Roni Tran knows that time is running out.
After dropping out of Montbello High School, the 20-year-old took four of the five required tests to get her general equivalency diploma, better known as a GED. But two years later, Tran is racing to finish the math portion of the test before the clock resets and wipes out her previous work.
Tran is one of about 13,000 Coloradans who have taken at least one portion of the five-part exam but must complete the remaining pieces before the end of the year. Otherwise, test-takers will have to start from scratch when the traditionally pen-and-paper exam is replaced with a new, more rigorous computer-based test Jan. 1.
“I can’t be mad or anything because it’s my own fault for not only ditching and dropping out but for procrastinating for two years,” Tran said. “I could have had this done already. I’m just glad I’m getting it done now and staying committed to studying.”
Testing centers across the state are working feverishly to accommodate the increased number of adults hoping to get one last crack at the test before it changes. More than 4,600 Coloradans took the exam in the past two months, an increase of nearly 800 from the same period last year, according to the state’s education department.
Chalmer Naugle, the state GED administrator at the Colorado Department of Education, said that on one recent Saturday, the Aurora location had about 140 people show up to take the test. On a normal Saturday, the center tests about 40 people.
Some testing centers have extended their hours and offered amnesty days that allow adults to take the tests for free. But Naugle said that the closer it gets to Jan. 1, the harder it will be to keep up with demand.
“When this happens — and this could happen this year and will happen in certain jurisdictions across the country — they’ll wait outside the door like a Black Friday because they want to be the first in line at 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. if testing starts at 8 a.m.,” Naugle said.
On Jan. 1, the cost that the GED Testing Service charges each state will be $120. Because Colorado adds on a $30 administrative fee, test-takers will end up paying $150 for four tests.
The exams are expected to get more rigorous because the tests will be aligned with Common Core standards adopted by states including Colorado. Educators preparing adults for the tests said the changes have created some uncertainty.
“I don’t know what to expect with the new changes,” said Angela Robertson, principal at PUSH Academy. “The only thing I can tell them is that it’s supposed to be a lot more strenuous, but it’s OK because we are still here to help them understand the subject matter.”
Officials with the GED testing company said the changes will simplify and reduce the administrative burden on states, better prepare adults for the workforce and offer same-day access to scores. Critics have said that the conversion to a computer-based test could disenfranchise older people and adults in poverty who may not be as familiar with technology.
Armando Diaz, a spokesman for GED Testing Service, said the changes are critical.
“The reality is we live in a technological world,” Diaz said. “To apply to college, to apply even to Home Depot or Walmart, they all start with an online application, so if you don’t even have the basic technology skills, how can you even take that next step after the GED test?”
Nearly 800,000 adults took the GED in 2012, but GED officials expect higher numbers by year’s end. The last time the test changed, more than a decade ago, the number of adults taking the test shot up 24 percent to more than 1 million.
In Colorado, more than 16,600 adults have taken the test in 2013, and state officials are estimating that number could jump to 20,000 by the end of the year. The state has a passing rate of 92 percent for the computer test and 82 percent for the paper exam, which exceeds the national average and gives Colorado one of the best passing rates in the country.
Zahira Torres: 303-954-1244, ztorres@denverpost.com or
