| The primary thing the GED measures is thinking skill: | | | | adult education with varying abilities and skill levels, |
| the test taker's ability to comprehend, apply, | | | | and the traditional high school curriculum expects |
| synthesize, evaluate and analyze. Most adult | | | | students to be prepared for whatever level of |
| education programs follow the same curriculum used | | | | material is being taught that day in class. The same |
| in high school, focusing on teaching facts and skills | | | | material is taught to all students, whether they are |
| instead of teaching analysis, evaluation, and other | | | | prepared for it or not. Many GED students have gaps |
| thinking skills. Not only is this curriculum not relevant | | | | in their education that need to be addressed, gaps |
| to the skills people need in the workplace and life, but | | | | that they are embarrassed by or even may not |
| it is taught in the traditional factory school approach. | | | | realize. |
| It is failing, just as the high school system is failing. | | | | The GED has evolved into a sophisticated set of five |
| The students who succeed with this approach have | | | | exams that require the candidate to demonstrate a |
| already passed high school. Students who dropped | | | | high level of understanding and skill in mathematics, |
| out of high school need a different approach. | | | | science, social studies, reading, and writing. The GED |
| The report The Silent Epidemic ( essentialed.org | | | | tests have gleaned the most important skills from |
| thesilentepidemic3-06.pdf ) describes a study | | | | the high school curriculum, those that will most help |
| supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation | | | | an individual find success in today's job market: critical |
| which found that most high school dropouts leave | | | | thinking, evaluation, making inferences, and problem |
| school because they found school uninteresting, | | | | solving. |
| boring, and not relevant to their lives. The majority | | | | The solution for the failing adult education system is |
| of these students had grade point averages of C or | | | | to put the educational choice into the hands of the |
| better and could have succeeded in school had they | | | | learner themselves. Effective online educational |
| continued. To reach these students, more than a | | | | solutions very often better meet the needs of the |
| traditional classroom approach... the approach they | | | | adult learner by allowing them to take control of their |
| found uninteresting, boring, and irrelevant... is needed. | | | | own learning and avoid the traditional classroom |
| Adult education faces challenges beyond students' | | | | environment altogether. Online GED programs offer |
| disillusionment with traditional classrooms. Adult | | | | individuated instruction by their very nature; each |
| education GED programs, in replicating a high school | | | | student chooses his or her study program and study |
| curriculum, replicate high school's shortfalls, as well. | | | | pace, so students can focus on filling the gaps in their |
| Students who were unable to learn in high school can | | | | own educations in a non-threatening, self-controlled |
| be lost in the GED classroom. GED students come to | | | | environment. |