GED® Testing Service Research Studies
Reliability Analysis for the Internationally
Administered 2002 Series GED Tests (2009) (PDF; 532KB)
A computer-based version of the GED Tests is available to international
testing candidates. The purpose of this report was to examine the
reliability of the test scores obtained from the computer-based version
of the GED Tests. In general, the reliability of test scores (both
internal consistency and classification accuracy) obtained from the
computer-based GED Tests was high and the amount of precision near the
minimum standard score was favorable.
Preparation for and Performance on the GED Test
(2009) (PDF; 502KB) (Executive Summary—PDF; 20KB)
GED testing candidates have a number of preparation options available to
them, including adult basic classes, practice tests, and
self-study. The purpose of this study was to investigate how
candidates prepare for the GED Test and how those test preparation
activities are related to achievement. In some states, candidates must
meet certain prerequisites (such as instruction or passing a practice
test) before testing. This study focuses on candidates who voluntarily
took the GED Test and were able to choose freely among preparation
activities.
Young GED Examinees and Their Performance on the
GED Tests (2009) (PDF; 425KB) (Executive Summary—PDF; 14KB)
GED Tests offer young adults who have left school a second chance for a
credential, yet educators have concerns about policies for young GED
examinees and their test performance. This study provides a
comprehensive picture of GED examinees between 16 and 19 years old. What
are their characteristics and how do state policies on minimum age
influence their test performance? Study results show that younger GED
examinees needing additional documentation and approval before testing
performed comparably to examinees at the states' standard minimum age.
States with stricter age requirements may possibly encourage early
test-takers to thoroughly prepare. In addition, the study suggests that
taking and passing a practice test has a positive association with
obtaining a GED credential.
The Health Literacy of U.S. Adults Across GED
Credential Recipients, High School Graduates, and Non–High School
Graduates (2008) (Executive Summary—PDF; 47KB)
Health literacy is important for all adults. Because lower health
literacy is associated with lower educational attainment, many adult
basic and literacy education programs increasingly provide health
education to low-literate adults to improve their health literacy. Using
data from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), this
study examined the health literacy of adults across GED credential
recipients, high school graduates, and non–high school graduates
by various demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Specific
populations with lower health literacy levels were identified so that
adult education entities and policy makers can target these groups with
more support, funding, and better programs to improve their health
literacy skills.
Economic and Noneconomic Outcomes for GED
Credential Recipients (2008) (Executive Summary—PDF; 37KB)
The GED Tests are widely used to certify a high school level of academic
knowledge and skills. The popularity and profound influence of the GED
Tests have solicited numerous studies on the outcomes of obtaining a GED
credential. Most studies on labor market outcomes for GED credential
recipients have targeted specific groups for comparisons across age,
gender, or geographic areas. Depending on the samples used and the
research methodologies applied, the studies have yielded mixed results.
Furthermore, scholars have noticed a scarcity of research on the
noneconomic outcomes of GED credential recipients, such as their social
participation, health, and parenting skills. This study provides
evidence through a recently released nationally representative sample of
adults, the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), on the
economic outcomes as well as the noneconomic outcomes for GED credential
recipients. On the economic outcomes, this study examines labor force
participation, work history, weekly wage, and personal income. On the
noneconomic outcomes, this study looks into political and social
participation, family literacy, and health.
The Literacy of U.S. Adults with Disabilities
Across GED Credential Recipients, High School Graduates, and
Non–High School Graduates (2008) (Executive Summary—PDF; 27KB)
To serve adults with disabilities without a high school diploma, the
federal government and states have funded adult education and literacy
programs that provide services to accommodate the needs of those adults.
In addition, the Tests of General Educational Development (GED Tests)
provide adults with disabilities with testing accommodations to minimize
the impact of examinee characteristics on the assessment of academic
knowledge and skills. Using data from the 2003 National Assessment of
Adult Literacy (NAAL), this study examined the literacy level across GED
credential recipients, high school graduates, and non–high school
graduates. The study also provided evidence of the validity of the GED
credential as an indication that adults with disabilities with a GED
credential have achieved the literacy skills and knowledge equivalent to
those skills and knowledge demonstrated by adults with disabilities with
a high school diploma.
The Literacy of U.S. Adults with GED
Credentials: 2003 NAAL and 1992 NALS (2007) (Executive Summary—PDF; 24KB)
Many adult basic education programs use the Tests of General Educational
Development (GED® Tests) to measure the skills and knowledge
associated with a high school program of study as well as to assess the
achievement gains of adult learners through participation in their
programs. Using data from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy
(NAAL) and the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS), this study,
The Literacy of U.S. Adults with GED Credentials: 2003 NAAL and 1992
NALS provides evidence of the validity of the GED credential as an
indication of achieving the literacy skills and knowledge equivalent to
those skills and knowledge demonstrated by adults with high school
diplomas and aids many adult education programs in evaluating their
effectiveness through adult learners' performance on the GED Tests.
