City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Open Educational Resources LaGuardia Community College 2013 What Do Youth Know about the GED® before They Join a GED® Program? Joni Schwartz CUNY La Guardia Community College John Powell How does access to this work benefit you? Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/lg_oers/106 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY) Contact: AcademicWorks@cuny.edu The Youth to Youth Guide to the GED ® Edited by Eve Tuck and Tasos Neofotistos The Youth to Youth Guide to the GED® Edited by Eve Tuck and Tasos Neofotistos April, 2013 Contributing Authors Jovon Smith, Travion K Joseph, Maria Bacha, John Powell, and Joni Schwartz Contributing Researchers The Collective of Researchers on Educational Disappointment and Desire (CREDD) — Maria Bacha, Jovanne Allen, Alexis Morales, Jamila Thompson, Sarah Quinter, Jodi-Ann Gayle, Crystal Orama, and Eve Tuck Additional Content Provided By Advocates for Children of New York Campaign for Tomorrow’s Workforce Guide Design Christina Ree Writing Workshop Transcription Amie Worley, Katherine Espinosa- Nuñez June Omura Copy Editing Katherine Espinosa-Nuñez Interview Transcription Beverly Tuck Support The writing workshop for this guide was hosted with support from The State University of New York at New Paltz Research for the guide was conducted with support from The Graduate Center, City University of New York Gisela Alvarez and Christie N Hill at Advocates for Children of New York provided important information about students’ legal rights to remain in school Sierra Stoneman-Bell at Campaign for Tomorrow’s Workforce provided information about the new privatized GED® Testing Service table of contents Introduction to The Youth to Youth Guide to the GED® Jovon Smith, Travion K Joseph , and Tasos Neofotistos Creating The Youth to Youth Guide to the GED® Eve Tuck The Goals of The Youth to Youth Guide to the GED® Tasos Neofotistos, Travion K Joseph, Jovon Smith, Joni Schwartz, John Powell and Eve Tuck Who is an Ally? Maria Bacha CREDD’s Gateways and Get-aways Project Eve Tuck, Jovanne Allen, Maria Bacha, Alexis Morales, Sarah Quinter, Jamila Thompson and Melody Tuck .8 The GED® Eve Tuck GED® Changes and High School Equivalency: What’s Happening in New York? Campaign for Tomorrow’s Workforce 11 Testimonio: My GED® Experience Travion K Joseph 15 Graffiti Wall: What can you with a GED®? .16 Re-Valuing/ Re-Thinking the GED® CREDD 17 Employer and College Responses: Summary of Cold Calls CREDD 17 When did You First Learn about the GED® Interview Responses, New York City Youth 18 What Youth Know about the GED® before they Join A GED® Program? Joni Schwartz and John Powell 19 Swapping the New York Regents for the GED® CREDD 21 What are the GED® Tests? 22 GED® Application Process and Eligibility Requirements 24 Testimonio: Leaving School for a GED® Tasos Neofotistos 29 Suggested citation Tuck, E., & Neofotistos, T (Eds.) (2013) Youth to Youth Guide to the GED® [electronic publication] In 2011, the GED® was trademarked by the GED Testing Service® when it became a joint for-profit company of Pearson and the American Council on Education. Schools are Not Equally Funded CREDD 30 Circumstances of Leaving School Interview Responses, New York City Youth 31 Taking the More Narrow Road John Powell 33 The GED® as a Key to Unlock Doors and Windows Interview Responses, New York City Youth 34 Testimonio: Earning a GED® and Becoming a GED® Tutor Jovon Smith 36 Beware of Being Pushed-Out of Your High School Interview Responses, New York City Youth 37 You Have the Right to Stay in School Advocates for Children 38 Youth Rights to Complex Personhood CREDD 39 What to Do if You Feel Like You are Being Pushed-out of Your Public High School Advocates for Children 39 Frequently Asked Questions on School Pushout (New York City specific) Advocates for Children 40 The Difficulty of the GED® Exam Tasos Neofotistos, Jovon Smith, Travion K Joseph, Joni Schwartz, John Powell, and Eve Tuck 42 Sometimes Hard Work is Not Enough in an Unequal Society Maria Bacha 44 Advice from Youth GED® Earners to Youth Considering the GED® Interview Responses, New York City Youth 44 Advice from A GED® Educator Joni Schwartz .49 Policy Recommendations and YOU(th) Maria Bacha 50 Know Your Options to Stay in School! (New York City specific) Advocates for Children 51 Last Bits of Advice from Youth GED® Earners Interview responses, New York City Youth 53 Conclusion Tasos Neofotistos, Jovon Smith, Travion K Joseph, Joni Schwartz, John Powell, and Eve Tuck 53 She told me this is another alternative since I wasn’t doing well in high school If I wanted to get something I was going