To keep up with emerging national and state standards, the General Education Development (GED) Test will see substantial changes starting Jan. 2, 2014.
The new test will be more rigorous and those who are in the process of completing the current version will lose all progress if they haven't completed the test by the end of the year.
“Everything is stepping up in education,” said Lisa Turner, facilitator of adult learning at the Santa Rosa Adult School,
"The new GED test will be a 'reasoning' test and address higher order thinking skills. The math section will include a larger percentage of algebraic content, and the science and social studies sections will also include statistics and data content," Turner said. "Reading texts will be 75 percent informational and 25 percent literary, and two extended response questions will appear on the new test."
The current version of the GED is the 2002 series. According to a release from the GED Testing Service, the 2014 version will offer two different performance levels: a high school equivalency credential and an additional endorsement that indicates career and college readiness. It will only be available on the computer at official testing centers.
In a release, Nicole Chestang, executive vice president of GED Testing Service, said more than a million adults nationwide have started the test but not finished and could lose all their progress.
“Your Future is Calling” is a campaign the GED Testing Service has launched to inform test takers to finish by the end of 2013.
“As a nation we cannot afford to let millions of working-aged adults miss this opportunity to complete and pass the GED test, opening doors to college, training, and better jobs,” said Chestang.
According to Turner, last year 138 people took the GED at Santa Rosa Adult School and about 225 are targeted for this year.
She also said the new test will increase in cost to $120 compared to the current $70.
For more information on the new test visit www.gedtestingservice.com/
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: GED test to see changes