Examinee and High School Senior Performance on
the GED Tests (2007) (Executive Summary—PDF; 22KB)
A question often asked by adult educators, administrators, teachers,
admissions officers, and employers is "How does the performance of
adults who take the GED Tests and/or hold a GED Tests credential compare
with the performance of graduating high school seniors?" The purpose of
the analyses reported in Examinee and High School Senior Performance on
the GED Tests was to compare performance on the GED Tests, U.S. edition,
across three groups of examinees: (a) graduating high school seniors in
the GED U.S. 2001 norm group, (b) GED Tests candidates who took one or
more tests in the U.S. in 2002–2004, and (c) GED Tests candidates
who passed the tests in the U.S. in 2002–2004. By comparing
graduating high school seniors and GED Tests examinees, this report
provides evidence of the academic value of the GED Tests credential. The
results should be useful primarily to employers and admissions officers
evaluating applicants who have a credential based on passing the GED
Tests. Additionally, adult education administrators and teachers should
find this information useful when planning and developing instructional
programs for GED Tests candidates.
Differences Between Students Who Were and Were
Not Retained in Grade (2007) (Executive Summary—PDF; 22KB)
Grade promotion policies regarding the low-performing students in grade
schools have been increasingly under strict scrutiny and contentious
debate with regard to these policies' effect on achievement,
self-esteem, and the likelihood of students' dropping out of school. In
an examination of the differences between students who were and were not
retained in grade and who immediately pursued a GED® credential
after dropping out of high school, this study, Differences Between
Students Who Were and Were Not Retained in Grade, addresses how the
populations of GED candidates who were and were not retained in grade
differ demographically, in terms of evidence of negative-impact
characteristics, reasons for pursuing a GED credential, and GED Tests
performance.
Dropouts Immediately Pursuing a GED Credential
(2006)
This study, Dropouts Immediately Pursuing a GED Credential, serves as a
preliminary examination of how reasons for not completing school vary by
institutional characteristic and presence of high-stakes exit exams. As
the research on factors contributing to dropping out of school continues
to develop and as research on the impact of high-stakes testing
continues to grow and provide inconsistent conclusions, this study was
designed to provide empirical data on a specific subset of high school
dropouts: those who recently left high school and pursued a high school
equivalency credential within one year.
GED Candidate Computer Familiarity Survey
(2006)
As GED Testing Service (GEDTS) considers the feasibility of a computer
administration of the GED Tests, one issue being considered is whether
offering only a computer-based format of the GED Tests will reduce the
number of candidates taking the GED Tests. In an effort to determine the
level of the GED candidate population's familiarity with computers, this
study, GED Candidate Computer Familiarity Survey, involved surveying a
representative sample of recently tested GED candidates about their
current computer comfort, use, and access. Furthermore, the survey
examined whether, based on their level of computer familiarity, access,
or their use, GED candidates would have preferred to test on a computer
if this format had been available or if they would have opted not to
test at all if the GED Tests had been offered only in a computer-based
format.
An Exploration of GED Standard Score Stability:
2001 Through 2005 (2006)
The present investigation, An Exploration of GED Standard Score
Stability: 2001 through 2005, was aimed at exploring the stability of
the standard score distributions on the GED Tests taken by U.S. high
school seniors in equating studies conducted by GED Testing Service
during the span of 5 years from 2001 (the norming year) to 2005. Both
the differences in the percentages of standard scores observed in one or
both of the tails of each test's 2002–2005 standard score
distributions from that observed during the year of norming and the
variability of the performance over time on several tests warrant a
renorming study.
Examining the Validity of GED Tests Scores with
Scheduling and Setting Accommodations (2004)
In an effort to contribute to the research on the effect of test
accommodations on test performance, the current study, Examining the
Validity of GED Test Scores with Scheduling and Setting Accommodations,
examines the comparability of academic achievement test performance
across examinees who did not receive any test accommodation and
examinees who received an accommodation. The equivalence of an academic
achievement test's psychometric properties across accommodated and
non-accommodated examinees will be examined through the calculation of
group descriptive statistics, reliability estimates, standard errors of
measurement, and differential item functioning (DIF). This study
provided support that GED Tests scores in writing, reading, social
studies, and science show evidence of validity under test accommodations
of (a) extended time only, (b) extended time and private room only, or
(c) extended time, private room, and supervised breaks only.
General Academic Achievement of Adult High
School Dropouts (2002)
This study, General Academic Achievement of Adult High School Dropouts,
describes demographic information and GED® Test Battery performance
of adult examinees who did not complete high school. Although the
majority of GED candidates take the GED Tests within two years of
leaving school, this study highlights the profile and performance of
candidates who for a variety of reasons waited anywhere from 24 to 54
years to attempt to obtain the GED high school equivalency credential.
It is hoped that the empirical results of the academic achievement level
of U.S adults over the age of 40 who have pursued a high school
equivalency will provide various benefits to adult education agencies
and programs that serve adult learners.
Please direct questions about this page to:
ged@ace.nche.edu
This page last updated on 09/25/2009
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