Acting Secretary of Education Provides Update on Progress of the GED

HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Earlier this year, Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq announced changes to the process of receiving a GED as a result of the 2002 GED exam expiring on Jan. 1, 2014.

In January, the national GED Testing Service replaced the 2002 GED exam with the 2014 GED test. This resulted in more than 43,000 Pennsylvanians who did not successfully complete all sections of the 2002 exam by Dec. 31, 2013, being required to restart the in 2014.

In the months following the transition, the Department of Education worked closely with Rep. Joe Hackett (R-Delaware), sponsor of House Bill 1931, and Rep. Hal English (R-Allegheny), sponsor of House Bill 1930, to develop a solution of transferring passing scores from the 2002 exam to the 2014 version.

"I want to thank Representative Hackett and Representative English for working with the department to help streamline this process to remove a barrier that would have delayed a group of citizens from obtaining their secondary credentials," Dumaresq said.

With the process now finalized, those Pennsylvanians who successfully completed one or more sections of the 2002 GED exam are permitted to continue to carry over those scores to the 2014 GED test to obtain a Commonwealth Secondary School Diploma.

"This was about fairness," Hackett said. "Adult education must be a priority to help our residents complete their education and improve their quality of life. We were able to bring all stakeholders to the table and work with the department to develop an effective solution without the delay often associated with the legislative process."

Since January, the department received 1,994 requests to transfer scores on the previous GED test to the new exam.  Upon receipt of each request, the department checks to see if an application has one or more qualifying scores from the previous exam.  To date, 1,887 of the 1,994 requests have been processed and it has been determined that 1,100 had qualifying scores eligible for transfer to the 2014 GED exam.

"I am pleased that we will be able to eliminate an unnecessary obstacle for an adult population that is already facing many challenges.  It was apparent to me that without this change many Pennsylvanians would lose previously earned partial credits and would give up pursuing their GED.  That's why I introduced House Bill 1930 to honor these partial credits," said English. "I commend Acting Secretary Dumaresq for her work to accomplish the goal of House Bill 1930 so that we can help more adults earn their GED and become self-reliant citizens."

For information about the 2014 GED test, visit www.gedtestingservice.com.

Media contact: Tim Eller, Department of Education, 717-783-9802
David Foster, Rep. Hackett's Office, 267-207-0207
Jill Butler, Rep. English's Office, 412-487-6605

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Education