Community Education program brochures Metro North ABE - Consortium newsletter, Jan. 2015 | Page 4

Introducing the 2014 GED
The new 2014 GED® exam undergoes its 4th revision since its
development in 1942; the last update occurred back in 2002.
An opportunity initially created to assist
soldiers returning from World War II to
secure employment and enter postsecondary without the traditional high
school diploma, the General Education
Development (GED) exams have been
in existence for more than 70 years. Developed by the American Council of
Education (ACE), the GED test is a series of standardized subject-based
exams designed to measure the skills
and knowledge of a learner that would
be demonstrated in a typical high school
experience.
Since 1942, the GED has gone through
four revisions, each in response to the
changing expectations of the American
high school experience. In 1988, in the
third revision of the exam series, the
essay portion was introduced, requiring
test takers to provide a writing sample.
In 2002, the exam was updated to reflect current high school standards; it

was a paper and pencil test using multiple-choice questions, with a personal
opinion essay in the writing section.
There were five exams that combined to
create the full test battery; learners
needed to score passing marks in math,
reading, science, social studies, and
writing.

In 2014, the exam underwent what
many people see as its most major revision to date. In addition to moving away
from the paper and pencil version to a
computer-based model, ACE combined
the reading and writing portions of the
exam to reduce the overall number of
exams in the battery to four, added in
math and writing components to nearly
every topic area, and developed questions that required higher-level thinking
skills.
The shift from a paper-and-pencil exam
to a computer-based model, administered by Pearson Vue, has been contro-

Spotlight on Metro North ABE’s Blaine Learning Lab
The past year has brought many changes to
the Blaine Learning Lab (BLL), including
the launch of the 2014 GED®. Before the
new test was released, Blaine staff realized
that this was a very different and more rigorous test than the previous one. They decided to take a proactive approach by
adapting programming to help learners find
success on the new GED®.

Blaine staff started by making math and
technology a priority in their program. Two
ESL teachers were selected to attend MNI
(Minnesota Math Initiative) training to help
ensure that students, even at the ESL level,

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Metro North Consortium

were getting access to quality math instruction. The use of online learning also became
an expectation for all levels of learners
throughout the program. Evening ABE programming was separated into individually
placed reading and math classes and began
requiring an additional six distance learning
lessons each week. To support these
changes, Blaine created a Distance Learning
Team, doubled its open computer lab hours,
and updated its technology, including the
purchase of 48 Chromebooks!
BLL has also continued its collaboration
with the Anoka County Workforce Center

versial for many ABE programs across
the country, including Minnesota. Many
people argued that adult learners returning to complete their education might
not have the required skills to successfully navigate a computer-based test,
which requires test takers to be able to
navigate between viewing panes, use a
mouse, and type in an essay. ABE programs have responded by increasing
computer access for learners, setting up
exam question simulations, and working
on general keyboarding skills to help reduce learner anxiety. Since the release
of the exam series in January 2014,
Pearson Vue adjusted some of its initial

by offering Jump Start Your Success, a fastpaced program designed to meet the needs
of the new GED® tests. The course began in
July and utilizes a 12-week rotating curriculum. Blaine’s partners at the Workforce
Center provide financial support (daycare
assistance, transportation, and testing fees)
to shared clients to help them overcome barriers to their success. To date, there is an
83% success rate for learners who complet e
the program. In addition to Jump Start, BLL
has developed a team teaching approach for
the higher ABE daytime learners that creates an opportunity for large group and specialized small group instruction. Learners
now have access to weekly Job Skills

Metro North Adult Basic Education | Ph: 763-783-4870 | www.MetroNorthABE.org