Return-Path: <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j7CG3nG02626; Fri, 12 Aug 2005 12:03:50 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2005 12:03:50 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <861287183F4A8340911CE4184DD311D004FD62A2@vsac4.corp.vsac.org> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Carol Arner" <Arner@VSAC.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:1451] Re: GED passage doesn't prepare students X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 5042 Lines: 114 I've been really interested to see this lively discussion about GED students. I would just like to put in a word about the value of collaborating with Educational Opportunity Center programs to help GED graduates in their transition to college. There are 139 of these federal TRIO Programs and our purpose is to help adults access postsecondary education. Two-thirds of the people we see must be low income and the first generation in their family to go to college. EOC programs provide counseling and information about postsecondary programs and financial aid and may also provide career planning assistance. In Vermont we are working even more closely than we have in the past with our Adult Education and Literacy programs. We get many referrals from these programs. We also see students who have sought us out because they want to go to college and then we refer them for help with the GED and continue to encourage them toward postsecondary education. It seems to me that someone who enters a GED program with the purpose of being able to go on to college might be a person likely to go on to college after completing their GED. This is especially true if they can get good, collaborative help from an Educational Opportunity Center Program and an adult education provider. For a directory of EOC programs, go to www.neoca.freeservers.com and click on NEOCA directory at the left of the page. Carol Arner Assistant Director, Educational Opportunity Center Career & Education Outreach Vermont Student Assistance Corporation PO Box 2000 Champlain Mill Winooski VT 05404 800-642-3177 ext. 690 802-655-9602 arner@vsac.org -----Original Message----- From: nifl-fobasics@nifl.gov [mailto:nifl-fobasics@nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Silja Kallenbach Sent: Friday, August 12, 2005 11:51 AM To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:1449] Re: GED passage doesn't prepare students Because it's possible to pass the GED without knowing algebra or how to write a college paper, etc. is exactly why we need to have free college prep programs that both motivate and prepare GED recipients and others to not just enter college but to do well and complete their studies. With open admissions in many community colleges it's easy to get students in the door, and count them as positive outcomes for NRS, but the question is, are they prepared for the academic requirements of college or know how to navigate the system, advocate for themselves, in order to persist and achieve their academic goals. One interesting figure from Adelman's research is that students who have to take more than one year of remedial reading have less than 5% college persistence/completion rate in two-year colleges. That means 95% drop out. Even if you account for transfers and stop outs that's a staggering figure and suggest that our field can do much better in teaching reading strategies for college, among other thing. Silja ********************************************* Silja Kallenbach, Coordinator New England Literacy Resource Center World Education 44 Farnsworth Street Boston, MA 02201 tel. 617-482-9485 fax. 617-482-0617 email. silja_kallenbach@worlded.org www.nelrc.org Get free resources about ABE/ESOL-to-college transitions at www.collegetransition.org Teach critical thinking with The Change Agent, a social justice publication for the adult education community, available at www.nelrc.org/changeagent >>> shellcraig@ix.netcom.com 08/11 6:21 PM >>> Because of their eagerness to receive their GED, many of my students pass the GED with just a 450 average. I would say that this isn't a likely indicator of success in other learning endeavors. If you correlate this barely passing score with say CASAs scores for the same students in math and reading, they are reading and doing math at a 6th grade level.Similarly, what passes in a GED essay would not pass in English 1A. Is this college preparation? These students would not receive decent scores on SATs or ACTs neccesary to enroll in a four year college. Even at a two year college they will probably score into the lowest remedial courses. The GED test is not college preparation in my opinion. I would say that if the researchers checked the passage scores of GED students who went on to college, the more successful students would be those who scored at 600 or higher. I would like to see some kind of study that would look merely at whether a student passed the test, but at how they passed it. Michele Craig Woodland Adult School STATEMENT OF CONFIDENTIALITY This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may include privileged or otherwise confidential information. Any unauthorized review, forwarding, printing, copying, use, disclosure or distribution is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. 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