The questions below have been submitted by your colleagues in the educational and GED^® testing communities. Find out when new FAQs are posted by signing up to receive our free eNewsletter, The Community.

How closely aligned to the common core standards will the 2020 version be? Will the revised test still be introduced in 2012?

The good news is that there will be a new assessment well in advance of 2020. The new assessment system, and parts of its complementary assessment system, will it will be introduced by 2014. No new edition of the GED^® tests will be introduced in 2012. Please refer to the memo here distributed on October 7, 2009, regarding the national needs that altered plans to introduce the 2012 Series/5th Edition GED Tests. The new assessment system will continue to measure high school equivalency as it's done since 1942. But it doesn't stop there. We're taking a quantum leap forward in score reporting and we've added the opportunity for adults to demonstrate career- and college-readiness through a new endorsement.  

Will test scores expire? Will spelling be given more weight in the essay scoring guide?

Test scores on the current 2002 Series GED Tests will expire when the new assessment is released sometime in 2014. (Updated 3-31-11) 

Although it is much too early for guidelines for scoring of essays and other possible constructed response items on the new GED^® assessment to have been developed, it is highly unlikely that spelling will be evaluated in these types of items. Adults in the 21st century generally have access to spelling tools, and so evaluation of responses to assessment items would likely take that fact into account. As the new GED^® assessment continues in development, GED Testing Service^® will share the expectations and scoring guidelines with the field. (Posted 10-30-10)

I have heard the new test will be online.

The new assessment, to be launched sometime in 2014, will be administered through computer-based testing (CBT), although paper-based testing (PBT) will still be available under certain circumstances or as an accommodation. The computer-based version of the GED^® tests will only be offered at Official GED Testing Center™ locations. The test will not be administered via the Internet ("online testing") outside of those official centers. This is crucial for each GED Administrator™ and examiner to understand in promoting security for test-takers who may fall victim to online diploma mills or frauds.

It is important to note that until the new assessment is launched, the 2002 Series GED Test will be administered in both PBT and CBT formats. (Updated 11-31-10)

When is the projected date?

The projected date for the release of the new assessment is set for sometime in 2014. However, the new GED^® 21st Century Initiative is not a single event or product launch. It is a new way of thinking about the GED^® testing program. The GED^® 21st Century Initiative is our commitment to helping more adults become career- and college-ready by transforming the GED^® test into a comprehensive program. By building a more robust assessment, complete with preparation tools and transitions to college and careers, GED Testing Service and ACE hope to increase the number of adults who can enter and succeed in college and the workforce. It’s a long-term program and we need your support to do it! (Updated 5-25-11)

Since the GED^® 21st Century Initiative is focused on "helping more adults become career- and college-ready by transforming the GED^® tests into a comprehensive program," is consideration being given to including a computer skills assessment as an additional component to obtaining the GED^® credential?

 Part of this development includes consulting with adult learning experts, employers and colleges to understand what is needed for life success and building a content framework based on these and other inputs. This means new thinking in test development philosophy, including consideration of including career-and college-readiness skills. (Posted 12-15-10)

To match the higher standard that the new test will be, has there been consideration of a new name for the test to distinguish it from the previous versions? Maybe CRE: College Readiness Exam.

Thank you for the suggestion! GED Testing Service has already started considering the branding implications that come with the broad vision of the GED^® 21st Century Initiative. The work on the new test's brand is likely to take a couple of years from start to finish. It will require market research and feedback from a variety of sources before a final decision is made. Work focused on this topic will commence soon and the field will be involved in the process, as with all the new initiatives. (Posted 2-2-11)

Do you have any more specific information about your National Preparation Program?

The first component of the GED^® 21st Century Initiative is focused on developing what we are calling "learning pathways" for adult learners to study and prepare for success on the GED^® tests and beyond. The work to develop innovative accelerated learning practices has already begun with a pilot study in New York City's District 79. Read more about this pilot and the MetLife Foundation grant that made it possible. (Posted 3-31-11)

Will the Preparation program be largely computer-based? Will students work independently or collaboratively? Will it be designed to work with students who have less than grade-3 level reading or writing skills?

