High School Dropout Scholarships for GED?: New GED Standards Have Educators Concerned

KSPR reports today new standards on the GED (Good Enough Diploma) for high school dropouts established by the state of Missouri:

Upcoming changes to high schoolequivalency testing in 2014 has local school leaders concerned about what next year will bring.

The new GED test will cost more than three times what it costs now and the questions will be more difficult. Although it doesn't take effect until 2014, school leaders at area testing centers are already concerned...

...At the Ozarks Technical Community College's testing center school leaders say their biggest concern is the price difference. The test will go from a total of $40 to $140.



"We're concerned because we have students now that are in our classes that have difficulty coming up with the $40," said Ramona George, OTC Adult Education and Literacy Director, "People have trouble coming up with that now, so we think when that jumps that's going to be definitely a concern."

She says there have been talks at the school of possibly starting a scholarship to help with the costs. She says the school may also be teaching more rigouris classes to help with the difficulty of the new test.


So let me get this straight. Taxpayer money is wasted by these people who are so pathetic they can't even get through the simple, and I do mean simple, process of getting through high school. Then one day they wake up and realize without a high school diploma they are destined to a life of Mike Rowe style "dirty jobs" with a name tag on their shirt like they were warned of as they were dropping out, if they are even that lucky.

Leave it up to our even more pathetic society to come up with a way to reward high school dropouts. Scholarships for GED test takers! Good grief! It won't be long until the Department of Education gets in on this action. Perhaps student loans for GED students... Can't discriminate when it comes to education you know and big government is always looking for a way to grow.

Perhaps they wouldn't have problems coming up with $40 if they had just stayed in High School. I bet almost every one of these GED students who complain about the $40 walks into OTC with a smart phone with text messaging and internet access.