GED scores are up

... and front pager no. 2 for the day!

By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer

The bar is set a little higher at the Carbon County Higher Education Center for those seeking General Educational Development diplomas, and, as a result, the center has seen higher scores.

Higher scores mean more options for those who have not received a high school diploma, CCHEC’s Adult Center for Learning Director Bunnie Mursko said. She said CCHEC wants to produce as many Hathaway scholars as possible. Issued through the state, the scholarship provides a financial reward to eligible students to attend the University of Wyoming or any Wyoming community college.

With the Hathaway Scholarship as a goal, the staff at CCHEC has adjusted its focus and strategy to push its GED candidates toward higher scores and future opportunities.

CCHEC seeks to make the GED more important in the eyes of those hoping to earn their diploma. The GED is a battery of tests in math, science, writing, social studies and reading that, upon successful completion, credits an individual with high school proficiency in the subjects.
Mursko said when she initially arrived at the higher education center two years ago, her GED candidates wanted to simply finish the test as soon as possible. Now she coaches candidates to be less satisfied with lower scores.

“We’ve been working harder to get them to understand that achieving a higher score gives them better opportunities,” Mursko said. The center hopes it can open candidates’ eyes to the possibility of college.

Additionally, CCHEC has sought to increase its one-on-one time. Mursko encouraged this because “(the GED) helps them for the rest of their lives.” She said she’s had candidates from Lander and Green River. Both people had testing facilities nearby, but chose to take advantage of the atmosphere and attention provided at CCHEC.

Compared to state averages, “CCHEC has come up tremendously,” Wyoming GED Administrator Carolyn Chelsvig said. “They’ve taken the time to individualize their program and have seen their scores go up and up and up.”

In December 2007, according to a monthly report by Chelsvig, CCHEC candidates scored almost 100 points higher in social studies and reading than the state average. The center’s averages were below the state’s in writing and math by about 50 points. Information was unavailable for CCHEC’s science standings.

Mursko expressed a hope that the numbers of those taking the test will go down while scores go up. “Trying to get the GED is not easy,” she said. “It’s really easier to stay in school and get the diploma than to do the battery of tests.”

She said most students come in for intense tutorials for one or two months before they tackle the GED. They can try for the GED after a pretest and a practice test. Often, candidates begin the testing or tutorials, but do not go on to finish their GED. Last year, 27 out of 48 people received their GED.

When asked why this might be the case, Mursko said lower-income pupils often can’t afford the testing and tutorial fees. However, when they can, they often strive more than medium-income candidates. “The higher the income, the less likely they are to finish,” Mursko said.

With its new goals and new tactics, CCHEC has reached new heights. Of the 27 who earned their GED last year, 23 attained scores that met Hathaway Scholarship targets. Eleven scored 500 or above, enough to meet the opportunity range, which allots $800 per semester. Six hit the honors range at 540 or above, qualifying them for the $1,200 per semester allotment. Another six reached the performance level, scoring 575 or above to earn $1,600 per semester toward college courses.

The figures show increasing scores throughout the past two years. In 2005, CCHEC had 34 who tested with nine of them at the opportunity level, three at honors and another three at performance. The majority of test-takers passed with a score of 499 or below in 2005.