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Less students complete adult school this year
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Posted on May 14 1999
The Adult School program of the Northern Marianas College is expecting only 21 graduates this year, from a high of 80 students who finished a couple of years ago.
“This is very low, ” said Director Fe Calixterio.
The 21 count combines graduates from the Adult Basic Education and the General Education Development (GED).
According to Calixterio, the decrease in the number of graduates is also common in the mainland, “it just plummeted down in the entire U.S.”
Educators are pointing to the new passing score set for Adult Education as one of the factors affecting their enrollment. The passing score is now set at 45 points, an increase of 5 points compared to previous years.
“It seems 45 is a little too difficult to attain,” she said.
The increase in the passing score was brought about by constant debate over the standard set by the adult program compared with the regular high school.
But as the number of graduates has dived in the U.S., while Canada’s adult education program has remained strong, she said. Ever since it introduced GED, Canada set a 50 passing score, or five points ahead of its neighbor.
Calixterio is calling on the community to beat the GED testing deadline and possibly another increase in its passing score.
Effective January 1, 2001, a new GED test will be introduced to the public. This future examination will incorporate relevant and widely used curriculum standards. It is designed to encourage employers and the U.S. military service to admit applicants who are GED graduates. Both sectors do favor the traditional high school products over the GED graduates.
With the change in the GED testing in 2001, she doesn’t discount the possibility of a new passing score effective that year.
