OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Experts are citing higher costs behind a decrease in the number of test takers in Oklahoma for the GED high school equivalency test.
Data provided by the state show that the number of test takers fell by 60 percent in 2014 compared to the previous year, The Journal Record (https://bit.ly/1IutVDi ) reported. The new GED eliminated paper tests and only can be administered online.
Pearson VUE began administering the GED in January 2014. Once it took over, the test doubled in price to around $130 and was split into subject sections, making achieving a passing grade more rigorous.
“I think word just got around that the test was more difficult and it scared people,” said Lance Allee, a specialist for the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education Lifelong Learning Division. “I think that has a lot to do with why the numbers are so low.”
Mike Newell runs the dropout recovery and adult basic education programs at Great Plains Technology Center in Lawton. Though the new GED test is divided into separate exams that each cost around $30, finding the funds to pay for it is still difficult for some.
“I’ve got four or five right now who need one test left to graduate, and they just can’t afford it,” Newell said. “You’re talking about students who don’t have high-paying jobs.”
Spokesman CT Turner for the GED Testing Service, a joint venture of Pearson and the American Council on Education, said it’s not unusual to see a decrease in turnout when a test is rewritten.
“Every time we release a new test, we see at least a 50-percent drop,” Turner said.
He said as time passes, the number of test takers should bounce back.
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Information from: The Journal Record, https://www.journalrecord.com
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