GED high school equivalency test to get major overhaul, become more difficult
by Michael Alison Chandler, Amanda Voisard
By Michael Alison Chandler and Amanda Voisard, Saturday, April 20, 5:11 PM
Hundreds of thousands of high school dropouts hoping to earn an equivalency diploma will have to pass a more challenging GED test that is being designed to improve the prospects of low-skilled workers in a high-tech economy.
The largest overhaul in the exam’s 70-year history follows growing criticism that it has fallen far short of its promise to offer a second chance for the 39 million adult Americans without a high school diploma. Very few of those who pass the GED test pursue higher education, and most struggle to earn a living wage.
The new exam, scheduled to be introduced in January, will emphasize skills that are more relevant to today’s employers and colleges, including critical thinking and basic computer literacy as the test goes digital and the pencil-and-paper version is abandoned. It also will be aligned tonational academic standards approved by 45 states and the District, matching it more closely to the education students are now expected to receive in public schools.
CT Turner, a spokesman for the GED Testing Service, said the new test is
