculum and instruction

• Access broad array of quality instruction tailored to specific needs

• Take assess-ment to diagnose

proficiency

• Reconnect to programs to identify long-term PSE/career goals and achieve proficiency gains

• Take and pass GEDTS 20/20 exam

Diagnostic assessment

• Receive customized curriculum based on current proficiency

The GED 21st Century Initiative

What’s Happening with the Current Test?

• The 2002 Series will remain in the market for the next three to five years; however, we will be:

1.Developing standards for the new test

2.Piloting Computer Based Testing (CBT)

3.Piloting accelerated learning tools in varied settings

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What Can You Expect from GEDTS?

• We are committed to working with you and leveraging what you are already doing.

• We will strive to maintain open communication and dialogue with you.

• We understand that turning on a dime is hard—you will need transition time—and as much as we can give you.

Working Together to Transform Our Reality

Working Together: Sample Action Items

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Why should society feel responsible only for the education of children, and not for the

education of all adults of every age?

Erich Fromm