Dear Colleagues,
This morning at the Manhattan Hub, Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott and Deputy Chancellor for Equity
and Access Dorita Gibson unveiled the rebranding of GED Plus. Our program will now be called
“Pathways to Graduation: Preparing for high school equivalency and beyond.” Chancellor Walcott also
announced five new Adult Transition Centers which will operate at four of our borough hubs and the
Linden Learning Center.
The new Pathways to Graduation “P2G”name will take effect January 1, 2014 when New York State
will no longer administer the General Educational Development (GED) exam and move toward
administering the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC), a Common Core-aligned exam. The
DOE’s rebranding to Pathways to Graduation better defines our program’s educational mission and
serves as a reminder that our work is not merely about preparing students to attain their high school
equivalency diploma, but to also ensure that they graduate with the skills and abilities necessary to
thrive in the 21st century economy.
The change in name will have no bearing on the structure of our program or the core focus of our
work. There is no doubt that the work will be difficult, especially as we prepare students for a new,
more rigorous exam about which we admittedly know little. In that regard, we are continuing
conversations with the State Education Department and CTB McGraw Hill to learn more about when
and how preparation and readiness materials will be rolled out. I assure you that as more information
becomes known, we will continue to provide that information to all staff.
Regarding the Adult Transition Centers, we have begun and will continue to create transition
classrooms at each of our hubs and the Linden Learning Center with the Office of Adult Continuing
Education (OACE) so that students who age out of our program may seamlessly transfer to an Adult
Education classroom in the same building.
Finally, we will officially celebrate the many accomplishments and successes of GED Plus and launch
Pathways to Graduation (P2G) at our next Chancellor’s Conference Day, which is scheduled for
Monday, February 3, 2014, at a location to be determined.
Thank you for your daily commitment and dedication to our students. Regardless of the name of our
program, it is the day-to-day work provided by teachers and support staff at every site and classroom
across the city that matters most of all.
Regards,
Bob