Number of Ohioans passing high school equivalency exam plummets after private company takes over.
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Contact: Hannah Halbert, 614.221.4505
Since PearsonVUE, the world’s largest private, for-profit education corporation, took-over the high school equivalency test known as the GED, the number of Ohioans attempting and passing the exam has plummeted, according a newly released report by Policy Matters Ohio.
The number of Ohioans passing the test plunged by 85 percent, from more than 14,800 a year on average between 2009 and 2013 to fewer than 2,200 in 2014. So few passed the GED, the scoring system was recently changed. Under the new scoring rule, we estimate that 7,251 people have now passed the GED in the last two years, compared to more than 15,000 in the year prior to the major overhaul of the exam. There are about 22,000 fewer Ohioans with an equivalency degree than we would have had if we had kept pace. That’s 22,000 workers blocked from a good career ladder, and 22,000 potential hires that Ohio employers are missing out on. “Changes made under an Ohio for-profit GED have clobbered participation and passage. Far fewer Ohioans are able to gain this credential,” said Hannah Halbert, author of the report and workforce researcher with Policy Matters Ohio. “This hurts families, employers and our economy. Ohio must fix our high school equivalency degree system.” The GED
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