More education is always a good thing, and I can only see positive things coming out of programs like this! The story of Jackson and Patterson is a great story of triumph, and these two will undoubtedly inspire many other inmates to pursue furthering their education in the future.
In this story written by Selim Algar, Algar reports that the number of adults in New York State passing a high school equivalency exam has dropped to nearly half of what it was in 2010!
In 2014, New York State elected to switch from the GED test as the primary New York State High School Equivalency Diploma to the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC™). What was the reason for the switch? Most likely the cost. In New York—where the state covers the cost of high school equivalency tests—the price per GED test exam taker rose from $70 to $120. In contrast, the TASC only costs $54 per test taker.
Back in 2010 before the switch, New York's high school equivalency test pass rate was about 60 percent, which was already lower than the national average of 73 percent. However, since the institution of the TASC, New York's pass rate has gotten worse.
What's the reason for the sharp decline? It's hard to pinpoint the exact cause, but here are some possible explanations:
- Too many test takers are testing with little to no preparation, which is pulling down the average.
- Fluctuating scores may be fairly normal whenever a new high school equivalency test is introduced.
- Not enough resources/support are available yet to help test takers pass.
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A graph presenting high school equivalency test data from the Center for an Urban Future In my opinion, New York State would have been better off not switching to the TASC, even though it costs less. Consider this: it's estimated that workers in New York State who have no high school diploma or high school equivalency degree are more than twice as likely to be unemployed in comparison to the average worker. Also, note that approximately one out of every 3 individuals in this category are living below the poverty line. Sure, I realize that this is a very complex issue, and that it isn't nearly as black and white as the data suggests, but I still think it would have been much more beneficial economically to have not switched to the TASC.
I'm going to go out on a limb here with my own idea and suggest that the brand recognition of the TASC test itself is part of the problem. The original GED test was released way back in the 1940s, and I'd be willing to bet that if you were to go ask random people if they've heard of it, at least 9/10 would say they have. On the other hand, my guess (and this is only a guess) is that the number who have heard of the TASC would be much lower!
This is saying nothing about the quality of the TASC itself! My point is just that perhaps there's a lot of confusion out there as to what the TASC actually is and the fact that it is now the standard high school equivalency test! We have to remember that many people who pursue high school equivalency tests have been out of formal education for at least 10 - 20 years, and just might not be aware of the changes!
The good news is that the report indicates that more and more officials and instructors are becoming aware of the problem, which gives us great reason to believe the pass rates will begin to rebound shortly, and will continue to improve more and more over the next few years!
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Up until March 15th, students who Pre-Pay for a test on the official Testing Service website will get a free practice test with their purchase! Practice tests are an absolute must for success! Practice tests are vitally important for many reasons, but if you aren't using them right now, here are my top 3 reasons to start:
- Practice Tests will show you where you're at with your studying
- Practice Tests will reveal the topics you need the most work on
- Practice Tests will get you used to working under timed conditions
When it comes to choosing which practice tests to get, your first choice should be the tests offered by the official Testing Service. Since they're the ones who offer the actual exam, why not just go right to the source?
This isn't to say that practice tests made by other companies aren't worth using, because there are some truly high quality ones out there! My point here is just that the official practice tests released by the official Testing Service should be a staple in your test prep! Definitely take advantage of this offer if you're interested!
Okay, so of course we had to put our own news for the week as number one 😉. We've been hearing some great feedback from students who used our guide recently to pass, and we made the decision to lower the price so hopefully more will benefit from it!
However, the majority who sign up just for the sample/discount are staying on our mailing list because of the tips, tricks, insights, secrets, and support that we provide to help them achieve their goals!
The Champions' Guide comes with 209 comprehensive practice problems and solutions that cover virtually everything test takers need to know. This includes:
- Conquering fractions
- Winning with word problems
- Simplifying algebra
- Beating questions with equations
- Demystifying geometry, including the pythagorean theorem (which test takers say shows up a lot!)
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| Or Click Here To Read More About The Champions' Guide On Fox 14 News |
I'm more than happy to answer any questions about The Champions' Guide, so don't hesitate to get in touch with me by email at parker@testprepchampions.com at any time!
This concludes the Test Prep Champions' GED Test News Roundup for the week of Feb 26th - March 4th! Thanks for reading it, and good luck with your studying!
This concludes the Test Prep Champions' GED Test News Roundup for the week of Feb 26th - March 4th! Thanks for reading it, and good luck with your studying!