Due to many questions from the field in the area of GED goal setting, I am hoping to clarify the NRS and NYS expectations for potential GED recipients. Students who are possible GED recipients are counted in TWO different areas on the NRS Report. They may be perceived as an asset or a liability in either of these two areas:
- First and foremost, the only students who are mandated to have the goal of the GED are those who have TABE scores of NRS Level #6 in BOTH Math and Reading. Only under those circumstances must they have the GED goal. Even if a program is remiss in assigning the goal to this select group of students, ASISTS will count them in the cohort of students needing to achieve this goal.
- Any other student who is assigned the GED goal is at the discretion of the Program Manager or their designee.
- If a student has a Reading or Math score (or both) lower than NRS Level #6, that student has the potential of showing Education Gain on the NRS Report based on their lower TABE skill area (Math or Reading). This same student, if not Post Tested and if Not showing gain, will count in the denominator for Educational Gain. Therefore, any GED program would be prudent in mandating a post test for any student contemplating an application to the GED. (Some programs have assumed a severe policy on this issue and will not provide the student with an Official Practice Test unless a Post TABE has be registered).
Regardless of where the student arrives in terms of Educational Gain, any student with a GED goal who achieves the GED credential will be counted as a Follow Up Outcome as they exit the program.
So to summarize, a potential GED student could benefit the program in two ways...once in whichever Educational Functioning Level the students enters (if below NRS Level #6) when successfully post tested will count toward the program's Post Test Rate....AND if gain is shown, the student will also count toward the program's Educational Gain percentage. This same student may then also count a second time under Follow Up Outcomes for achieving the GED once they have exited the program.
So even if the program misses the opportunity to post test the student and therefore show Ed Gain, that same student can still benefit the program by showing as a positive achievement under the GED Follow Up Outcome (this is counted on the NRS Report once the student has exited the program). This later choice would be the less desirable, having the student count as a positive in both areas is the most favored.
