Did you know that as of January 2nd, 2014 the GED® is no longer the only high school equivalency assessment available? For as long as anyone can remember “the GED” was the only option—but not anymore! This year, two more players entered the game, offering their versions of a high school equivalency assessment (Test Assessing Secondary Completion™ (TASC™) and HiSET®).
The good news is that all of the 2014 tests are aligned with the same set of the standards, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for K-12, which have been adopted by the majority of states in the country. These standards are supposed to help better prepare our students for college and career success. The alignment of the high school equivalency assessments with these standards will help ensure that all students receiving a diploma or equivalency are well prepared for the world of work and higher education.
And this is important: by 2018, 63% of jobs will require some post-secondary education (Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce), and we are not on track to enable the workforce to fill those employment needs. State adult education directors across the country have responded to this by adopting a subset of the CCSS released by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), the College and Career Readiness Standards, and selecting the high school equivalency assessment that best meets their state’s needs.
To find out which assessment(s) your state has selected, check with your local adult education program. For more information on the high school equivalency assessment options, check out the sites below!
GED Testing Service
TASC by McGraw-Hill
HiSET by ETS
