GED Testing Needs New Home in Central Oregon

The High Desert Education Service District is working to transition out of its role as administrator of General Educational Development (GED) testing for Central Oregon. The transition, scheduled to take place in July of this year, is a direct result of the recent education budget shortfall in the state of Oregon.

"We've hit a crossroads because the GED program has become too expensive for HDESD to manage effectively given the recent budget cuts in education," said Paul Andrews, Executive Director of Children's Programs for HDESD. "We've had to make some significant changes to our programs to keep funding focused on our students and classrooms," added Andrews.

GED testing enables adults and people 16 and 17 years of age to obtain a high school equivalency certificate. Testing includes a group of five subject areas which, when passed, certify that an individual has high school-level academic skills. GED testing is an unfunded service that costs approximately $78,000 per year to administer in much of Central Oregon and the $135 fee collected from participants generates approximately $58,000 leaving a $20,000+ deficit. In addition, the state of Oregon plans to move to a computer-based testing system by 2013 which will require computer labs in multiple communities.

HDESD was asked by the state to take on the role as test administrator when Central Oregon Community College was no longer able to provide the service. Since that time, 5,566 individuals in Central Oregon have obtained their GED certificate through HDESD (not including parts of Jefferson County which administers testing through their local Jefferson County Education Service District).

"We've been working closely with The Department of Community Colleges, Workforce Development and Central Oregon Community College to find the right home for GED testing," said Andrews. "It's a very important component of our education system and we want to ensure that Central Oregon residents have access to it," he added.

GED testing helps provide a stepping stone for Associate's Degree studies and is generally administered through community colleges in the United States. COCC is currently exploring the funding and resources needed to take back management of the GED program.

As HDESD works to help find a home for GED testing, there may be a transition period during which Central Oregon residents have limited access to testing services. Some testing may be available through the Jefferson County Education Service District. For more information, contact JCESD at 541.306.9271.

For more information about current GED testing through HDESD, visit http://www.hdesd.org/services/GED. To schedule interviews with representatives from the HDESD, please contact Linda Quon at 541.610.4317 or lquon@quondc.com.