to need either to have a high school diploma or a GED® So, I choose the GED® I heard a lot of other kids talking about it when I was younger They were not happy with school Junior high school, the teachers, not only the teachers, the gangs and stuff… When I was younger and my brothers got the GED® because they didn’t finish high school It’s like a diploma They figured since they couldn’t finish they’d finish somehow When I was about 17 Someone said you just take that and then you don’t have to worry about anything else And I said all right What youth know about the GED® Before they Join a GED® Program? joni schwartz and john powell As GED® educators, we know that young people don’t always have accurate or complete information about the GED®, or the process of getting a GED® when they come to a program A young person can feel as though he has no choices, and as though he does not have enough information to make the best choices for himself Many youth find out about the GED® or a GED® program through word-of-mouth Most think that the GED® will be easy to pass, or that it is an easy way out of completing high school For a few people, it isn’t too hard; they are ready to take the test and pass it Others take the test for the first time, and don’t pass but learn through the experience of taking it, and can pass it the second time It is very important that you trust yourself as a learner 19 Most youth won’t pass the test on their own because they know very little about the GED® process and what it will take to be successful This is especially true for youth who have been pushed out of their high schools They often have unrealistic expectations for themselves, and for the new program They may have hated their high schools, but when a GED® program doesn’t feel enough like school, they question whether the program is really preparing them for the test They question why the GED® program doesn’t look like traditional school, even though traditional school didn’t work for them! If you are considering a GED®, it is important that you have a good understanding of what your schooling experience was like, and how you feel about seeking a GED® Even if you had all of the information that you needed, if you feel like you are pursuing a GED® because you could not cut it in high school, that self-perception is going to get in the way of your success with the GED® You need to have confidence in yourself, not just information For this reason, it is very important that you trust yourself as a learner Sometimes young people go away from their experiences in schools feeling like an academic failure, and start the path to a GED® with questions of whether they can really it Those who succeed in getting a GED® are those who feel that their life goals are still possible You have to have a vision for yourself in which you feel that you can still achieve your goals When you feel like your goals are possible, you are going to the research and the work that it takes to succeed in the GED® process One of the most important things you can is to be clear with yourself about why you are pursuing a GED®, and the value it will have in your life, once you have earned it For many people, the value of the GED® in their life, and the experience they have in pursuing it, is only as good as the program or support system they have For most young people, the freestanding GED®, or doing it alone without a support system is a myth Your support system doesn’t have to be a GED® program, but you will need someone in your corner to help you prepare, to encourage you, to keep you accountable and honest, and to celebrate with you when you reach your milestones and goals Some of the things you will want to consider in selecting a program or designing your support system is the size or number of people involved, the bridges or opportunities for next steps, the role and opportunity to life work, or get to know yourself better in the process, the opportunities to write and think, and whether the program offers a graduation All of these elements can make the experience of pursuing a GED® less isolating and more meaningful 20 ... you don’t have to worry about anything else And I said all right What youth know about the GED® Before they Join a GED® Program? joni schwartz and john powell As GED® educators, we know that young... Learn about the GED® Interview Responses, New York City Youth 18 What Youth Know about the GED® before they Join A GED® Program? Joni Schwartz and John Powell 19 Swapping the. .. is an Ally? Maria Bacha CREDD’s Gateways and Get-aways Project Eve Tuck, Jovanne Allen, Maria Bacha, Alexis Morales, Sarah Quinter, Jamila Thompson and Melody Tuck .8 The