General Education Development (GED) Program 50 Years Old - Guest Opinion

Sep 15, 2026

The General Education Development (GED) program has enabled individuals to earn a high school diploma for 50 years, supported by the American Council on Education (ACE) GED Testing Service. The article highlights the GED tests’ 50th anniversary, noting broad recognition by US colleges, universities, and employers, and describing growth from military-focused testing begun in 1942. It outlines test areas, evolving formats, administration standards, participation results in 1991, and local access through Western Piedmont Community College’s Learning Lab and other sites.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Guest Opinion

50th anniversary of the GED tests

Program history and recognition

Test structure and formats

Administration and performance study

How to enter the program

News Herald September 21,1992 By the Learning Lab Staff Western Piedmoot Community College mhe General Edueation Devel-opment(GED)program hasbeen belping individuals ob-tain a high school dipioma for 50years,according to Jean Lowe,di-rector of the American Council onEducation's(ACE)GED TestingService. "This year marks the 50th anni-versary of the GED tests which haveenabled more than 12 million adultsto obtain formal recognition of theiracadenic skills.Each year about 95.percent of US.colleges,universi-ties,and employers recognize theGED Diploma as equivalent to ahigh school diploma,thereby enabling GED graduates to seek fur-ther education and be gainfullyemployed,"she said. Annually,one in every seven highschool diplomas issued in the UnitedStates is a GED Diploma. The GED testing progran beganin 1942 with the developrment of abattery of tests for United Statesmilitary personnel who had not com·pleted their high school studies. The Tests of General EducationDevelopment(GED Tests)providedan opportunity for these people todemonstrate that they had acquiredthe leaming outcomes expected of ahigh school graduate, Because of this program,manypeople were able to quality for jobsand pursue postsecondary educatlonupon leaving the military service. After the war,it became apparentthat civilians could also benefit fromthis program,a need the ACE under General Education Development program 50 years old took to fll.Since that time,ACE hasguided and directed the GED pro-gram. In the 1950s,several states beganto recognize successful GED candi-dates by issulng high school creden·tials based on the examinations.These credentials were consideredequivalent—forpurposes of occupa-tion,military service,and collegeadmission-to a high school di-ploma earned at the end of formalstudy.Today,the credential isknown as a GED High School Di-ploma, From this modest beginning,theGED testing program has gToWnconsiderably during the past fourdecades.Today,the tests are used inall 50 states,in most Canadian prov-inces,and in the US.territories. In 1991,more than 800,000 peopletook the tests,and about 72 percentqualified for a diploma according tothe standards set by their states orprovinces. In North Carolina,19,220 peoplewere tested in 1991 and B6 percentpassed the test.Thus,13,331 GED Diplomas were issued in the stateLast year.Over the years,the GEDTests have provided personal satisfaction as well as professional andacademic opportunities for millionsof adults who,for many reasons,were unable to complete their for-mal high school studies. The GED Tests cover five aca-demic areas一writing,mathemat-ics,science,social studies,andliterature and the arts. The tests focus on general skillsand important concepts;the abilityto evaluate,analyze,and draw con-clusions;and the ability to under-stand and apply information andconcepts.New and revised testswere introduced in 1988 and thebattery now ineludes an essay component designed to evaluate the abil-ity to organize a written answer onatopie of general interests. Other changes were made to require more analytical and problem·solving skills.The tests are avail-able in US.and Canadian editions,Spanish and French language edi-tions,braille,large print,and audio- cassette formats. The GED Tests are developed bycommittees of professianal educa-tors in each subject area under thedirectian ot the GED Testing Serv-ice.The standards are set by eachstate or province. The GED Tests are administeredto a sclentific sampling of highschool graduating seniors eachspring as part of on-going researchin order to establish norms. In the 1589 GED PerformanceStudy conducted by the GED TestingService,key findings revealed thatthe overal performance of GEDgraduates,averaged over all fivetests,cqualed that of seniors. Also,GED graduates'perfor-mance on the Social Studies,Sej-ence,and Interpreting Literatureand the Arts Tests surpassed thoseof seniors.Aithough no formal edu-eation is required,

FAQs

What does the GED program provide after 50 years of operation?

It provides a way for individuals to obtain a high school diploma through GED testing, enabling formal recognition of academic skills.

When did the GED testing program begin, and what was its original focus?

It began in 1942 with tests developed for US military personnel who had not completed high school studies.

What academic areas are covered by the GED tests?

The tests cover writing, mathematics, science, social studies, and literature and the arts.

Sep 15, 2026

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