President’s Message: Embracing Community Support and Partnerships During COVID-19
Never could we have thought that the world as we know it would change so drastically—we are living in a time that is uncertain on many fronts.
We empathize with all of you that have been directly impacted by COVID-19 and we hope you, and your family and friends, continue to remain healthy and safe.
We would also like to thank and recognize each of you that have been dedicated, available and focused on continuing to support the millions of adult learners that need your guidance and assistance as they navigate learning during this challenging time.
While we find ways to prepare for what lies ahead, GED Testing Service maintains our commitment to the health and wellness of our employees and their families, our educators and our students. It is our priority to offer study tools and resources that help with this transition to learning during social distancing.
Through partnerships with publishers, we have been able to offer free materials to ensure that students have the opportunity to use this time to prepare themselves for the next steps in their education or career. More broadly, our team has worked to make sure that online study options and mobile-friendly tools are easier to find through curated and frequently updated resource pages. In addition, we are actively finalizing a partnership that would allow us to offer free on-demand courses in all four subject areas covered by the GED test to any student with online access through a laptop, tablet or smartphone.
One of the biggest challenges we have faced has been how to make sure students have the opportunity to take their GED test. Due to states mandating shelter in place or stay at home orders, many testing centers are closed and others are operating on a very limited basis. This presents an obstacle that we understand can discourage even the most determined and dedicated students. We are working diligently to create a testing option that would allow students to take their official GED test subjects through online proctoring in remote locations. This would help move some of our GED students that are ready to test closer to their goal during this time. We will continue to explore this option with full consideration of the security measures needed to protect the integrity of the GED credential.
In the midst of so much heartache and difficulty, we continue to be inspired and uplifted by stories of courage, community and compassion. We know that many GED students and graduates are working on the frontlines of this crisis in a number of vital roles that are keeping us safe, healthy and provided with our essential needs.
The GED community is one of resilience and perseverance and together we can continue to make a difference. And now more than ever we recognize the power and responsibility we have to uplift others through education. Please stay connected and let us know what we can do to further support you and your learners.
We wish you continued health and wellness.
–Vicki Greene, President of GED Testing Service
I have many students to test. If you have a way of moving forward with that, please let me know.
Ann, thank you for your continued work with your learners and advocacy on their behalf. We feel your pain and feel for your students. We’re working hard every day on the GED online proctored pilot, finding a way to help students who are ready to sit for the GED test during this difficult time. We’ll be sure to communicate the details of the pilot as soon as they’ve solidified more in early May. In the meantime we continue to work on this with your state GED Administrator and state adult ed director.
I am hear with the same issues. I tried to find a place to leave a comment. I couldn’t find it. So I will take my luck and use the reply link. 😆 LOL
I have 1 subject to take. Mathematical reasoning, the time has allowed me to work on my math. Are their any test centers open near VB Adult Learning Center? I am ready to move on in my goals. But safety and health is first. If you Mrs. Vicki or anyone know anything please reply. God Bless you all and stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe… Until we meet again GED’ers ✌🏾
Can we take the test at home using a Webcam the teacher can make sure there are no interruptions.
Add all the students on a screen video so the teacher can monitor.
And create a tool using a program that monitor the screen and blocks tabs on the students computer
Thank you for all the measures you are taking to help us to further the education of our students who are preparing for the GED tests! I, for one, know that some of my students want to take some tests soon, or even now.
Hi Margaret,
Thank you for your continued work and dedication to your learners. We appreciate your words of support. We’re working hard every day to find a way to help students who are ready to sit for the GED test during this difficult time, so that they can be ready to move forward on their career path.
We are also ready for my son to take the test! He is almost 18 and his twin sister “graduates” from a regular (closed) high school in May. How quickly can you set up on line testing? We can’t even call our local test center here in central Idaho as the campus is closed (closest test Center is Twin Falls, Idaho).
Lisa Horowitz on behalf of Jack
Hailey, Idaho
Thank you. We are anxiously awaiting to hear of an online testing option.
Hi Rhonda,
Thank you for your continued work and dedication to your learners. We appreciate your words of support. We’re working hard every day to find a way to help students who are ready to sit for the GED test during this difficult time, so that they can be ready to move forward on their career path.
As an HSE teacher in a college transition program preparing students to take their GED tests is challenging, not because of the instruction ( I have been prepping virtually) but because my students need to earn their GED so that they can prep for their TSI test in order to enter college ASAP. Keeping students focused with the possibility that their is no test in sight is daunting.
Ironically, my adult students can go their local grocery store, spend an hour and a half shopping while observing distance and wearing masks and yet cannot enter a testing center where no more than 10 students ever test at a time! Living in San Antonio, Texas our students had 10 or more centers where they could test. Because we have an intensive 25 an hour a week instruction program, our students are ready in record time. When they were sent to be tested I would ask how many students were in the testing center. They remarked that no more than my own students ( 6 to 8 at time) were testing. Plenty of spacing.
Please, please, open up our testing centers. My students work so hard. They deserve to move forward.
Zita, thank you for your continued work with your learners and for advocacy on their behalf. We feel your pain and feel for your students. We also want students to test just as soon as they are ready, so they can get to the next step in their career journey. We also know that states are trying to balance public safety and we here at GED Testing Service do not make decisions on when test centers are open or closed. Test centers are run by third-parties, usually educational institutions, and their closure decisions are based on guidance from those entities (e.g. community college or K-12 district), or based on directives from local or state governments.
If your local test centers are slow to open, or have very limited capacity, students may be able to take advantage of a pilot of online proctored GED exams. We’re currently working through the details of that pilot with TEA. We’ll be sure to communicate with educators as those details solidify.
Has there been any news or updates on how to test for your ged at this time? I am prepared to take my ged test at this time. In oregon
THANK YOU, Vicki.
I, like Zita, have students working so very hard. It is very frustrating, as Zita said, that students see these social situations, and they know our labs are capable of testing small numbers and following CDC/COVID guidelines. Please help us to continue our mission!
Cindy C.
Exactly. This testing shutdown is unacceptable. This is negligent gross mismanagement. There are a multitude of ways to Proctor exams in person while keeping a safe distance and staying safe. Shame on you for not actively putting together a system immediately and effective within 24 hours. It is a simple implementation that takes 10 minutes of thought. No wonder why our education in America is ranked so low in comparison with the rest of the world. The people at the Forefront are not leaders, they are lemmings. I’m shocked more people are not outraged. The administrators of the educational program should have stepped up immediately and said “NO, we will not lock down. We have SIMPLE and effective safety measures that will keep everyone safe. As the educators of this great country we will continue the educational process and prosperity of the American people.” Had this been sent to the local governors along with simple and effect measures they would have recieved permission to continue proctoring exams. I am extremely disappointed with their inability or care to have done so.
Thank you for your support. I have about 7 students in Chicago area waiting for an open testing center. At the main time I would like them to keep doing ged practice tests but they will have to pay 6.00. Dou you have any cupones?
We just started classes on line after a month off.
Also you are talking about free materials, are they available in Spanish
I am Spanish GED instructor at City Colleges of Chicago
Thank you
Ortencia I
Ortencia, thank you for your continued support to your students. Please reach out to your state relationship manager/director (Brian.Smith@GED.com), he may be able to assist. Note that students with canceled appointments have free access to a program called Rapid Review –they can access that through their GED.com accounts. The study tool is meant for students who are waiting to test or close to ready to test. We think this will help keep them engaged while reviewing the content and skills essential to them doing well on the exams.
Are you testing at Pearson view site located in Florida?
Hi Andrew,
Some test centers in Florida continue to test with social distancing guidelines in place. The best way to find out is to have your student attempt to register for an exam – as only centers that have open hours will be displayed as options. Another way could be to contact your state GED Administrator/state office staff, as they may have a list of centers that continue to test.
Please note that we at GED Testing Service do not make decisions on when test centers are open or closed. Test centers are run by third-parties, usually educational institutions, and their closure decisions are based on guidance from those entities (e.g. community college or K-12 district), or based on directives from local or state governments.
WHO /where IS THE FL GED office? Do you have contact info?
I work in a juvenile detention center in Rockville, MD preparing kids for the GED. Since our testing center is closed, we would be willing to experiment with testing via a remote proctor. My kids are locked down with no court dates until June. Please contact me to talk over further details.
Jeff, thank you for your dedication to your students. I know this has placed you in a tough situation. Please reach out to your State Relationship Manager (Adora.Beard@GED.com). She can provide you with more information and discuss this with you. It will require some additional information and discussion with your state GED Administrator in MD.
I am a GED teacher in FL. I have several students concerned about their prepayment for their GED test. Just to confirm what I read. When will you know if you can offer the test on line? ***You might consider an email to all students with profiles confirming your dedication to their goals.
Thank you,
Cindy Carson
Thank you Cynthia for your continued dedication to your students and hard work during this difficult time. We have been working daily with state adult ed/GED administration officials on potential solutions to help students who are ready, or close to being ready, take the GED exams. One of those likely solutions will be an online proctored GED test pilot program. It will likely start with a few states in late May, and will focus primarily on specific student groups (e.g. those who have had test appointments canceled, those who have taken and scored “Green” on a GED Ready, etc.). We’ll continue working with state policymakers on the exact rules and whether your state will participate. Also, we love your suggestion of reaching out to all students via email with an encouraging note.
I am a program coordinator in a community college adult basic education program. We have been hearing rumors, some firsthand from students (some secondhand from friends of students) that:
1. Some GED.com registrants have received a survey from GED.com inquiring about possible GED testing outside of official testing centers (remote access, I guess). Survey questions are related to testing security, etc. Has GED.com sent such surveys to candidates?
2. One of our students was told by a (friend or family) GED candidate in Puerto Rico that the candidate was able to take a paper version of the GED test at home. Reportedly, the candidate passed the test and was awarded a GED diploma. Does Puerto Rico now have paper testing outside of official testing centers?
Hello Kathy!
Thanks for your continued hard work to help your students during this difficult time. A couple of responses to your questions:
#1. Yes, we recently sent a survey to specific groups of GED students. We have been working daily with state adult ed/GED administration officials on potential solutions to help students who are ready, or close to being ready, to take the GED exams. The survey was sent to gather information about the equipment they have access to in their homes, internet connections, etc. It was a very brief survey to help augment our information about students across the country.
#2. Any test being taken in Puerto Rico at this time is not a GED test, and we cannot speak to any test they may be using for high school-level credentials there.
Is there anyway that we could do our test online at home if we are ready to test? And if not could you make a way?! I know that colleges are allowing people to take there test at home and was wondering if myged would allow us to do the same
I am a GED Prep/Adult Basic Education Instructor in Florida and have been working with several students who have been ready to test since mid-March. Many other students have become test-ready since that time. I am writing to urge you to include the state of Florida in the “online proctored GED test pilot program”, which you mentioned in several recent responses to other educators.
As instructors, we continue to strive to motivate students to study with a sense of urgency toward the completion of their remaining GED test(s). Some of my students have only one test to take. However, in light of the FL governor’s decision to maintain distance learning for the remainder of the school year, those students are discouraged and fear they will have to re-enroll in the fall.
ln one of your responses you also stated that “Some [Pearson] test centers in Florida continue to test with social distancing guidelines in place.” However, transportation is a particular issue with our student population. Therefore the few centers that are open remain out of reach or lack test date availability.
Many of our students work on the frontline as CNA’s and in other high-risk employment such as grocery stores and fast-food establishments. For these students, I dare say that opportunity delayed could be opportunity denied.
I do hope that your plan for an online proctored GED test will include the state of Florida. I look forward to updates on the vetting of this option and details regarding implementation.
Sincerely,
Angelita Stephens
Be Safe Be Smart!
I have been studying since December, and i was ready to take the test in February, and i ended up like most people stuck at home without a job, or people who where in the mist of getting a job before the Lock down/Shutdown. I actually was offered a great opportunity, but due to not having my GED i lost that opportunity and more since the shutdown. Is there a way for us to take the test at home or in a clean room. I don’t care where, I’m hungry and i can’t feed my family without money. Please hurry up and put the test online with some kind of stipulation….They have test online that you can’t cheat on! Please Help Us Get Through This!
I actually took the test in 2001 and missed it by 1 point! They changed the test format that year and now I have to retake the whole test over. Wow! I’m ready to get back to work. I’ve went to college without it, but i cant get a job without it!
Please open your Pearson Testing Center in San Antonio Texas. Many students are doing their best to stay encouraged. When will you allow them to test?
The College Board has made it possible for over a million high school students to take their AP exams from home. I find it rather shocking and appalling it is taking GED so long to establish a means for adult learners to take their exams on a Lockdown Browser from home. As a leading powerhouse in the industry, I was expecting Pearson to rise up to the challenge and make changes to their exams. However, I’ve been disappointed. In the meantime, adult learners are suffering, and you continue to say, “you’re looking into things.” Educators across the country made huge changes in a matter of days to accommodate millions of students, and now that we are almost two months into this pandemic, Pearson still hasn’t made a change to the way the tests are administered. Stop “looking into a way to proctor the exams” and make a change like every other corporation across the country.
Hi Elaine,
We hope you’ve read our updated articles with information about the launch of the Online Proctored GED test pilot. If you have not, it is available here: https://ged.com/in-session/testing-update-online-proctoring_may2020/
Any update on setting up a way to take the test online? Now more than ever I need to take my test as I’ve lost my job and most jobs are requiring I have high school equivalency.
Hi Erik,
We are sorry to hear about the loss of your job and we do hope to have a testing option available to students soon. We will share updates and additional information about the online proctored option of the GED test when it becomes available.
I was hoping to have my GED by May 14 and start college in August, With the testing centers being closed and the closest one that is open is 80 miles away, that won’t happen. Is there going to be a way to test online?
Hi Kendall,
We do understand that not being able to test on your expected date is disappointing. We are actively working on an online proctored option for the GED exam. We will share updates when additional information is available.
Thank you for your continued support for our young adults working to obtain their GED. Is there any update on online testing with a proctor?
Hi Kim,
We will provide updates and additional information as soon as it is available.
If an at-home test or an online test becomes available will people who have passed other tests (social studies, English and science) be notified of these changes or do we have to keep checking the website? In other words, will we receive an email telling us we can now take the test online or at home?
Hi Pam,
Yes, there will be notification and additional information shared when the online proctored test is available.
Any word on when such an online-proctored test would become available? Like, can we expect it within the month of May? My state is really conservative with regard to reopening and I’m fully ready to take the Science GED test. When I go to schedule an appointment at one of the four or so testing centers in my general area, they won’t even let me schedule anything, no matter how far out, which leads me to believe that none of the testing centers are even entertaining the idea of reopening any time soon, at least not here in NM
I am ready to take my test before Covid I failed my math test which is the only test I need to pass…all other subjects are done…I hope soon enough I am able to take the math test for me to move forward in continuing my education but with Covid everything is at a stand still…
Any update on setting up a way to take the GED tes online? I am trying to get my ged During these hard times
Hi Laken,
We will share information about the online proctored option of the GED test soon. Thank you for your patience and your commitment to earning your GED credential.
Why is an online exam not available yet? Thousands of other companies do it for certificates, but it cannot be done rapidly for the GED test? Come on, get with the times. It is not difficult.
Hi David,
We launched the Online Proctored GED test pilot in May, we hope you’ve had a chance to see this updated information. If not, you can find it here: https://ged.com/in-session/testing-update-online-proctoring_may2020/
Hello. I have taken and passed social studies, science, and English. I have taken math but was off by a few points. I just want to get this behind me. If there is an option for me to take an online math test from home so I can apply for colleges! I have been working on my Ged for over 3 years now and just want to get it.
And seeing how I was only a few points from passing I wish I would be giving an opportunity to just receive my Ged since I have completed all of the other subjects and was only a few points from passing.
Like many other AEL instructors, I also have several students asking when the test will go remote. How will the remote testing availability date be announced? Do we need to sign up somewhere to directly receive the announcement?
Hi Robert,
Educators and students will be notified when the online proctored option is available. This information will be shared on our website, by email and through the InSession newsletter.
We were just informed that they have added 3 more months in California. Have we found a solution ? All test sites are closed here and I just need math, is there a Update ?
Will there be a online ged test ? I am fully ready to take the test but have no idea when things are going to open. If it would be online that would be amazing. Please keep me updated.
Thank you for the April 15th update and for the replies (Danielle and Vicki) to comments that shed light on a possible timeline and procedure for resuming testing for our adult ed. students. Here’s to a successful pilot that leads to an opportunity to remotely proctor exams for test-takers! I will check in for updates and also ensure receipt of the InSession newsletter to stay abreast of changes.
Thank you
Karin