SIC Urges “Now Is the Time to Get Your GED Before the Test Changes”
–Free GED classes begin as early as Jan. 14 through SIC—
According to the American Council on Education, major changes are on the horizon for the General Educational Development (GED) certificate. Moreover, a sense of urgency is coming with those changes.
“Now is the time to get your GED certificate,” said Lori Cox, associate dean of community education at Southeastern Illinois College (SIC). “New GED testing procedures will go into effect in 2014, so enrolling in one of our free GED classes now will help you obtain your GED before the proposed changes take place.”
The new changes include eliminating the current pencil and paper exam, adopting a computer-based testing (CBT) format, increasing the cost of the test from $50 to $120, and creating an all new GED test that will add trigonometry to the exam’s math sequence.
In addition, students who have not completed all parts of the current test by 2014 will have to start over.
According to Donna Hearn, SIC’s community outreach advisor and GED chief examiner, a GED certificate has a significant impact on one’s life.
“To show the importance of passing the GED’s high school equivalency tests, research indicates that a person who has obtained a GED certificate earns, on average, an additional $403,000 in his or her lifetime compared to someone who does not earn a GED or high school diploma,” said Hearn.
More than 15 million people have received a GED credential since the program began in the early 1940s. One in every seven Americans with high school credentials received the GED, as well as one in 20 college students.
Free GED instruction begins at SIC on Jan. 14. Instruction includes all class materials and practice tests at no charge. Students may register during the first class session.
In addition to offering GED classes on its main campus at 3575 College Rd. in Harrisburg, the college will offer free classes at the following locations: WADI in Harrisburg (begins Jan. 14); WADI in Shawneetown (begins Jan. 22); Hardin County Golden Circle (begins Jan. 22); Pope County First Baptist Church, Golconda (begins Jan. 22); and SIC’s White County location, the David L. Stanley Center (begins Jan. 14). Morning, afternoon, and evening classes are available at various locations to fit students’ schedules.
For further details about SIC’s free GED classes, visit www.sic.edu/ged or contact Jordan Lynch at 618-252-5400, ext. 2623, Tina Kuppart, ext. 2242, or Donna Hearn, ext. 3213, or call toll free at 866-338-2742.
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