GED Powers "Second Chance"
Pat Walsh, M.Ed., NAASLN Board Member Emphasizing the message that the GED offers “a powerful second chance,” Sylvia E. Robinson, assistant vice president and executive director of the General Educational Development Testing Service (GEDTS), and Bob MacGillivray, deputy executive director, presented a update of its history and current profile at a recent meeting of the National Coalition for Literacy, of which NAASLN is a member. Although the first GED tests were developed in 1942 by the American Council on Education (ACE) to help returning World War II veterans finish their studies and re-enter civilian life, GEDTS is still an ACE program whose primary mission to provide a reliable vehicle through which adults can certify that they possess the major and lasting outcomes of a traditional high school education. Since its inception, this “powerful second chance,” has recognized 16,810,708 graduates. In 2007 alone, 728,930 persons took the test and 451,759 passed. It is now recognized throughout North America, as a bridge to education and employment. According to the 2007 College Board Annual Survey of Colleges 98 percent of colleges and universities that require a high school diploma accept the GED credential. Other studies indicate that 96 percent of companies accept applicants with a GED credential for jobs requiring a high school diploma.
