The Story is the Struggle: GED Graduation 2015

www.hcde-texas.org/adulteducation
Rigorous, computerized exam, adult life challenges test GED graduates at Harris County Department of Education
As several dozen GED graduates cross the stage at Harris County Department of Education on May 9 at 11 a.m., their stories are filled with struggles they endured in order to achieve success. The graduate roster is noticeably smaller than last year’s due to a more rigorous, computerized test.
Teachers are turning to new resources to help teach higher-level concepts. Students must not only relearn high school material but also take on the challenge of mastering subjects like algebra II and chemistry, curriculum they didn’t necessarily take before dropping out of high school.
The newly adopted, demanding GED test is 100 percent computerized, timed and twice as costly. Nationally, the passing rate has dropped by as much as 90 percent as programs revamp curriculum and teachers turn to new resources to help introduce higher-level concepts.
The test has four components with scores that accompany each. Language arts is 150 minutes and includes an extended written response. Math is 115 minutes. Students may use the calculator on most but not all of it. Social studies is 90 minutes and includes written response; and science is 90 minutes and includes short-answer questions.
Times are tough for students returning to school to get their GEDs, but both students and their teachers are putting their noses to the grindstone to overcome the new demands.
HCDE teacher Noemi Lopez is a retired math curriculum specialist who returned to the classroom this year to teach GED at Cypress-Fairbanks, one of HCDE’s community education sites. She was busy this semester creating a scope-and-sequence, a master plan of ideas, concepts and topics that will be covered in the social studies test. Her lesson plans are reinforced by UA-cam instructional videos to help her determined students cope with and master the ramped-up standards.
The computerized test brings a whole new set of challenges.
The greatest challenge is for students to feel comfortable on the computer and in using technology,” said Lopez, who says students must have keyboarding skills to conquer the timed tests. “Hunting and pecking eats up time.”
Both younger and older students are often anxious about the testing site, which may be located at a local community college. Lopez took her students on a tour of the center this semester to ease their tensions.
Several class of 2015 HCDE GED graduates offered their stories of struggle as inspiration to students who are thinking of going back to school. Common to their struggles were families who supported them along the way; teachers who were patient and caring; and a powerful tenacity to succeed.
Press release:
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[@BertBarnes]

So proud of people that wanna make this step! I dropped outta of high school in 10th grade. 8 Years later I got my GED and in 2012 got a college degree. You really can achieve things if you put the effort :)

[@lashaundalittle3763]

I'm going for my GED to this push me more watching this video