More people struggling to take, pass GED in the Tri-Cities

Tri-City residents are taking longer to earn a GED and fewer are trying to finish it in a year since a new version was released last January.

Columbia Basin College instructors and administrators said more students overall are signing up for preparation classes before taking the test. However, fewer of those students are among the farthest behind academically and even fewer of them are passing.

“It’s just a tougher test,” said instructor Christopher Wagar.

The GED tests needed to be updated but changes in format, such as making the test entirely computer-based, as well as the wording of questions, has made the GED more intimidating for the people most in need of help, officials said.

“It’s just more barriers for them,” said Daphne Larios, associate dean for basic skills.

The high school equivalency exam involves four tests on language arts, social studies, math and science, and is often required by employers and colleges if the person does not have a high school diploma.

The new tests, which replaced exams that had been in use for more than a decade, require more inherent knowledge of subjects than the previous tests, as well as more math, such as algebra and geometry. Proficiency with a computer mouse and some typing skills also are needed for test takers to finish in time.

The difficulty of the new tests is reflected in how much longer students must study to pass them, Larios said.

Nearly all of the students in CBC’s “fast track” GED class passed all parts of the test in a single quarter last year. Now it’s taking most of them at least two quarters.

Those in more traditional preparation classes are needing at least three quarters or more to finish.

The number of students at the lowest academic levels signing up for courses also has dropped sharply.

The college worked with 115 students in preparing for the GED at the three lowest levels in the year before the new tests began. Instructors have worked with 65 students at the same levels since the new tests rolled out.

“There are 700,000 people with below basic skills in the state,” Larios said. “Community colleges are working only with 55,000.”

Wagar said some of his students have done well despite the test changes, and he hasn’t had many drop the “fast track” course he teaches. But overall there is less interest, especially from students who have the most ground to make up.

“Students are just not taking classes anymore because they hear how tough it is,” he said.

The drop in test-taking is understandable, said Lou Sager, program administrator for adult basic education for the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges.

Last year’s transition meant many people wanting to finish the GED before a new test began rushed to finish, leaving fewer people to take the test this year.

State officials also have heard some complaints from instructors and administrators that students are struggling with the GED.

Some students are taking longer to prepare and pass the tests, Sager said, but she noted that study materials weren’t available until the new test were in place and that the state’s GED passage rate of 71 percent is still far above the national average of 59 percent.

“This first year really isn’t indicative of anything,” she said.

As for whether the new test is worth the challenge, it’s a mixed response.

The test needed to be updated because employers are requiring more skilled workers, said instructors and officials. However, not everyone pursuing a GED is looking to go into the health care field or to be a nuclear technician, Wagar said.

“I don’t know if it’s all necessary for vocational jobs,” Wagar said, adding that time will show the value to students.

This story was originally published December 27, 2014 at 10:00 PM with the headline "More people struggling to take, pass GED in the Tri-Cities."