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A troubling trend sparks GED changes

Testing officials enact stricter guidelines after seeing so many underage dropouts in the program.

By BRITTANEY KIEFER
Published June 19, 2006

	[Times photo: Maurice Rivenbark]
	Candiece Clayton quit high school after becoming pregnant and has now taken her GED. Her daughter, Madisyn Brooks, is 4 months old.

Faced with months of morning sickness, aches and pains, and teasing from other students, she decided she couldn't wait that long. Soon after receiving news of her pregnancy, Clayton dropped out of high school and entered the General Educational Development program.

"I didn't want to be in school," Clayton said. "Kids talk about girls who are pregnant. I thought taking the GED test would be easier."

In February 2006, Clayton gave birth to her first child. Two months later, she passed the GED test and received a high school diploma. Now Clayton, 17, is planning to enroll in classes at Pasco-Hernando Community College in August.

Clayton is among a large number of students who chose to take the GED test this year instead of earning a standard diploma after four years of high school. The decision of many 16- and 17-year-olds to enter the GED program has become a growing trend in Hernando County. In fact, it is a trend that troubles district officials and has caused them to change the entry guidelines for the program for the coming school year.

The GED program was created to give adults who had never finished high school the opportunity to earn high school credentials. The first GED tests were administered in 1942 to adults who had dropped out of high school to fight in World War II.

People who enroll in the GED program take classes and practice tests to prepare for the GED exam, which measures a person's knowledge of basic academic skills expected of high school graduates. A person who passes the GED test earns a high school diploma.

Nationwide, no one under the age of 16 can take the GED test. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds can enter the GED program only if they prove they're facing hardship. It is up to each state and county to determine what constitutes a hardship.

Eight years ago, GED testing officials in Hernando County loosened the guidelines for hardship, making it easier for 16- and 17-year-olds to register for the GED program. Under those guidelines, underage students could enter the program for six different reasons, including poor attendance or poor grades.

This year, officials in Hernando saw the number of underage students who entered the GED program increase sharply - from 144 during the 2004-05 school year, to 246 during the 2005-06 year.

"We were bombarded with underage students this year," said Harry Wilson, the chief examiner at the GED testing center at Nature Coast Technical High School. "There were more this year than we've ever seen."

The increase in 16- and 17-year-olds registering for the GED program concerns Wilson and other GED testing officials. But why more underage students are choosing to enter the program is difficult for officials to pinpoint.

"Everyone who comes to the testing center has a different story," Wilson said.

Robin Emmerman, a school social worker and coordinator of the teen parenting program at Hernando High School, has worked with many students who chose to drop out of high school and enter the GED program.

"It's hard for teenagers to stay focused these days," Emmerman said. "There are so many issues and problems that teenagers deal with, and those problems aren't getting any better."

In large part, Emmerman attributes the increase of underage students dropping out of high school and entering the GED program to a lack of family support.

"There is a higher rate of divorce and single parents," she said. "Teenagers aren't getting the security, love and support they need to work through problems and finish school. You wouldn't believe how many 16- and 17-year-olds I've met who are living on their own."

According to Wilson, many of the students who register for the GED program are dealing with issues at school such as attendance and behavior problems.

"We have some students who say, 'I just couldn't get up that early for school,' " Wilson said. "Some of them miss so much school and get so far behind that they feel they're never going to catch up."

"There are some students who never get connected to their school," said Gretchen Pingley, a guidance counselor at Hernando High. "They have attendance or discipline problems, they get behind in credits, and they just kind of fade away."

Some school officials speculate that the increased enrollment in the GED program can be attributed to more rigorous demands in the high school curriculum, including the requirement that all students pass the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT)

"We know that a GED diploma can still get you into a college, and you don't have to pass the FCAT in the program," said Carmella Sardagon, a guidance counselor at Nature Coast Technical High. "That may be a reason why more students are opting to take the GED test."

With so many issues and pressures weighing on underage students, the GED program can seem like a favorable option to earn high school credentials without the extra years of academic work.

"My fear is that too many students are using the GED program to get out of high school faster," said School Board member Sandra Nicholson.

"Without motivation or support from others, many students are looking for an easier way to get their diploma," said Joan Emerson, a guidance counselor at Central High.

Wilson said many of the underage students who enter the GED program do so because they think the GED test is easy.

"A lot of these kids aren't really serious about school, and they want an easy way out," Wilson said.

One of the reasons that Wilson and other school officials worry about the number of underage students entering the GED program is the risks involved.

"Some universities won't accept students with GED diplomas, and some businesses won't hire people with GED diplomas," said Jim Knight, director of student services for the county.

"We still feel that the best route is to stay in school," Wilson said.

Concerned that the number of underage students entering the GED program would continue to increase if nothing were done, Wilson and other GED testing officials drafted a revised plan that will go into effect at the beginning of the coming school year.

The plan will impose stricter guidelines for underage students hoping to enroll in the program. Where before there were six hardships that would allow underage students into the GED program, there will now be only three: personal family health problems, personal family economic problems and a court order.

Students who want to enter the GED program will first have to submit a one-page written request and a form describing the hardship that led them to drop out of high school. Once a student submits these forms, the request will be reviewed by a committee, and the student will be required to meet with a guidance counselor.

If accepted to the GED program, underage students will have to follow a stricter attendance policy. Students will be required to maintain a 90 percent rate of attendance, and will be counted absent if they leave class early. Students will also be required to receive a minimum of 12 hours of instruction at the testing center before taking the GED test.

"Some of these students need a wake-up call," Wilson said. "This is their future."

[Last modified June 19, 2006, 09:07:09]