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Fewer people take, pass more difficult GED test
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
Just 27 people in Mahoning County earned a GED diploma last year, compared with nearly 300 in 2013.
In 2014, Ohio, along with many other states, changed to a new, more difficult test as part of a nationwide college and career readiness push.
The 2013 number is high because there was an effort to encourage people to take the old test before it expired.
Only 65 people in Mahoning County took at least one part of the test last year.
Mia Panno, Youngstown’s Adult Basic Literacy Education coordinator and General Educational Development chief examiner, said fewer people are enrolling in ABLE’s GED prep courses, too.
“People are afraid to take the test,” she said.
Across the country, fewer people are taking and passing the test. Ten states, including New York, West Virginia and Indiana, dropped the GED in favor of other high school equivalency tests. Other states allow students to choose which test they want to take.
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Mahoning County is home to nearly 25,000 residents who are older than 18 and don’t have a high school diploma.
It’s also more expensive to take the new test, and rather than completing it with paper and pencil, students must complete it on a computer.
Panno agrees that the test, which up until last year hadn’t been updated since 2002, needed revisions. She just believes a better solution would have been to increase the difficulty gradually.
Most of the people who take the GED test don’t plan to go to college, Panno reasons. But they need a GED diploma to enter a trade or even to work at a fast-food restaurant or discount store.
She worries what those people who fail the test — or are afraid to take it — will do.
“What’s that going to do to crime, to employment, to cash assistance?” Panno wondered.
The latest test is administered by a private company, Pearson VUE, rather than the state, which administered the older version. The cost to take the test also rose, but the state has been covering the cost difference since implementation of the new test.
Upon entering the course, the program assesses students’ knowledge and skill set to determine at what level they are in each subject. Teachers recommend students take only the practice test when they reach the “likely to pass” step.
And Panno recommends everyone who needs to take the test take a preparation course first.
“I wouldn’t recommend anyone just come in off the street and take it,” she said.
The math portion, for example, incorporates trigonometry and calculus. The Reasoning through Language Arts section involves reading comprehension and writing, directing students to read and digest a document and then answer questions about it.
It’s difficult, particularly for someone who hasn’t been in school for a long time, she said.
While fewer people are enrolling in ABLE’s GED prep classes, Panno says it’s a more dedicated group.
One of those students is Eric Cobbin, 39, who enrolled in the course in January after being released in November from a Texas prison where he served 23 years for aggravated robbery. Upon his release, he relocated to Youngstown, where his family is originally from.
Cobbin got involved with a gang when he was younger and dropped out of school his freshman year. While in prison, he didn’t have the opportunity to get an education.
Now that he’s out, he wants to be a productive member of society. He’s eager to learn a trade, leaning toward welding, but to be accepted into a program, he has to earn a GED diploma.
He appreciates the help he’s getting from ABLE staff.
“The teachers here are heaven sent,” he said. “They’re not judgmental. They try to teach and to help the students.”
Cobbin tested high, even in math, but because he wanted to feel comfortable with the concepts, he asked to begin at a lower level.
Hitting the books after so many years is challenging, but Cobbin says he’s committed to completing the work and earning his GED diploma.
He knew during his incarceration that he wanted something better for his life.
“I didn’t want to give up,” Cobbin said.