Kristina, our front desk mainstay, quickly walked by the open classroom door and glanced in. A moment later, she retracked her steps and came into the classroom. Not a good sign.
"I've been looking for you." Also not a good sign. I had been talking with another instructor at the time. Our inservice days had just started so colleagues like us were reconnecting and getting up to speed on the schedule and needs for the new semester. Kristina had left her General Studies desk to find a GED instructor to be interviewed by a local television station. "The TV station wants to talk about how hard the new GED is." Uh-oh.
I knew there had been a number of national wire and magazine stories in the last week about the difficulty of the new GED test. The test had been in operation for the past 12-months and reports from GED classrooms highlighted gloom and doom among BE programs: lower attendance, less confidence in curriculum, and a dismal pass rate. According to some, the pass rate was 20-points less than the old test. Sure, the new test was probably two to three grade levels higher than the old test, and, sure, a student couldn't just walk in unprepared and expect to pass it. Few remembered that the typical student couldn't do that with the old test either.
During the television interview, our Chief Test Examiner explained that the Green Bay testing center had been one of the more successful centers in the state last year and so far this year we had more test takers than any other site, including the megalopolises of Madison and Milwaukee. Our passing rate was a healthy four passes out of five. From the instructional point of view, I pointed out that the new GED test mirrored the increase in rigor of high school program. The old GED test was written more than fifteen years ago -- of course it was easier. Why are there fewer students? We spent 18-months clearing the student files of potential GED test takers before the end of the old series in December 2013. Anyone who could complete the series, did. Student numbers will return.
To quote an MVP Quarterback, GED programs need to just "R-E-L-A-X."
The new test has forced our own GED team to completely revamp the curriculum and the way we deliver GED instruction. That's not a bad thing. We want our students to pass the new test at the same rate as those who passed the old test. What worked in the past, will not work now. Instructors knew that when we previewed the new test in the Fall of 2013. I can't speak for other programs, but our team took this as a challenge.
The past year has not been easy for anyone, but our new curriculum makes success more likely if students do choose to work with us in the classroom -- always a good choice. Because of the test change, our program is stronger, more creative and better prepared to help students not only pass the GED 2014 test series, but also to be successful in the college classroom beyond. As an Internet scribe promises, "I'm not telling you it's going to be easy. I'm telling you it's going to be worth it." And, it has been and will be.
I look forward to answering questions to the follow-up interview a year from now talking about our ground-breaking curriculum and incredible successes with GED students. Kristina, I'll let you know where I am at that morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment