What Is a High School Equivalency Diploma?
Contributed by Deb Lundy
Every year dozens of individuals, both young and old, come to Nine Star Education and Employment Services in Wasilla to get education and training to gain greater employment opportunities. These are individuals whose life circumstances have made it difficult or impossible to attain a high school diploma through traditional local schools. In the past, the diploma they earned was called the GED, which stood for General Education Diploma. Due to changes in the test, however, the diploma is now called the High School Equivalency Diploma.
The GED remains the name of the test, however, that individuals take to earn a High School Equivalency Diploma. This test has gone through four notable changes since its development in 1942. In 1942, our country had been engaged in World War II for three years, and many individuals nobly dropped out of high school to enlist in the military. The U.S. Armed Forces Institute created the GED test so that as individuals left military life, they had a way to demonstrate their knowledge and get a high school diploma without having to return to their local high schools. As a result, hundreds of soldiers were able to enter the workforce and develop careers, leading our country to a time of great economic growth and prosperity. Eventually, the test became available for any civilian who needed to attain a high school diploma.
Although much in the world changed in the decades following WWII, including educational expectations, the GED test remained relatively unchanged until 1978. It is not surprising, therefore, that a perception began to develop that someone earning high school credentials through GED testing had a diploma that was inferior to a traditional high school diploma. Other changes were made in 1987 and again in 2002 as efforts continued to update the test.
The most recent changes to the GED test were made in 2014. This latest version includes tests in math, science, social studies, and reasoning through language arts (which includes writing a 5-paragraph essay in 45 minutes to support or discredit arguments made on a current controversial issue). The GED test is a rigorous test, requiring levels of proficiency at least equal to those required in local high schools today. Additionally, a student who scores 165-174 is given the distinction of being College Ready which means remedial courses and placement testing for various programs would be waived. A score of 175 and above is not only recognized as College Ready but may earn a student up to 10 college credits depending on the program to which the student applies. Any individual attaining a High School Equivalency Diploma today can feel confident and proud of their accomplishment. The very name of the credential underscores that those earning their High School Equivalency Diploma are on equal footing with those graduating from traditional high school programs in our communities.
Nine Star wants to recognize and celebrate the efforts of all our students whose diligence, determination, and vision for their futures inspire our staff every day.