State Board Of Education Approves New 2014 GED® Program

Start-to-finish program will better prepare Nevadans for college and career training programs

CARSON CITY, Nev., Nov. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Nevada State Board of Education announced that the new GED program will be available to Nevadans next year. The 2014 GED program, which will be available across the state on January 2, provides the only high school equivalency credential that is recognized nationwide, is fully aligned to national and state college and career readiness standards, and offers cutting-edge technology to help test-takers prepare for, pass, and progress beyond the GED test.

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"GED Testing Service has built the only high school equivalency program that is focused on preparing adults without a diploma for today's job market," said Randy Trask, president of GED Testing Service. "The reality is that high school equivalency isn't enough for most Nevadans. More than three quarters of all jobs in Nevada will require some education beyond a GED credential, and this new start-to-finish program was built to give them the tools they need to have a fighting chance at better jobs with better wages to support themselves and their families."

Even with Nevada leading the country with the highest unemployment rate, tens of thousands of jobs remain vacant because there aren't enough qualified candidates to fill them. GED Testing Service worked with employers, leading educators, colleges and universities, state and national education officials, and GED graduates to completely overhaul its testing program to keep up with the demands of the workforce and help adults move more successfully from dropout to jobs that pay a living wage.

"Nevada is excited to offer the 2014 GED program to learners across the state as a pathway leading to a Certificate of High School Equivalency," said Brad Deeds, Nevada's State Adult Education Director and GED Administrator. "The GED program has served our students very well for nearly 70 years, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with the GED Testing Service in order to help Nevadans on their path to getting better jobs and succeeding in postsecondary education programs."

New features of the 2014 GED program include:

• A personalized online system that students can access 24/7 to prepare, register, schedule, check their scores, access study tools, and learn about college and job opportunities—no matter where they are. The portal, called MyGED, is also accessible on smartphones and tablets. 
• An official practice test that shows students areas where they did well and where they need to improve, including specific pages to study in their training materials and study books at home.
• A same-day score report that provides students and educators with personalized guidance about strengths, weaknesses, and information to guide them on any necessary remediation before they move on to college education and training programs.
• A cutting-edge analytics system for local test administrators to track performance, create reports, and manage a successful program tailored to the specific needs of students in their community.
• The only high school equivalency test fully aligned from day one to both state and federal college and career readiness standards.
• Computer-based testing to ensure that test-takers have the basic digital literacy skills needed to succeed in today's world. The current GED test has already been delivered by computer more than 1,000 times in Nevada, and students are scoring higher and finishing the exam faster than those who take it on paper. Nevadans who test on computer have a 92 percent pass rate compared to 69 percent on paper.

"Students enjoy taking the computer-based GED test," said Soon Holl, Director of Testing at College of Southern Nevada. "They enjoy the flexibility of using the computer-based system and they receive their scores immediately."

To learn more about the benefits and features of new 2014 GED program, please visit www.gedtestingservice.com/2014program.

About GED Testing Service
The GED test has opened doors to better jobs and college programs for more than 18 million graduates since 1942. Last year nearly 800,000 adults sat for the GED test, which is accepted by virtually all U.S. colleges and employers. As the creator of the one official GED test, GED Testing Service has a responsibility to ensure that the program continues to be a reliable and valuable pathway to a better life for the millions of adults without a high school diploma.

SOURCE GED Testing Service