I wanted to be sure that you all had seen the recent report "The Decennial Scurry" that was released by the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education. It is a brief white paper to help explain the changes in the high school equivalency space, the downward trends for testing numbers, and helps to explain the 2014 decrease in numbers and pass rates for all three tests. I've also included a copy of a key graph in this email that might be helpful even if you don't have time to read the report. Additionally, I'm pleased to report that numbers and pass rates were surging upwards in the last half of 2014 for the GED test, and we've seen more than a 230% increase in testing in Jan/Feb 2015 compared to the same period in 2015, and pass rates so far are around 70%. The pass rate climb is a real testament to the hard work and dedication of adult educators, as the 2014 GED tests requires students to be at the HSE level in each subject. On past GED test series students could make up lower scores in Math by earning higher scores in the other subjects. This means that students are now actually performing better on Math than they were in 2002 -- which is a step in the right direction given the PIAAC results. As an additional note, I've attached below a link to a Detroit Free Press column released last night that is one of the most insightful pieces I've seen written on the topic of training and investing in adults and the connection to economics and jobs. http://www.freep.com/story/news/columnists/rochelle-riley/2015/03/11/adults-basic-skills-get-jobs/70182430/ I hope you all take a few minutes to quickly review both the report and the column. Thanks, CT [image: Inline image 1] -- CT Turner Senior Director, State Accounts & Government Relations GED® Testing Service Phone: (202) 471-2228 Email: CT.Turner@GEDtestingservice.com Website: www.GEDtestingservice.com *The student experience for 2014 starts at GED.com <http://www.ged.com/>.*

Thanks, CT. If anyone is interested the report referenced in the article, “Willing to Work and Ready to Learn: More Adult Education Would Strengthen Michigan’s Economy,” from the Michigan League for Public Policy, here is the link: http://www.mlpp.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/MI-Adult-Funding-6-Mar-2015.pdf Among other things, the report calls for increasing Michigan’s annual appropriation for adult ed from $10 million to $30 million. It’s interesting to read the analysis behind that recommendation. Jeff -- Jeff Carter Director, Adult Education Initiatives Digital Promise | jeff@digitalpromise.org http://www.digitalpromise.org/initiatives/adult-learning -- President, National Coalition for Literacy (2014-2015) -- jcarter@literacypolicy.org or jeffcrtr@gmail.org Personal Twitter: @jeffcrtr | literacypolicy.org (202) 374-4387 > On Mar 12, 2015, at 10:18 AM, Turner, CT <ct.turner@gedtestingservice.com> wrote: > > I wanted to be sure that you all had seen the recent report "The Decennial Scurry" that was released by the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education. It is a brief white paper to help explain the changes in the high school equivalency space, the downward trends for testing numbers, and helps to explain the 2014 decrease in numbers and pass rates for all three tests. I've also included a copy of a key graph in this email that might be helpful even if you don't have time to read the report. > > Additionally, I'm pleased to report that numbers and pass rates were surging upwards in the last half of 2014 for the GED test, and we've seen more than a 230% increase in testing in Jan/Feb 2015 compared to the same period in 2015, and pass rates so far are around 70%. The pass rate climb is a real testament to the hard work and dedication of adult educators, as the 2014 GED tests requires students to be at the HSE level in each subject. On past GED test series students could make up lower scores in Math by earning higher scores in the other subjects. This means that students are now actually performing better on Math than they were in 2002 -- which is a step in the right direction given the PIAAC results. > > As an additional note, I've attached below a link to a Detroit Free Press column released last night that is one of the most insightful pieces I've seen written on the topic of training and investing in adults and the connection to economics and jobs. http://www.freep.com/story/news/columnists/rochelle-riley/2015/03/11/adults-basic-skills-get-jobs/70182430/ <http://www.freep.com/story/news/columnists/rochelle-riley/2015/03/11/adults-basic-skills-get-jobs/70182430/> > > I hope you all take a few minutes to quickly review both the report and the column. > Thanks, > CT > > > <image.png> > -- > CT Turner > Senior Director, State Accounts & Government Relations > GED® Testing Service > Phone: (202) 471-2228 > Email: CT.Turner@GEDtestingservice.com <http://CT.Turner@gedtestingservice.com/> > Website: www.GEDtestingservice.com <http://www.gedtestingservice.com/> > > The student experience for 2014 starts at GED.com <http://www.ged.com/>. > <NAEPDC 2014 Report on volume and pass rates for all HSE tests - The Decennial Scurry 030315-2 Final.pdf>_______________________________________________ > National Coalition for Literacy Members mailing list > Members@lists.national-coalition-literacy.org > To unsubscribe: http://lists.national-coalition-literacy.org/mailman/listinfo/members_lists.national-coalition-literacy.org