Teacher FAQs about the GED 2002
- What's new? What's different? And why is the test being changed?
- When does the test take effect and what happens to students who are part way through the old test at the changeover?
- How many testing areas are in the new test?
- What can you tell me about the changes to the Writing Skills test?
- How and when will the GED 2002 test be normed?
- Will the new test be harder?
- I've heard a lot about the changes in the Mathematics portion of testing, including the use of calculator. What is the story on the mathematics portion?
- What is the Integrated Learning Assessment we've heard about concerning the test?
- What can I expect to be different in the Social Studies test?
- What can I expect to be different in the Science Test?
- When will a practice test be available?
- Who will be publishing the new GED 2002 materials?
- Will the GED 2002 test be available to take on-line (Internet)?
- How are cultural, social and economic biased factored into the test to assure equity for all test takers?
- What provisions have been made for physically challenged students?
- Is there a Spanish version available?
- Are GED 2002 standards uniform across the United States and Canada?
- Have the time limits for test taking changed?
- Where should I focus in preparing my students for the GED 2002?
- Q: What's new? What's different? And why is the test being changed?
A: The GED 2002 will continue to follow the original purpose of providing a basis for an equivalency diploma, but it will also reflect the most up to date and reformed secondary curriculum standards. The new GED 2002 will cover the core academic areas of language arts, social studies, science and mathematics. Some of the changes will reflect the impact of welfare to work. There will be more business related references and an adult context information base incorporated into each of the testing categories. The test will mirror political, educational, workplace and essential skills necessary for success in society.
- Q: When does the test take effect and what happens to students who are part way through the old test at the changeover?
A: The new test takes effect January 1, 2002. If a student has not completed the current GED by December 2001, he or she will have to start over. They is no carry over on portions of the test that have been successfully completed. It is important that your students or instructors are very aware of this.
- Q: How many testing areas are in the new test?
A: There are still five discreet tests:
Writing Skills has been renamed Language Arts, Writing; Interpreting Literature and the Arts has been renamed Language Arts, Reading;
Social Studies;
Science; and
Mathematics.
- Q: What can you tell me about the changes to the Writing Skills test?
A: Spelling exercises, except for homonyms, possessives, and contradictions, have been eliminated. Commas are only tested when they are used to eliminate confusion. The GED 2002 will include business communications like letters, memos, reports, etc., and "How to" texts, like dressing for success, leasing a car, etc. Both of these portions will be about 200-300 words. Organization will incorporate transitions, text division, topic sentences and coherence. The essay scoring-rubric changes from a 6-point scale to a 4-point scale (1=inadequate; 2=marginal; 3-adequate; 4=effective). The essay components for grading will include focus, development of topic and use of vocabulary. It is the only portion of the GED 2002 that is not machine scored. There are two tests in this portion and the essay is essential to passing this test. There will be no merging of scores from the two tests. Each test must be successfully passed. Candidates will continue to read and interpret fiction and non fiction, prose, poetry and drama from a variety of cultures and time periods.
- Q: How and when will the GED 2002 test be normed?
A: Thirty thousand graduating high school seniors will be given the GED test in the Spring of 2001. A 95 percent reliability measure can be anticipated from the testing. The test is normed against high school seniors because the GED is supposed to reflect knowledge equivalent to that of high school graduation and most GED test-takers want a credential that equates to a high school diploma.
- Q: Will the new test be harder?
A: Yes and no. The GED Testing Service feels that it may be more challenging because test takers are going to need to utilize more higher level, or critical thinking, skills. But this is something teachers can prepare their students for with manuals like those prepared and provided by the Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center.
- Q: I've heard a lot about the changes in the Mathematics portion of testing, including the use of calculator. What is the story on the mathematics portion?
A: It's probably easiest to discuss the math portion point by point.
- the math test will have two booklets, Part I and Part II
- Part I permits the use of the Casio fx-260 solar calculator, Part II does not.
- the scientific notation calculator was selected because it meets the specifications necessary for students to perform accurately on the test. The Casio fx-260 Solar recognizes "order of operations," unlike most common desk calculators. For instance, if you put 2 + 3 x 5 = into most calculators, they will give you "25" as the answer. That is a wrong answer. Order of operations requires multiplication to be performed before addition, so that this equation should really read 2 + (3 x 5) and the answer would then correctly be "17." The GED calculator also needed to be solar powered to preclude problems with batteries running out of power during the test.
- calculators will be available at testing sites
- this model of calculator is available at most retail scores carrying calculators
- data analysis will increase from 10 to 25 percent of test, reflecting workplace and higher educational demands
- data analysis primarily includes interpreting graphic information
- the elementary aspects of statistics, like mode, mean, and median, will be helpful to test takers
- it is no longer possible for a candidate to pass the mathematics test by only doing well on the arithmetic questions. The student must be able to answer higher order thinking skill type questions, like basic algebra and basic geometry.