The term "National Preparation Program" is actually shorthand that refers to a wide range of programs and materials that will be accessible to test-takers nationwide. Because the adult learners that approach GED^® preparation come from such a broad spectrum of knowledge, skills, and experiences, multiple approaches will be needed to help prepare candidates to take and succeed on the new assessment. These preparation resources will be guided by criteria and standards set by GED Testing Service and will take a variety of forms including print material, online courses, and even instructor-led courses that employ materials vetted by GED Testing Service. Learners may use the instructional materials independently or collaboratively.  Academic competency needs of learners whose literacy and mathematics skills are at the elementary school level will be addressed, though it is likely that materials below the grade-3 level will not be available. (Posted 3-31-11)

What will be the role of instructors in this National Preparation Program?

Instructors will play a key role in preparing candidates to take the new assessment. Although materials will be available to help individuals engage in self-study to prepare themselves for the test, many test-takers will still want and need to participate in classroom-based, distance learning, or blended learning programs in which instructors will assist test-takers along their learning journey in both academic and motivational terms. (Posted 3-31-11)

Where can I go to read current research, etc. about accelerated learning? I would like to read about real-life examples.

The Learning Pathways group at the American Council on Education (ACE) is currently compiling a bibliography of accelerated learning research.  This bibliography will be available in the future on the GED Testing Service website. A link to the bibliography will appear in a future edition of The Community. (Posted 3-31-11)

Will there be more than one version of the GED^® in the new initiative. For example will there be an edition for those who want to go on a "college track" and one for those who need basic skills for entry level jobs?

The new assessment system will continue to measure high school equivalency as it's done since 1942. But it doesn't stop there. We're taking a quantum leap forward in score reporting and we've added the opportunity for adults to demonstrate career- and college-readiness through a new endorsement. As expressed in the GED^® 21st Century Initiative, the goal is to help more adults become both career- and college-ready. Part of that goal requires the new assessment to evaluate readiness for multiple postsecondary options such as those adults who want to earn a credential for a job requirement and those adults who wish to earn a college degree. The details about how the new assessment will evaluate these skill levels, and if there will be multiple assessments or assessment parts, are still being discussed and developed. (Posted 3-31-11) 

When will the new PBT be released and/ or will it be announced in The Community newsletter first?

The new assessment system will be released sometime in 2014. The new assessment will be delivered primarily through computer-based testing; paper-based testing will be available only for accommodations or special circumstances. This was announced in early March 2011 as part of the announcement of the new GED Testing Service, LLC—a joint venture between ACE and Pearson to realize the goals of the GED^® 21st Century Initiative more quickly and more effectively than any one organization could have accomplished on its own. (Posted 3-31-11) 

Is there a conference or training opportunity for the new assessment?

GED Testing Service will be working with nonprofit, governmental, and local programs to ensure there are professional development opportunities available for adult education professionals in advance of the release of the new assessment. Administrators will also receive up-to-date information at the annual summer conference. The new assessment will be delivered primarily through computer-based testing; paper-based testing will be available only for accommodations or special circumstances. (Posted 3-31-11)

Will the new GED^® test be available in Spanish?

Current plans call for the new assessment to be available in English and Spanish, and delivered with computer-based testing. A decision regarding the French and Canadian-English versions of the next-generation GED^® exam is still to be determined. (Posted 5-25-11)

Are there any implications for the role of the OPT (Official GED Practice Test)? Will a new version of the OPT also be created?

The Official GED Practice Test (OPT) will be updated to reflect the content on the new assessment. The new OPT will have a similar role in the GED^® assessment system but it will be just one of a series of preparation tools. In the new assessment scheduled for release sometime in 2014, GED Testing Service is planning to provide test-takers with a diagnostic pre-assessment, post-assessment, and  a practice test. More details about these assessments will be made available to GED Administrators at the annual conference in July, and then distributed more widely to the field. (Posted 5-25-11)

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