The increased price of the new GED test debuting in 2014 could
discourage some people from taking it, in spite of the
advantages it offers. The American Council on Education, which
has developed and administered the GED (general equivalency
diploma) since 1942, entered a partnership last year with
international testing company Pearson VUE to develop a new GED
test. The new assessment will be aligned with the national
Common Core standards and provide both a high school credential
and an assessment of college and career readiness. It will also
be an exclusively computer-based test, and will cost $120 in
Ohio, up from $40 for the current version, offered in both
pencil-and-paper and computer formats. Julie Stoffel, head
instructor with the Adult Basic and Literacy Education
(A.B.L.E.) in Washington County, expects the result will be GED
recipients who are more competitive in college and the
workplace. But the new price and other requirements could
discourage some people from taking the test in the first place.