GED Test Credential, Data for HR and Workforce Development

By Michael Ormsby

• A GED program enables adults to learn and reinforce basic skills and critical-thinking skills through knowledge development and application.
• The GED test is a 7.5-hour exam, measuring skills in science, social studies, math, reading and writing ability—addressing grammar, English mechanics and comprehension.
• GED test questions determine ability to make evaluations and deductions from literary and analytical materials including data, charts and graphs.
• The GED math test requires knowledge, skill and ability with basic number operations, basic algebra and geometry, along with data analysis and calculator functions.
• Rigorous standards define GED tests, based on guidelines of the American Council on Education (ACE), GED Testing Service.

• People without a basic education have difficulty finding or holding jobs in today’s workforce. Most adult learners seek a GED because they want to progress in work or education. “Some 62 percent of all United States test passers indicated that they took the tests for educational reasons. Some 48.8 percent cited employment, including 39.5 percent seeking a better job,” according to the most recent ACE data.
• The GED credential is a viable ‘diploma,’ and enables access to work, advanced training in the workplace, as well as access to higher educational opportunities.
• The GED is accepted as an equivalent to a high school diploma by approximately 97% of colleges and universities in the U.S., and 95% of employers.
• Passing the GED Test is a demonstration of skills and knowledge application that extend beyond the basic skills of education—employers want employees who have, or can acquire, a broad skill set. It includes technical knowledge and competencies, and general abilities considered equally important. These abilities are communication, problem solving skills, perseverance, flexibility and work ethics.
• Over a lifetime, a GED graduate will make 40% more than a non high school graduate. This means that people with a GED make an average of $385,000 more in their lifetime than people without the credential or a high school diploma. (New research cited below.)

• People without a GED or high school diploma are generally unable to progress beyond low-wage jobs, and research shows the climb from poverty toward economic security is linked to continuing education and includes GED accreditation.
• According to ACE research, two-thirds of GED candidates are seeking more education. Most GED holders—about 60 percent—continue their education with training, technical programs, adult continuing education or higher education programs through community colleges and universities.
• Those with a GED have more full-time work and experience employment stability or continuity for longer time periods.
• Those with a GED report more job satisfaction, better self-esteem and confidence in their work and abilities.
• One study of GED graduates show they’re more likely to encourage their children to finish school since they’ve had to overcome handicaps resulting from a lack of basic skills credentials.

• Who Passed the GED? GED 2004 Statistical Report is published by the GED Testing Service and details the general characteristics and performance of individuals who participated in the testing program and passed the tests. ACE’s summary is Here.
• passGED.com
• For information, research, guides and case studies about workplace benefits among adult learners and their employers, review information provided by the ACE’s Employers of Choice program. For more information, contact employersofchoice@ace.nche.edu.
• Smart@Work, provided by Essential Education / PassGED provides free guides to GED students, adult learners and their employers or supporters to get GED programs and adult education going in the workplace. Request a Smart at Work Guide. Or, for more information call 541-740-4717 or contact Michael@passGED.com.

• “The Oregon Department of Education tracked a cohort of students from 1991-1995. At the end of the four-year period, 24.5% of the students had dropped out before graduating. The most frequent reason given by students for deciding to leave school was ‘irrelevant coursework.’ Other reasons were: peer pressure, teaching that didn't match student learning styles, lack of personal attention.” — US Dept. of Education
• “The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts,” released in March 2006, is one of the most extensive research reports on America’s “dropout epidemic.” Conducted by Civic Enterprises and Peter D. Hart Research Associates and commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the survey reports that currently, an estimated “one million students drop out every year, and nearly half of all African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans fail to graduate. These alarming statistics have far reaching consequences for these individuals and the country’s economic and civic health. Dropouts are more likely than high school graduates to be unemployed, in poor health, living in poverty, in prison or on public assistance, and to have children who also drop out of high school. On average, a high school dropout earns $9,200 less per year than a high school graduate, and about $1 million less over a lifetime than a college graduate.” Download the full PDF report from the Gates Foundation.