Getting Smarter:  Clevelanders Follow National Trend

April 2, 2009

The numbers are up:  over the past year, more adults are passing the GED tests (Tests of General Education Development), according to the American Council on Education (ACE), the organization responsible for the development and oversight of the tests. Bonnie Entler, Executive Director of Seeds of Literacy, one of the largest providers of free basic education and GED preparation in Cuyahoga County, states, “Our student enrollment continues to grow weekly, and our GED graduation rate has increased by 28% over the previous year.”

The GED is actually a battery of seven tests in five subject areas:  Language Arts, Writing; Social Studies; Science; Language Arts, Reading; and Mathematics.  Essay questions, graphing and gridding exercises, and multiple-choice questions make up the GED tests that cover about seven and one-half hours.  Passing the entire battery certifies that the student has attained subject matter knowledge and skills associated with the completion of high school.  The GED tests began in 1942 as a way to allow returning veterans of World War II to complete their interrupted education; they became available to civilians in 1947.

“I think that most of us would be surprised at the level of difficulty involved in the GED tests,” comments Entler.  “These tests are not about parroting back answers or rote memorization, but about utilizing cognitive and problem-solving skills.”  Seeds of Literacy has student retention and graduation rates that are twice the national average and is the only adult literacy program in the county to be nationally accredited by ProLiteracy America.  The organization attributes its student successes in part to its one-to-one student/tutor ratio and personalized curriculum for each student.

Entler cites the current economic crisis as contributing to Seeds’ enrollment increase, as more unemployed adults recognize their need for a stronger educational foundation to better compete in a tight job market. 

Seeds of Literacy is a not-for-profit, 501(C)3 organization.  For more information and volunteer opportunities, call 215.661.7950.