Posted on 08/09/2009 12:58:05 PM PDT by george76
Florida is changing its policy on youths who opt for a GED to finish high school in less than four years.
Until now, those looking for a shortcut could earn the same diploma as others. But Education Commissioner Eric Smith says that's not fair...
So Smith has notified school districts that all who take the General Educational Development test must now receive a high school equivalency diploma, just like dropouts who later go through the GED process.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbc-2.com ...
oh boy
the Good Enough Degree
Gee that is just great. My friend dropped out of high school and went back to school, studied HARD, and got her GED. Two of my AUNTS were in her class! They had dropped out as kids because they were NEEDED on the farm to pick cotton, etc. They didn’t quit because they WANTED to.
This is a disgrace!
Trying to stop declining enrollment, apparently. Or make that declining attendance.
If you don’t take the years of classes at a public school everyone else is required to take, why should you get their degree? You, as a student who wants to skip out of high school ASAP, even take the GED to end your high school days. Why shouldn’t you get a GED degree?
I’d like to know what happens to home schooled children who never attend a high school at all.
Well, I still think it was great that my aunts were able to go to night school and receive their GEDs. Their kids were all college grads, and my aunts didn’t want the kids to know they never got diplomas. So they got the GED and then they never had to tell their kids they didn’t have diploma.
What fools!
Who cares how long it takes if they pass the same test?
My High School Equivalency Diploma is the same as a High School Diploma.
Got it after I dropped out in 10th grade at 16 and went back to night school for 2 years.
A couple of companies that I worked for, over the years, required a H.S. Diploma and didn’t accept GED’s.
To get a high school diploma, you should have to complete the required number of high school credits. Students who are ‘in a hurry’ might be better served by taking a few college courses (on campus or on-line) during their senior year in high school. Most community colleges offer opportunities for high school students to get a jump on collecting college credits, and some school districts even pay for (or subsidize) the tuition.
I got my GED in the Army in 1969. My High School District didn’t issue diplomas to GED folks. I wennt on to college without a HS diploma.
Some of the brightest people I know have GED’s. They opted out of the public school ed-je-ma-cation system due to its ever so slow paced curriculum that’s designed to teach at the slowest student’s pace.
All were enrolled into college at 17, and one is a doctor.
I’d tread lightly on people with GED’s.
Not to mention all the business people in the US that have NO formal education, yet they are millionaires.
My uncle being one of them.
Mine took the GED.
Did anyone ever consider that you actually have to pass a test to get a GED? Can the same be said for HS?
Many home schooled kids get the GEDs and go onto college. It seems the GEDs are not looked down on as much as they used to be.
No one gives a damn about High school once you hit college.
A lot of colleges are “punishing” homeschoolers by not accepting them because they do not have “accredited” diplomas. An option what many homeschoolers do is, although they homeschool their kids they go for the GED to have the stupid piece of paper to show colleges, etc that yes, they are indeed educated. The GED makes it easier to get college acceptance, scholarships, grants, etc. In our state, you can get the HOPE grant/scholarship if you have a diploma, and don’t have to jump through as many hoops.
Truthfully, I feel this is an attempt to take an option away from homeschooling parents.
If you are 16 or 17 years of age, you must meet the [basic credentials] criteria and also provide written verification from your school superintendent or principal stating that you are withdrawn from school. In addition, you must provide a letter from one of the following:
* A letter from an employer stating that you must pass the GED tests in order to gain or maintain employment
* A letter from a college or postsecondary training institution stating that passing GED test scores are required for enrollment
* A letter from a branch of the Armed Services stating that passing GED test scores are necessary for induction
* A letter requesting GED scores from the director of a state institution in which you are a resident, patient or inmate
These letters must be written on company/school letterhead and signed by the appropriate staff. Persons 16 years old and older who are under the direction of correctional facilities or parole/probation offices are eligible to take the GED tests while enrolled in school, if so ordered by a court. No persons under the age of 16 are eligible to take the GED tests in Pennsylvania.
In other words, to take the GED in PA, you need to have a position lined up, or a court order. Just wanting to advance in life because you're gifted is not a good reason.
And if I am reading it correctly, a homeschooled student would not be able to take the GED without the approval of the local superintendent of schools, some of whom are very uncooperative with homeschoolers.
(ping to wintertime for homeschool interest)
I think that in most states you only have to take the required courses to finish high school, and then score high enough on the GED, and the schools system that gave the tests is required by law to give you a regular HS diploma.
I'm not positive, but I think that is a Federal law.
The reason the law was passed was because foreign diplomas weren't accepted here, and a college prof from a foreign country wouldn't even have a HS diploma.
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