General Educational Development (GED)

A regular high school diploma should always be a student’s first plan for completing their high school education. Earning a GED is not easier or quicker to earn than a high school diploma. Depending on the individual student and their unique circumstances, earning a GED may be a better plan for completion. Before any student considers GED as an option, they should be well informed about what the GED program is and what it is not.

GED tests have been calibrated to match the level and rigor of high school graduation requirements and the state standards. They are not easy and will take studying and preparation to pass. The four required GED are Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. An essay is required in the Language Arts assessment.

GED is a program fit if you:

Meet the minimum age requirement of 16 and are at least one year behind in your high school credits
Have academic skills close to grade level
Read at the 8^th grade reading level or higher
Are skilled in at least Algebra/Geometry content
Do not require a lot of instructional support to understand the content
Are a self-directed individual

GED is not a fit for you if you:

Work below grade level standards
Need extensive instruction and/or tutoring

Did you know?

It takes, on average, 5 to 7 months to complete your GED.

Attendance is mandatory, 4 days a week for 2 hour time blocks. Students are placed in time blocks depending on available space and at the discretion of the GED Coordinator.

If you’ve had a gap in your education (i.e. not been attending school for months), you will have a difficult time passing the GED assessment without dedicated preparation work.

Online classes are required for preparation as well as completion of practice assessments.

All online tests are required to be taken in the presence of an adult approved to administer GED assessments.

If you enroll in the Grants Pass School District GED program, your preparation and assessments costs are all covered by the district.

Photo ID is REQUIRED for GED testing.

Only about 30% of the students who have attempted the GED program are successful.

RCC no longer accepts GED referrals from Grants Pass School District (effective 9/2017). Parents may elect to have their student in the RCC GED program IF they register their student as homeschooled with the Southern Oregon ESD. From there, SOESD can support a student’s effort to register with RCC’s GED program. Home School registration paperwork is available at the SOESD.

Additional Information

Enrollment Procedures

GED Testing Procedures

If a student qualifies for GED placement, the testing procedures are as follows:

GED study materials available through the district program, will be completed with 70% or better. Students must also take a paper/pencil GED prep test successfully before being allowed to move on to the next step.
Students will take the GED practice test to ensure they are ready to take the final GED exam. Each test costs $6.00 and will be covered by Grants Pass School District. A student must score at 145 or higher on the practice test before being allowed to take the GED assessment unless the GED Coordinator determines readiness.
There are 4 tests a student must pass to earn their GED: Reasoning through Language Arts, Mathematical Reasoning, Science and Social Studies. Each test is scored from 100 – 200 with 145 being a passing score. Official GED tests are $38 each. The district will cover the cost of each GED test.
Students must open their own GED account through “My GED” (www.ged.com). Students register to take the test with teacher direction through their “My GED” account.
There is no time frame on how long students have to finish their GED tests, however, students who are 19 are no longer able to participate in the GPSD7 GED program.
The average time to earn a GED is about 5 to 7 months.
GED assessments are given on the Gladiola campus

GED Testing Fees

Grants Pass School District will pay for the student to take the official Online GED Practices test with the approval of the GED Coordinator. The coordinator will determine when the student is ready to take the official GED Practice Test. To make this determination, the instructor will consider scores on work completed and attendance. Students will not be given the official GED practice tests without demonstrating potential to meet the requirements.
Once the student has been approved to take the official GED test, GPSD will pay the $38 testing fee.
GPSD7 will cover the costs of retake opportunities if the student has met eligibility requirements for retaking the test. If the student passes the Official GED Test, they will be eligible to have GPSD pay the cost of the next official GED test.
If the student does not show up for the scheduled official GED test, the student will be responsible to pay $38 to have the test re-scheduled. The student will not be allowed to take any further GED tests until the $38 fee is paid. Additionally, if a student does not show up for a scheduled retake, the student will be responsible to pay the $10 fee and will not be allowed to test until the fee is paid.

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