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NPC launches pilot program to improve GED exam success

Beginning in January 2008, individuals wanting to register for the General Education Development (GED) exam at any Northland Pioneer College location or at Chinle High School must first complete a two-part orientation designed to improve their chances of successfully completing the GED exam. Each part is approximately seven hours long.

This pilot program is supported by a grant from the Arizona Department of Education, Adult Education Division. The program's purpose is to increase the GED pass rate and to assure that GED candidates are well informed about the GED, including agencies that can help pay their GED test fee, and about opportunities available to them following successful completion of the GED.

Initially these orientation sessions will be offered monthly at the four NPC campuses. GED candidates at other locations may qualify for individualized orientation sessions.

For available session dates and locations, contact The Learning Cornerstone (TLC) at NPC locations, or check the list below. As part of the registration process, you may need to verify your U.S. residency status. Your local NPC campus or center will provide details about required documentation.

Opportunities Through Education (TLC 099) and Orientation to the GED (TLC 058) Dates

Show Low – White Mountain Campus

Holbrook – Painted Desert Campus

Winslow – Little Colorado Campus

There is a $75 ($80 after August 1) charge to take the GED exam. Any re-tests are charged $12 per exam. GED exams are administered monthly in Show Low and Holbrook. Questions about the new orientation completion requirements should be directed to GED Chief Examiner MaryLou Costales, 532-6114, or toll-free (800) 266-7845, ext. 6114. For questions about adult education courses available through The Learning Cornerstone (TLC), contact Heidi Fulcher, Dean of Developmental Services, 289-6536, or (800) 266-7845, ext. 6536.

GED candidates and all new adult education students will benefit from “Opportunities Through Education,” TLC-099. This course will be required for Adult Basic Education students enrolling after the semester has begun. Students will be introduced to the advantages of education, learn tips for success, set goals, and discover how the TLC and other services can support their learning. Everyone will take the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) and prepare a writing sample.

Before students leave the first day, or within a couple of days, placement results from the TABE and writing sample will result in a recommendation to either visit the local TLC to sign up for classes, or, if they are close to being ready to pass the GED, to attend the second course, “Orientation to the GED,” TLC 058. During this class, students will learn more about the skills needed to pass the GED, complete a career inventory, take a GED practice test, and receive information about academic opportunities for GED completers. During the Spring 2008 semester, these opportunities include six-credit NPC tuition waivers and textbook scholarships for GED completers who used NPC's TLC to prepare for the exam. Participants may also be eligible for financial assistance to pay their GED test fee.

At the end of the second course, students will get a GED Test Referral Form with either a recommendation to sign up for the GED test or to take additional GED preparation classes. A student may choose to take the GED test against the recommendation for classes.

The requirement for completing the GED orientation classes is designed to improve the success rate of those taking the exam, thus saving the cost of re-testing.

The Learning Cornerstone offers courses in developmental reading, writing, math, study skills, and English language acquisition. These classes help students prepare for college work, improve their basic education (ABE), prepare for the GED, or improve their English language skills. Most classes are available at all 18 TLC locations.

GED Testing

The GED (General Education Development) test is scheduled to be given on the following dates...

at the Show Low – White Mountain Campus (WMC)
(Goldwater Center, room 104):

For additional information, contact Mary Lou Costales, chief GED examiner for NPC, at 532-6114, or the toll-free GED hotline at (800) 266-7845, extension 6114.

and at the Holbrook – Painted Desert Campus (PDC)
(Community Education Center, 2251 N. Navajo Blvd.):

For additional information, contact Mary Lou Costales, chief GED examiner for NPC, at 532-6114, or the toll-free GED hotline at (800) 266-7845, extension 6114.

Please read and be aware of the procedural requirements below regarding such issues as mandatory pre-payment and the fact that a parental consent form must be NOTARIZED.

Individuals planning to take the exam may contact The Learning Cornerstone labs at each of the four NPC campuses to help prepare themselves. In many cases, Adult Basic Education (ABE) scholarships are available to cover the associated tuition costs.

The exam is available in English or Spanish. Individuals needing any form of special accomodation should request assistance when making the appointment.

The American Council on Education maintains a helpful GED Testing Center Locator Search Page which can help you with general questions, or in finding a testing center near you.

Requirements for Testing

  1. Pre-register for available testing dates AFTER completing the orientation sessions. (New procedures no longer permit walk-ins to take the exam.) Test takers must be in their seats by 7:30 A.M. promptly, before testing begins. Completing the five-part exam takes the entire day, and seating for the exam is limited to 18 persons per test date.

  2. Pre-pay for the test at any NPC Campus or Center location. The test fee is $75, with each re-test $12. Cash or money order are the accepted forms of payment. Refunds are not given for no-shows — valid cancellations must be received 48 hours before test time.

  3. Meet the minimum age requirement of 16. (16-18 year olds must submit both a NOTARIZED parental consent form AND an official withdrawal letter from last school attended. (Home-schooled candidates must provide a document that proves to the GED Testing Center that the student is NOT currently enrolled in high school at this time. It can be from the County Superintendent's office or from the high school where the student would have 'normally' gone.  This information needs to be on official letterhead.)

  4. GED candidates are required to present two (2) forms of ID before admission to the exam classroom. Together the two IDs must satisfy all GEDTS requirements of identity, which include Name, Address, Date of Birth, and Signature. One of the IDs must also have a photo, and both must be presented at EVERY test center visit. One form of ID must be from the primary ID list below. The second ID can be from either list.

Primary Forms of Identification

Secondary Forms of Identification

Non-Citizens Note: Non-citizens, including refugees, legal and illegal immigrants, resident and non-resident aliens, and other foreign nationals, are eligible to take the GED tests if they meet ALL of the requirements for identification and eligibility established by the GED Testing Service and the Arizona Department of Education.

GED tests provide a method for awarding a high school equivalency diploma to adults who have not graduated from traditional high schools. About 15,000 Arizonans take the five-part GED test every year. See ACEnet for more general information on the test, and don't forget to ask about the TLC test-prep labs when you call or come by to register!