RECLAIMING THE PROMISE OF GED FAIRNESS IN THE UNITED STATES

WHEREAS, the General Educational Development (GED) test has been a time-honored method of granting high school equivalency certification to generations of Americans who have not completed high school; and

WHEREAS, high school dropout rates in the United States remain persistently high; and

WHEREAS, securing access to fair low-cost testing for high school equivalency helps to reclaim the promise of education in the United States; and

WHEREAS, tens of thousands of Americans have earned their High School Equivalency certificate, more commonly called the General Educational Development certificate, each year by taking and passing a test called the GED test; and

WHEREAS, having a high school diploma or passing the GED test is often a requirement in the United States to become employed, attend college and be eligible to receive financial aid; and

WHEREAS, Americans who have earned neither a high school diploma nor a GED certificate face increased difficulties achieving their personal and career goals; and

WHEREAS, in January 2014, a new and dramatically more academically challenging GED test designed by a for-profit corporation called Pearson VUE was introduced in the United States; and

WHEREAS, numerous states have adopted the Pearson VUE GED test as the sole test available for students in those states earning a high school equivalency certificate; and

WHEREAS, the pass rates for the new Pearson GED test are dramatically lower than the pass rates for previous GED tests; and

WHEREAS, taking the Pearson VUE GED test costs students nearly twice as much as taking the old GED test; and

WHEREAS, there is a fairer high school equivalency test called the HiSET test that is normed to the abilities of graduating high school juniors and seniors in the United States and is available from the College of Education at the University of Iowa; and

WHEREAS, taking the HiSET test costs students significantly less than taking the Pearson GED test; and

WHEREAS, the HiSET test has already been adopted as a high school equivalency testing option in 12 states:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers and its affiliates will fully support the restoration of fairness and hope for high school dropouts in every state through adoption of fair and cost-effective high school equivalency testing; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT and its affiliates will fully support allowing high school dropouts in every state the opportunity to use the nonprofit Iowa HiSET high school equivalency test to demonstrate their educational achievements rather than the for-profit Pearson VUE GED high school equivalency test.