New High School Equivalency Exams: Opportunities,
Challenges, and Implications for Integrated Pathways
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INTEGRATED BASIC SKILLS PATHWAYS
BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON
APRIL 30TH, 2014
HSE Exams at-a-Glance
ETS-HiSET
Owner
Cost
(this will vary from state
to state depending on
admin costs and
subsidies)
Subjects Tested
Educational Testing Service, nonprofit
GED 2014
Pearson/ACE, for-profit
TASC
CTB/McGraw Hill, for-profit
$50 plus local and state
admin costs
Total $50-$125
$80 plus local and state admin
costs
Total $80-$160
$52 plus local and state admin
costs
Total $52-$65, $92 in IN and
NJ
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Language Arts, Writing
Language Arts, Reading
Mathematics
Social Studies
Science
•
•
•
Reasoning Through
Language Arts
Reasoning Through
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Language Arts, Writing
Language Arts, Reading
Mathematics
Social Studies
Science
Alignment to
Common Core
Phase I aligned to ELA and
Math CCSS; Phase II complete
alignment
Aligned to the CCSS
Will phase in CCSS content
over the next 3 years
Format
Online and paper
Online
Online and paper
High School Equivalency Exams by State: HiSET
HiSET
Iowa
New Jersey
Louisiana
Tennessee
Missouri
Maine
Massachusetts
Wyoming
Montana
New Hampshire
Nevada
High School Equivalency Exams by State: TASC
TASC
Nevada
New Jersey
New York
Indiana
West Virginia
Wyoming
High School Equivalency Exams by State: GED 2014
GED 2014
Maryland
Massachusetts
North Carolina
South Carolina
Hawaii
Idaho
North Dakota
South Dakota
Illinois
Kansas
Ohio
Tennessee
Kentucky
Michigan
Oklahoma
Texas
Minnesota
Mississippi
Oregon
Utah
Nebraska
Nevada
Pennsylvania
Vermont
New Jersey
New Mexico
Rhode Island
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Conceptual Framework: Bloom’s Taxonomy (old)
Evaluation
Synthesis
Analysis
Application
Comprehension
Knowledge
Conceptual Framework: Bloom’s Taxonomy (new)
Creating
Evaluating
Analyzing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering
Conceptual Framework: Webb’s Depth of Knowledge
1. Recall and Reproduction
2. Skills and Concepts
3. Short-term Strategic Thinking
4. Extended Thinking
New Landscape, New Considerations
• TASC, GED or HiSET: all tests emphasize the need for deeper learning and more
rigorous assessment of college and career readiness.
• Multiple choices in HSE exams present challenges in implementation and
preparation for programs and instructors.
• Most promising models are designed with a career credential as an explicit goal,
linked to an integrated pathway.
Discussion Questions
What test(s) does your state use?
What challenges and opportunities does your state face around:
• Instruction (including new ways of teaching and new content to cover)
• Professional Development
• Policy (both state and institutional)
• Funding
• Student Outcomes
Contact Info
Sean Martin
WorkReady U
Louisiana Community and Technical College System
seanmartin@lctcs.edu
Reecie Stagnolia
Kentucky Adult Education
Council on Postsecondary Education
reecie.stagnolia@ky.gov
Amy Girardi
Jobs for the Future
agirardi@jff.org
TEL 617.728.4446 FAX 617.728.4857 info@jff.org
88 Broad Street, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02110
122 C Street, NW, Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001
WWW.JFF.ORG