New GED Chief Faces Sagging Testing Rates Despite High Minority Dropout Numbers
By David Pluviose
Widely recognized as the equivalent to a high school diploma, the General Educational Development test, or GED, is as critical as ever for high school dropouts, particularly minorities. A recent Education Week study finds that 55 percent of all Hispanic and 50 percent of all Black and American Indian students will drop out of U.S. high schools this year, while only 23 percent of White students are expected to drop out. As the nation’s Hispanic population continues to swell, the GED is expected to play an increasing role in access to college or the work force for these and other minorities.
Although many education advocates argue that the GED is needed now more than ever, only 665,927 U.S. students took the test in 2004, according to the GED Testing Service’s most recent statistics. The annual number had hovered around the 800,000 mark prior to 2002, when the test was revamped to address complaints by employers that GED-holders still lacked basic writing skills. The numbers have not rebounded since a 43 percent drop in the number of test-takers immediately followed the introduction of the more rigorous test. Officials are starting to work now on another redesign for 2011.
Newly minted GED Testing Service Executive Director Sylvia E. Robinson has her work cut out for her. She is faced with the challenge of keeping the bar set high enough for GED-holders to compete in a rapidly changing economy while ensuring that every student who needs to take the GED has the opportunity to do so. She recently sat down with Diverse to talk about her background and her plans for the GED.
DI: How has your professional background prepared you for this position?
