In January 2014, the GED Testing Service significantly redesigned the GED test to incorporate the Common Core State Standards and the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education. The purpose of this study was to examine the significant changes made to the test in 2014, examine the impact of the changes on Washingtonians, and make…

The number of people attempting and passing the GED has plummeted. The Ohio economy is tough on low-wage workers with limited formal education. Without a high school diploma, it is virtually impossible to get a family-supporting job. But the GED has become a barricade, blocking Ohio workers from career goals, instead of a launching pad. Employers…

The number of people attempting and passing the GED has plummeted. The Ohio economy is tough on low-wage workers with limited formal education. Without a high school diploma, it is virtually impossible to get a family-supporting job. But the GED has become a barricade, blocking Ohio workers from career goals, instead of a launching pad. Employers…

I survey the evidence on patterns in U.S. high school graduation rates over the period 1970-2010 and report the results of new research conducted to fill in holes in the evidence. I begin by pointing out the strengths and limitations of existing data sources. I then describe six striking patterns in graduation rates. They include stagnation over…

The "2009 GED[R] Testing Program Statistical Report" is the 52nd annual report in the program's 68-year history of providing a second opportunity for adults without a high school credential to earn their jurisdiction's GED credential. The report provides candidate demographic and GED Test performance statistics as well as historical…

Recently released government data show that in 2006, the U.S. teen birth rate began to increase, marking the end of a 14-year period of decline. More specifically, these data show that between 2005 and 2007, the teen birth rate climbed five percent. This trend reversal is a cause for concern, given the negative consequences of teen childbearing…

This brief calculates graduation rates for the state of Florida using longitudinal data. The authors describe their measurement strategies and compare them with the state's official measurement procedures. They calculate the diploma and General Education Development (GED) attainment rates of six separate cohorts of Florida 9th graders who began…

Education often entails choices about field of study, alternative credentials, and the time to start and complete studies beyond high school. This report explores issues related to school completion and degrees, fields of training, occupations pursued, and earnings obtained. It also examines the education and earnings of people who obtain a…

The United States has experienced a significant increase in educational attainment since the 1970s. Young adults in school today are more likely than their parents to finish high school, attend college, and graduate from college. Yet, in California the share of working-age adults who do not have a high school diploma or certificate of General…

The Tests of General Education Development (GED) enable about 450,000 adults each year to obtain high school equivalency certificates, representing about 15 percent of all the high school diplomas issued in the United States. This report presents statistics on the 1991 program and its participants. In 1991, 806,038 persons took the GED Tests, an…

In Chapter Three, Marilyn Gillespie provides a summary of the research on writing instruction that has taken place over the last three decades. In her survey of writing research, she describes models of the writing process such as that developed by Flower and Hayes, who viewed writing as three cognitive writing processes: planning, text generation…

In 1995, nearly three-quarters of a million high school dropouts took the General Educational Development (GED) tests. The half million individuals who passed the test accounted for approximately one-sixth of all high school diplomas issued that year. On average, GED recipients perform as well as graduating high school seniors on the five tests…

Differences in education and labor market outcomes across groups completing high school at different ages and by different means (e.g., by graduation as compared with receiving a general education development diploma) may be due to a variety of factors, including all those that influence a person to leave school early. For an early school-leaver,…

Eleven tables and five graphs present statistical data concerning the Tests of General Educational Development Program (GED Testing Program) in 1990. Data for each state and Canadian province are included. The tables present data on the following topics: testing volumes (i.e., number of people tested), percentage of people tested by age group,…

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…