As the number of adult Americans without a high school degree nears 40 million, adult education is becoming a critical issue in the United States. GED education programs are sponsored by communities, non-profit organizations, and school districts across the country. Teaching undereducated adults is extremely challenging. Most adults who didn’t graduate high school never learned good study habits, never felt motivated to learn and never did well in a traditional classroom environment.

Research shows that most adults with a low level of education are encumbered with poor self-esteem, frustration, feelings of helplessness, and dependency on others. It’s particularly important for adult learners to succeed in their experiences with the GED. Success at this stage shows students that it’s possible to succeed. The GED Academy identifies four crucial factors for success for adult learners.

1. The learner must be able to set the pace.

Adult learners begin their GED preparation at various stages. They have gaps in their education that are difficult to predict and unique for each individual. Students should be able to skip materials they’re familiar with and review new material as many times as needed. Adult education must be customized to students’ needs. Spending hours on material that adults already know destroys motivation, and going too quickly over unknown material leads to frustration.

2. Interest, not content, drives learning.

Students who never succeeded in school don’t find classroom materials inherently interesting. Innovative adult education programs like the GED Academy prep program use storytelling techniques, among others, to capture learners’ interest. The lessons follow a virtual GED classroom, peopled with characters that include a class clown, a single mother, and an ex-convict. Following the story of virtual students’ lives creates interest and motivation, and it helps answer the question: how is this information important to me?

3. The learner needs immediate feedback.

Immediate feedback on adult learners’ progress creates a sense of accomplishment, since students can see their incremental improvement. It also shows students when they need to repeat material. Many adult education students can’t assess their own learning. Immediate feedback helps build self-awareness of the learning process.

4. Success is the great motivator.

Every part of the learning experience is an opportunity for success. Students who have experienced failure and frustration need to recognize each little success along the way. Through a combination of storytelling, humor, exposing the learning processes of fellow students, and providing immediate feedback, learning programs like the GED Academy prep program attempt to build a foundation of success for learners. Whatever methodology you’re using, give students a flexible study plan tailored to their needs, keep them interested, and give them immediate feedback. Really, these are the keys to the fourth element: success. Make sure they see their successes.

Most people think of physical disabilities, when they think of test-taking accommodations. The GED provides accommodations for people with many types of disabilities, though, including physical disabilities, emotional and mental health disabilities, learning disabilities, and ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). The GED testing center can provide extended time, an audiocassette version, a braille test version, a calculator for the second math test, a talking calculator for the entire math test, a private room, supervised frequent breaks, or other accommodations specific to the disability. A qualified professional, such as your doctor, will need to provide documentation of your diagnosis and needs.

One of the most common disabilities is ADHD, or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. ADHD can often go undiagnosed, and cause people to perform poorly in school. People suffering from ADHD may drop out because school is so difficult when you can’t concentrate, focus, or sit still. To get accommodations for ADHD, you’ll need information from a psychiatrist, medical doctor, or psychologist who specializes in ADHD, along with information about your history and symptoms. You’ll need to take a test of attention, like the TOVA Gordon Diagnostic Battery. The GED test accommodations you can receive (such as frequent breaks or extra time) will be based on your symptoms, and how they’ll limit you during the test.

Accommodations may also be given for learning disabilities, such as dyslexia (reading disabilities), dysgraphia (writing disabilities), or dyscalculia (math disabilities). For these types of disabilities, you’ll also need a diagnosis from a doctor, who will need to report your scores on tests for learning and cognitive disabilities.

Talk to your doctor if you feel you need accommodations. Discuss what tests you may need to take, and whether you need to see a specialist.

Even with accommodations, the GED may be difficult for people with disabilities. Studying can also be a problem. The GED Academy strives to make its program as accessible as possible for students with disabilities. Go to the GED Academy website at http://www.passGED.com to learn more about our program, and how it’s designed to help everyone learn.

For more information and GED test-taking accommodation forms, visit the ACE GED Testing Service website: http://www.acenet.edu/Content/NavigationMenu/ged/test/Take/Accommodations_Disab.htm

Throughout the country, individuals, communities, and businesses are recognizing the need for GED programs to develop undereducated adults into a viable workforce. “GED graduates are a vital component of a globally competitive workforce that strengthens existing business and supports economic growth and development in Virginia,” says the Virginia Department of Education. Virginia has created a goal of 20,000 new GED graduates per year, recognizing the problems raised by a staggering 30 million American adults without a high school diploma.

The level of support for adult education varies widely, from the high level of commitment found in Virginia to areas where community groups are struggling to find funding sources. Educational programs need to take advantage of technology to compensate for the funding gap.

The new practice test is a perfect example of how technology can help under-funded programs. The test is Flash-based and built for the web, so it can run on nearly any computer that can browse the Internet. Built according to the guidelines of the American Council on Education, the two complete half-length practice tests in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies have the same content as traditional pen-and-paper practice tests.

The difference is the need for support to take the test, score it, and understand the test results. The online test gives immediate feedback and computerized scoring, translating the number of right and wrong answers into information that the student can use. The goal is to give students a tool to target their studying toward areas they need to improve.

The test even includes the essay portion of the GED test, and essays are scored by GED Academy instructors. It’s something individual students can’t do for themselves, and it’s very time consuming for community program instructors to grade essays.