- the two math tests are equally weighted in scoring
- the math questions will be more realistically oriented to life situations. For instance, if a product price is used in a problem, it would be represented as real prices are: 29.99 versus 30.00.
- the answers will no longer be just multiple choice. There will be two types of answer sheets: a coordinate plane grid and a standard grid. This makes the test machine scorable.
- the grid will be left, middle and right justified and the machine will score in any of these ways. In other words, if a correct answer is 281, and the grid allows for fill-in circles like this:
- 00000
the answer can be inserted in one of several ways and still be correctly scored by the machine.
- 281000
- 028100
- 002810
- 000281
the zero (0) can be filled in after a decimal point
- 20 percent (10) of the questions will be in the alternate format
- 8 questions will be standard grid
- 2 questions will be plotted on the coordinate grid
- there will still be a formula page for assistance
- instructional guides for the calculator will be available and the Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center will have materials and training on the use of the calculator.
- Q: What is the Integrated Learning Assessment we've heard about concerning the test?
A: GED candidates, to be successful in further education or occupation, need to be able to demonstrate skills across all academic content areas. The new test deals with application, not mere recall of facts. Students will be asked to think at higher levels. For instance, candidates will encounter business-related and adult content information texts across all five tests. This also means that life experience will benefit test takers. The essay will be expository based on life experience, and graphics and visuals will be used across all testing areas. Political, educational, workplace and essential skills will be reflected in all sections of the test. All test areas will be more realistically focused. For instance, the workplace taskforce consultants to the GED 2002 added a component of skill testing that employers want their workers to be able to read and process.
- Q: What can I expect to be different in the Social Studies test?
A: There will be at least one excerpt from the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Federalist Papers or a landmark Supreme Court Decision.
- Q: What can I expect to be different in the Science Test?
A: The GED 2002 science portion is modeled upon the National Science Education Standards framework. These means candidates should be able to set up an experiment, interpret other experimenters results, analyze experimental flaws, apply scientific conclusions to their personal lives, and use the work of renowned scientists to explain everyday global scientific issues.
- Q: When will a practice test be available?
A: September, 2001
- Q: Who will be publishing the new GED 2002 materials?
A: Actually, the GED Testing Service is the publisher of all official GED tests, but official practice tests and practice test materials will be published by the successful bidder when publishing bids are let in September 2001.
- Q: Will the GED 2002 test be available to take on-line (Internet)?
A: No. Technology is currently not able to handle security measures to ensure the GED 2002 test is not misused, duplicated, copied or otherwise inappropriately used.
- Q: How are cultural, social and economic biased factored into the test to assure equity for all test takers?
A: The GED Testing Service has carefully reviewed all aspects of the test to see if a stimulus affects a particular popular in any unfair way. The panel of reviewers, who are sensitive to these issues, has conducted practice rehearsals with populations most like to be affected based on race, age, gender, socio-economic status, etc. GED Testing Service Executive Director Joan Auchter remarked that "we feel we are way ahead in tackling the diversity issues."
- Q: What provisions have been made for physically challenged students?
A: There are Braille, large print, and audio versions for test candidates. Other physical accommodations will continue to be made for other obstacles a candidate might have.
- Q: Is there a Spanish version available?
A: The GED 2002 in Spanish will be available in September, 2003.
- Q: Are GED 2002 standards uniform across the United States and Canada?
A: Not entirely. Each state has the right to enforce some guidelines. A state can impose a higher passing grade, for instance, or adjust the number of times the GED can be taken in any given year.
- Q: Have the time limits for test taking changed?
A: The entire battery of tests will still take 7 hours, 30 minutes to complete. There are some variations in individual tests areas in the amount of time allotted, but the variations remain within a five to ten minute parameter of the current GED.
- Q: Where should I focus in preparing my students for the GED 2002?
A: A good place to begin is with higher order thinking skills (critical thinking), and graphical literacy. Much of the material you are currently using will still work well with GED 2002 preparation. It may be helpful to think of the GED 2002 as workplace and visually oriented. For instance, 60 percent of the items in Social Studies, Science and Mathematics will be based on a graph, photograph, map, chart, diagram, or some other type of visual representation. Think in terms of teaching even literature in a graphical sense as often as possible. And above all, do not compartmentalize your teaching curriculum. Keep your focus on integration of math, science, literature, social studies, writing and reading and you will have students ready to successfully complete the GED 2002.
Can't find your FAQ here and would like to see it added to the list? Email GK-Henderson@wiu.edu.
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