National organization researches GED recipients from VGCC
Vance-Granville Community College was recently visited by researchers from the GED Testing Service, part of the Washington, D.C.-based American Council on Education, as they conducted a study of recipients of the GED credential in six states. Dr. Margaret Patterson, director of research for ACE’s GED Testing Service , and her team were on VGCC’s main campus on March 17-18 to interview approximately 14 people who completed the GED Tests at VGCC in 2005 and 2006. As part of a project called “Perceptions and Pathways,” the researchers asked the GED recipients about their experiences and about their decisions to go on to higher education after earning the high school equivalency credential. VGCC was one of two institutions in North Carolina chosen for the study, the other being Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte. That allowed the team to collect data from people in both an urban setting and in VGCC’s more rural area.
“My overall impression from the people that I have interviewed is that they have a very positive feeling about VGCC, particularly about the instructors and staff making a difference in their lives,” Patterson said. “I got a sense of that personal touch, which is so important to encouraging people to reach their goals.” Patterson added that she and her fellow interviewers often remark that hearing the recipients’ personal stories is both “humbling and educational.” Data collected from VGCC recipients will help inform the American Council on Education’s GED 21st Century Initiative, which is working to revise and enhance not only the tests themselves, but also how students prepare to take the tests and then transition to education and careers after passing the tests. Patterson said the ultimate goal is to effectively help an increasing number of people go to college and secure employment in today’s global economy. Nearly 800,000 GED tests are taken each year in the United States and Canada.
“We were delighted to have the opportunity to come to North Carolina, which has such a great reputation for post-secondary education,” Patterson said. According to Patterson, 43 percent of GED recipients nationwide go on to enroll in an institution of higher learning, but the percentage enrolling in North Carolina is significantly higher than in the United States as a whole. North Carolina is also among the states with the highest rates of passing the GED Tests. Patterson thanked the staff in VGCC’s Adult Basic Skills department for helping to facilitate their research.
“We were honored and pleased to be selected by the GED Testing Service to participate in this study, and we hope that the data they collected here will help them to strengthen the GED,” said VGCC Director of Basic Skills Sue W. Grissom. “The GED program has been, and continues to be, a great stepping-stone to expanded opportunities for our students.” Grissom said that among the ways her staff members encourage students to continue their education is by offering one tuition-free semester in a VGCC curriculum certificate, diploma or degree program. For more information on the GED Tests and Adult High School programs at VGCC, call Sue Grissom at (252) 492-2061, ext. 3315.
Above: From left, Dr. Margaret Patterson, director of research for the American Council on Education’s GED Testing Service, shares national statistical data with VGCC Director of Basic Skills Sue W. Grissom. (VGCC photo)