The easy-to-use technology is typical of The GED Academy’s GED prep program, which includes a complete Flash-based study program, with a guarantee that learners will pass the GED.

The GED Academy is part of a new breed of educational software. Through their innovative GED prep program, The GED Academy brings a virtual classroom to life on students’ computer screens… a classroom peopled with fellow students who struggle with real-life problems. One of the hardest subjects for many adult learners is math. The GED Academy saw the need to approach math in a way that students can really relate to.

From the first glance, The GED Academy is clearly different from conventional GED study preparation. With unit names like “Learning About Numbers” and “Understanding Shapes,” The GED Academy appeals to students who find terminology like “number operations” and “geometry” off-putting.

The philosophy is more than superficial. When you load a unit, what appears on the screen is not a math problem or a written introduction. It’s a classroom, with four students and a teacher sitting around a table. Leonard Williams, the instructor, begins a discussion.

Part of the course is learning how to learn. Through the virtual students, learners can examine students’ thought process. Students can see other students learning and connecting learning to their lives.

The first discussion in the math course is about what students hope to gain and how math can be valuable in their lives. “I’m not very good at math,” says Elizabeth, one of the virtual students. “My mind doesn’t work that way.” Elizabeth does struggle as she works through the program. Sometimes the teacher helps her, and sometimes other virtual students give their own perspectives on how to think through the problems.

Thinking is the key. That’s the most valuable thing students can learn… how to think through a problem, whether it’s math or any other subject. The virtual students find ways that math applies to their lives, like figuring out interest rates. When the students talk about probability, they start out joking about whether one of the virtual students, Maria, will date another. “I think the chances are a million to zero,” says Maria, to general laughter.

“What exactly do you mean by that?” Leonard prompts. The students begin discussing the idea of odds, and soon they’re learning about probability. How does probability affect students’ lives? The lesson identifies probability in weather forecasting, the lottery, and even card counting.

The lessons are full of arguments. In the lesson on the metric system, one of the students complains about needing to learn a new system. “Why don’t everyone do it the same way? It just makes everything totally complicated.” Another student responds. Where she comes from, Mexico, they use the metric system, and it’s so much easier. The virtual students discuss everything: what is the point of studying particular ideas, what is the right answer to a problem, how ideas relate to their lives.

Learning means being involved. Identifying with the students and being interested in the discussion facilitates understanding. Beyond generating interest, seeing other people work through solving a problem adds a valuable dimension to the program… guiding learners through the process of thinking.

The demand for adult education is growing, with 39 million American adults lacking a high school diploma. Innovative GED experts at the GED Academy have identified four crucial elements to success for adult education GED students.

As the number of adult Americans without a high school diploma nears 40 million, adult education is becoming a critical issue in the United States. GED education programs are sponsored by communities, non-profit organizations, and school districts across the country. “Teaching undereducated adults is extremely challenging,” states Michael Ormsby, president of The GED Academy. “Most adults who didn’t graduate high school never learned good study habits, never felt motivated to learn, never did well in a traditional classroom environment.”

Research shows that most adults with a low level of education are encumbered with poor self-esteem, frustration, feelings of helplessness, and dependency on others. “It’s particularly important for adult learners to succeed in their experiences with the GED,” Ormsby maintains. “Success at this stage shows students that it’s possible to succeed.” The GED Academy identifies four crucial factors for success for adult learners.

1. The learner must be able to set the pace.

Adult learners begin their GED preparation at various stages. They have gaps in their education that are difficult to predict and unique for each individual. The GED Academy’s passGED Prep Program addresses this issue by allowing students free access to skip materials they’re familiar with and review new material as many times as needed. “Adult education must be customized to students’ needs,” according to Ormsby. “Reviewing material that adults already know destroys motivation, and going too quickly over unknown material leads to frustration.”

2. Interest, not content, drives learning.

Students who never succeeded in school don’t find classroom materials inherently interesting, according to The GED Academy. The GED Academy Prep Program uses storytelling techniques to capture learners’ interest. The lessons follow a virtual GED classroom, peopled with characters that include a class clown, a single mother, and an ex-convict. “Following the story of virtual students’ lives creates interest and motivation, and it helps answer the question: how is this information important to me?” Ormsby says.

3. The learner needs immediate feedback.

Immediate feedback on adult learners’ progress creates a sense of accomplishment, since students can see their incremental improvement. It also shows students when they need to repeat material. “Many adult education students can’t assess their own learning,” Ormsby points out. “Immediate feedback helps build self-awareness of the learning process.”

4. Success is the great motivator.

“Every part of the learning experience is an opportunity for success,” says Ormsby. “Students who have experienced failure and frustration need to recognize each little success along the way.” Through a combination of storytelling, humor, exposing the learning processes of fellow students, and providing immediate feedback, the GED Academy’s passGED software attempts to build a foundation of success for learners. “Whatever methodology you’re using,” Ormsby states, “give students a flexible study plan tailored to their needs, keep them interested, and give them immediate feedback. Really, these are the keys to the fourth element: success. Make sure they see their successes.”

For more information about the GED test or GED test preparation, visit The GED Academy at http://www.passged.com or call 1-888-880-2164