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CUF Influences New York’s First-in-the-Nation Move to Abandon the GED®

Impact - March 2013

CUF Influences New York’s First-in-the-Nation Move to Abandon the GED®

The NYS Education Department became the first state in the nation to drop the GED® following Center efforts to explore alternative high school equivalency providers.

Tags: economic opportunity workforce development human capital ged

In July 2012, the Center published an editorial in the Albany Times Union urging the State Board of Regents to explore an alternative to the GED® assessment. We argued that changes to the GED® that were set to take effect in 2014—including a substantial cost increase, rapid conversion to computer-based testing, and premature adoption of common core state standards—would likely result in even fewer New Yorkers receiving this important credential, making it more difficult for low-income youth and adults in the state to achieve economic success. Just weeks after our commentary was published, the Board of Regents authorized the NYS Education Department (SED) to issue a request for proposals (.doc) to take over the state’s high school equivalency program.

In January 2013, while the RFP was still out, we held a high-profile symposium to explore the State Board of Regents' ambitious plan to consider alternatives to the GED®.

In early March, New York became the first state in the nation to drop the GED® test. State Education Department officials said they offered a three-year contract to CTB/McGraw-Hill which plans to start offering its new high school equivalency exam in January 2014.