An Inservice Project
Using The Florida GED Teachers' Handbook
 

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History of the GED Tests

It's always a good idea to know about the history of something. The GED Tests have an extensive history since their inception more than sixty years ago. Begun in 1942, the GED Tests were first developed through the United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI) in order for military personnel to obtain a high school credential.

The GED Testing Program was created in 1945. Although primarily used for military personnel, after World War II it was recognized that civilians could use this service as well as military personnel. In 1963, the Veterans' Testing Service was renamed the General Educational Development Testing Service (also known as GEDTS).

Since its beginning, changes and updates have been made to the GED Tests to ensure that the test measures the standards taught in a high school program of study. As national and state standards have increased, so has the difficulty of the GED Tests. There have been four generations of the GED Tests: 1942, 1978, 1988, and 2002.

The latest revision of the test was completed in 2002. This is often called the GED 2002 Series Tests. Why did they do a complete revision of the test in 2002? The best answer comes from a quote from the GED Advisory Committee Notebook that states:

"to measure the major academic skills and knowledge associated with a four-year high school program of study that graduating seniors should know and be able to do in the year 2000 and beyond, with increased emphasis on workplace and higher education."
ACE (American Council on Education),
GED Advisory Committee Notebook, 1996

Ready to take a look at what the GED Tests require? Let's begin!

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This program was developed by Dr. Lucy M. Guglielmino, Florida Atlantic University, through an Adult Education State Leadership Grant from the Florida Department of Education, Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Education.   Content Developed by Susan Pittman and Bonnie Vondracek. Web development by Dr. Debra L. Hargrove. Videography by Steve Foley, Foley Video Productions.

Disclaimer:  While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this web-based training component, it is not an official publication of the Florida Department of Education.