Here & Now

GED Passing Score Lowers After Test Difficulty Increases

ZAC SCHULTZ:

TWO YEARS AFTER MAKING THE HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY TEST OR GED MORE DIFFICULT, OFFICIALS ARE NOW LOWERING THE SCORE NEEDED TO PASS THE EXAM. THIS MEANS IN WISCONSIN AN EXTRA 500 PEOPLE WILL QUALIFY FOR THEIR GED. JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS IS THE STATE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE EXAM BETH LEWIS WHO IS WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

BETH LEWIS:

MY PLEASURE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

SO WHY LOWER THE SCORE NEEDED TO PASS?

BETH LEWIS:

WHAT WE HAVE BECAUSE THE TEST IS ON COMPUTER IS FOR THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE REALTIME DATA THAT TELLS IT US THAT WHAT WOULD BE THE CURVE, THE GRADING CURVE, REALLY CAN BE SHIFTED DOWN ABOUT FIVE POINTS AND STILL EQUATE TO WHAT WOULD BE HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY. WE NEVER HAD THAT BEFORE BECAUSE IN THE PAST IT WAS ALWAYS PAPER AND PENCIL.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

NOW, THE TEST WAS CHANGED A COUPLE YEARS AGO AND A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY BECAME MORE DIFFICULT. NOW THEY’RE SAYING THEY’RE LOWERING THE SCORE. WAS THE TEST TOO DIFFICULT TO BEGIN WITH OR WAS THE CUTOFF TOO HIGH TO BEGIN WITH? WHY ALL THESE CHANGES?

BETH LEWIS:

THE TEST CHANGED IN 2014 BECAUSE IT HAD NOT BEEN UPDATED IN ALMOST 20 YEARS AND IT NEEDED TO BE MORE ALIGNED WITH WHAT WE NEED FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS AT THIS POINT IN TIME. THE TEST CHANGED THEN. IT WAS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT GIVEN THAT OUR ACADEMIC STANDARDS ARE MUCH MORE DIFFICULT THAN TWENTY YEARS IN THE PAST. SO THE TEST WAS CHANGED. IT IS MORE DIFFICULT, BUT AT THIS TIME WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS TEST THAN WE’VE EVER HAD BEFORE. WE HAVE EXACTLY WHAT’S GOING TO BE TESTED ON. WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO STUDY. WE HAVE PREPARATION TESTS THAT WILL TELL THEM EXACTLY WHAT TO STUDY TO IMPROVE THEIR TEST SCORES. SO WHILE THE CONTENT IS TOUGHER, OUR INFORMATION AND OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE INSTRUCTION IS GREATLY IMPROVED.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

NOW, SINCE THIS NEW CUTOFF SCORE JUST WENT INTO EFFECT, IT’S UP TO STATES TO DETERMINE IF THEY WANT TO RETROACTIVELY APPLY THAT. WILL WISCONSIN BE DOING THAT?

BETH LEWIS:

WISCONSIN IS GOING TO ACCEPT THE 145 AS THE CUT SCORE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

SO SOME PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT THEY HAD NOT PASSED —

BETH LEWIS:

WILL HAVE GOOD NEWS COMING AT SOME POINT IN TIME.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

DO THEY KNOW THAT ALREADY? DO THEY KNOW WHAT THEIR SCORES?

BETH LEWIS:

THEY WOULD KNOW WHAT THEIR SCORES ARE. THEY MAY NOT KNOW THAT PIECE. WE’VE SENT OUT INFORMATION TO ALL OF THEM TO MAKE SURE ADDRESSES ARE UP-TO-DATE. WE’LL HAVE A BIG MAILING FOR PEOPLE NEXT WEEK WHEN THE ACTUAL DATA DROPS INTO OUR COMPUTERS. WE’VE ALREADY STARTED WITH OUR PARTNERS TO REACH OUT TO PEOPLE WHO MAYBE JUST HAVE ONE MORE TEST LEFT TO GO, BECAUSE WE HAVE GREAT PARTNERS WITH OUR TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM AND OUR DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND OUR COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, WHO ARE ACTUALLY THE FEET ON THE GROUND OUT IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

WE’VE GOT ABOUT A MINUTE LEFT. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THOSE PEOPLE, THEY’VE NOW GOT A GED? WHAT CAN THEY NOW DO WITH THAT?

BETH LEWIS:

ONE OF THE HEADLINES WE SAW TODAY WAS HOW HIGH THE POVERTY RATE WAS. THE NUMBER ONE INDICATOR OF POVERTY FOR A FAMILY IS MOTHER’S EDUCATIONAL LEVEL. SO IF WE CAN WORK WITH PARENTS TO IMPROVE THEIR EDUCATION, GO ON TO COLLEGE AND CAREER, MAYBE IMPROVE THEIR EMPLOYMENT, THEN PEOPLE HAVE A MUCH BETTER CHANCE OF REALIZING A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM, BUT ALSO GOING ON AND PICKING UP THE ADDITIONAL EDUCATION THAT WE KNOW EVERYBODY NEEDS.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

SO IT’S GOOD NEWS FOR THEM, GOOD NEWS FOR HOPEFULLY THE ECONOMY AND FOR THOSE FAMILIES AS WELL.

BETH LEWIS:

AND WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT IS THAT WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO DIDN’T CHOOSE NOT TO GO TO SCHOOL. LIFE GOT IN THE WAY. I KNOW OF A GENTLEMAN WHO HAS BEEN MARRIED FOR 33 YEARS AND HE HAD TO SUPPORT HIS SIBLINGS WHEN HE WAS IN 10TH GRADE. HE’S NOW JUST COMPLETING HIGH SCHOOL. IT WASN’T THAT HE CHOSE NOT TO. IT WAS JUST THAT LIFE GOT IN THE WAY.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

ALL RIGHT. BETH LEWIS, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.

BETH LEWIS:

MY PLEASURE. THANK YOU.