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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

These eight fact sheets, which are intended for teachers, administrators, and others interested in adult basic education and adult literacy, cover a wide range of topics related to adult learning and literacy. This document contains revised versions of fact sheets 0, 3, 6, 7, 12, 14, 16, and 18. The following are among the topics discussed on the…

The growing number of youth enrolling in adult literacy education is a little-documented trend across the nation that is having a major impact on programs in some areas but appears to be unnoticed by educational policymakers and researchers. A central question is whether youth enrollments provide an opportunity for adult literacy education to…

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 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…

Since its establishment in 1996, the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) has actively conducted and disseminated research to help build effective, cost- efficient adult education and literacy programs for adults who have low literacy and math skills, limited English skills, and/or no high school diploma. Funded as…

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,…

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…