LEWISTON, Idaho - According to Donna Callahan, Director of the LCSC Adult Learning Center, effective January 2, 2014 everything changes with regard to the General Education Development (GED) tests. Students who have started testing, must take and pass all their tests before December 19, 2013. Test scores will not be grandfathered in to the new test.
The LCSC Adult Learning Center is offering an intensive GED-to-Work three-week class to prepare students to take the GED tests before the 2014 changes take effect. The class will take place from November 18 – December 12, Mondays thru Thursdays, from 9 a.m. - noon and 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.. The class will be held at the Adult Learning Center, which is located at 400 Main Street in downtown Lewiston. Students may register for the class at the Center or the Idaho Department of Labor, located at 1158 Idaho Street in Lewiston. For more information, call the Center at 792-2238 or the Idaho Department of Labor at 799-5000.
Callahan says some of the major changes that are taking place in 2014 include:
- There will be four tests instead of five. (Reasoning through Language Arts, Mathematical Reasoning, Science, and Social Studies).
- Webb’s Depth of Knowledge model guides the complexity of test items. (It used to be Bloom’s Taxonomy.)
- The scoring system will change. Test-scaled scores will ranged from 100 to 200. The Passing Standard will be set at a scaled score of 150 for each module. A minimum score of 600 (150 on each of the four modules) will be required to meet the battery Passing Standard. If a student passes the new GED test, they are college ready.
- The test will be offered as a computer-based test only at a Pearson Vue Test Center only. Students cannot take the official GED on their home computer. (If they do, they are interacting with a diploma mill.)
- GED test Item types will include multiple choice, fill-in-the blank, drag-and-drop, hot spot, drop-down, short answer, and extended response. (Currently the test features only multiple choice questions and requires an essay be written.)
- Test fees will be $30/test ($120/battery).
- Students must pay for tests using a credit/debit card. They pay their test fees directly to Pearson Vue. The Adult Learning Center will not handle any money for test fees.
- Students must register in advance. If students don’t show up for their test, they forfeit their test fee. They must cancel tests in advance.
- Students must have a personal email address.
- Transcripts will be issued by Pearson Vue. The first transcript is free. Additional transcripts cost $15.00. Students need to allow 10 business days for delivery. The Adult Learning Center will handle transcripts from tests prior to 2014 until or if the state makes a different decision on the transcripts. The Center will continue to charge $5 for each additional transcript.