MANSFIELD, Ohio – At least 20 local test-takers earned their GED Tuesday after a recalibration of the passing score for the General Education Development (GED) test.
GED Testing Service, the organization responsible for distributing the GED test nationwide, officially announced Tuesday, Jan. 26, that the passing score for high school equivalency has moved from 150 to 145 for all test subjects. Also, the change applies retroactively to January of 2014. Those who scored between 145 and 149 on the GED test prior to the passing score recalibration will now be eligible for their GED credential.
According to Kevin Uhde, grant manager for Mansfield City Schools Adult and Community Education, this means at least 20 local individuals will now be awarded their GED diploma without further testing.
“It will also affect many testers who gave up after taking a few tests and not passing by the previous score requirements,” Uhde said. “Now that the score requirements have changed, hundreds of previous testers may be closer to passing their GED than they realize.”
The changes come after extensive analysis of testing performance data by GED Testing Service throughout the past 18 months, according to GED Testing Service President Randy Trask.
“This is part of our ongoing commitment to make data-based decisions, and continually improve the efficacy of the GED program,” Trask said.
This is the first time the test has been adjusted since the implementation of computer-based testing in 2014. The new test includes more short-answer, fill-in-the-blank and extended-response questions requiring knowledge of science, social studies and math.
In a previous Richland Source article, Uhde noted intimidation has been a significant challenge in students completing the new GED tests. Ohio’s GED passage rate in 2014 plunged to 49 percent for those who completed all parts of the test, down from rates in the 70s and 80s during the old test.
“There were some people who wouldn’t come to us because they heard how hard the test is,” Uhde said. “Now hopefully in the community we serve there will be a lot of word of mouth saying you should try it.”
In addition, GED Testing Service announced the addition of two new performance levels. The new “GED College Ready” performance score of 165 to 174 signals readiness to enter credit-bearing college courses, and the new “GED College Ready + Credit” performance score of 175 to 200 signifies a student qualifies for up to 10 hours of college credit.
Uhde explained the new GED tests were first created to measure college readiness, but in Richland County the chief reason for adults obtaining their GED is employment.
“When we get people, they tell us they want to get a job,” Uhde said. “Now (the test) is a little more realistic in that they may not be ready for college, but they are ready to work.”
