Standardized Tests: Where Does the GED Fit In?

I am getting mentally prepared to teach a GED prep class after not teaching for a while. During the time I wasn’t teaching, the standardized testing issue was hot and I have had to think about the GED, which has always been a standardized test. (Pearson bought the GED out, and I am supposed to put a trademark sign after GED but it’s a pain so I’m not going to. Just know that Pearson owns it.)

Of all of the standardized tests under fire these days, the GED makes the most sense to continue using. I can’t really think of any other way to assess the learning, on a large scale, of those individuals who didn’t graduate from high school, for whatever reason, that is, if there truly is a need to assess that learning.

Maybe we need to quit assessing at the end of K-12 and instead let employers assess prospective employees when they apply for jobs. That way, they can make up their own tests that reflect the skills needed to work at those businesses.

I don’t see the GED going away anytime soon so I have to work with it. What I object to is the importance placed on the test and the effect it has on self-esteem. Pearson has revamped the GED to make it “harder”, which makes no sense to me but whatever.

Most of those who didn’t graduate from high school already have a lot to face in terms of self-esteem; the GED only adds to the problem.

So what does all this mean anyway? Since the GED has always been a standardized test, I should just continue teaching GED prep classes as I did before. And guess what? I’ve always taught my GED classes like I was teaching a regular class. The idea was to help my students learn, not to help them pass a test. If they learned to learn well, they could pass any test they cared enough to pass.  GED prep classes offered by Live and Learn New Mexico! are more about helping students get their power back than anything else.

Teaching to the test

I still plan to teach like that, like there is no test at the end of my class. But I have to be realistic, too. I have to address the test itself and face it head on – and help my students do the same. There is too much about it now that has to be gone over, like how to register and pay for it, use the computer, and word process. We’ve always heard over the years that it’s bad to teach to the test but that is exactly what I intend to do.

My students and I will look at one practice GED test after the other and we will go through them together. We will also look at the other high school equivalency tests allowed by the State of New Mexico.

At the same time, we will explore ideas we come across that intrigue us. We will talk and write about them. We will make the test our starting point and grow from there. We will talk about current events, issues that are important to us, and our dreams for the future in New Mexico.

Teacher as learner

The class will be about learning and --  oh! by the way -- students should be able to pass the GED if they are so inclined by the end of the course…hopefully. It’s a hard test. I’m not sure I could pass the math section. How scary is that? I feel like I’m in the same boat as my students. I don’t have confidence that I would do well on the new GED. But we can build our confidence together as a class.

If we persevere and go through one test at a time, with each test our fears will be lessened. 

My hope is to alleviate the anxiety that comes with standardized tests like the GED, to put them in perspective for the students so that they can confidently prepare for them, take them, and pass them…and then continue learning toward a better life. As my esteemed colleague and friend, Marlene Gray, always says, “Get your GED and GET GOING!”