AMERICA’S DROPOUT PROBLEM



Chapter 4

Table of Contents

Performance of GED Recipients at the Milwaukee Area Technical College 2

PERFORMANCE OF GED RECIPIENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN 5

PERFORMANCE OF GED RECIPIENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE 9

GED TEST CHANGES RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT READINESS FOR POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION 11

CHANGES IN ADMISSION POLICIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN 13

ACCEPTANCE OF GED RECIPIENTS IN WISCONSIN PRIVATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES 15

CONCLUSION 16

REFERENCES 17

CHAPTER

4

GED College Performance

Lois M. Quinn

E

ven though the direct returns to the GED for the majority of those who choose to certify are quite low, the GED may still serve several functions that benefit dropouts who obtain the credential. One benefit of potential importance is that the GED might serve as a gateway to post-secondary education. There are three central questions regarding the value of the GED for post-secondary education achievement: Do GED recipients participate in post-secondary education? Do they complete it? Do they receive the same labor market advantages from it as high school graduates? This chapter answers these questions by focusing on GED recipients who pursued post-secondary education in the state of Wisconsin.

Performance of GED Recipients at the Milwaukee Area Technical College

The Milwaukee Area Technical College is the largest vocational school and community college in Wisconsin. With the cooperation of MATC the Employment and Training Institute conducted a follow-up study of the entire population of 10,498 GED recipients entering that institution from 1978 to 1984, along with the records of 47,299 high school non-completers and 162,639 high school graduates. The analyses compared the performance of GED holders, high school dropouts, and high school graduates in vocational diploma and associate degree programs.[1]

The analysis first examined the performance of GED holders in one-year vocational diploma programs at MATC. The college offered one-year diploma programs in 43 areas, with highest enrollments in practical nursing, auto servicing, welding, cosmetology, machine shop, and barbering. For one-year diploma programs, GED recipients showed higher graduation rates than high school dropouts and lower rates than those of high school graduates. A total of 3,282 high school graduates, 501 GED recipients, and 827 high school non-completers enrolled in one-year diploma programs and took seven or more credits in their first semester at MATC in the 1979-80 to 1982-83 school years. By February 1985, 38 percent of the GED holders had graduated, compared with 31 percent of high school non-completers and 61 percent of high school graduates (see Table 1).

The data at MATC also allowed comparisons of program completion rates and credit attainment for GED holders and high school graduates from various high school graduating classes (Table 2). The data showed that GED holders performed below older as well as younger high school graduates at the college. Only 65 percent of GED holders attempting seven or more credits their first semester actually earned a total of seven credits in any semester during the study period, compared to 81 percent of older high school graduates and 85 percent of recent graduates.

A second analysis considered the experience of GED holders in two-year Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree programs. MATC offered A.A.S. degree programs in 68 fields, with the largest programs in nursing, accounting, the two-year college parallel program, business data processing, police science, management, and culinary arts. In these programs, GED recipients showed attrition rates similar to those of high school non-completers and usually well below the attrition rates for high school graduates (Table 3). A total of 6,772 high school graduates, 1,068 GED holders, and 164 high school non-completers enrolled in A.A.S. programs taking seven or more credits in their first semester in the 1979-80 to 1982-83 school years. As of February 1985, 33 percent of the high school graduates had earned A.A.S. degrees. The GED holders and high school dropouts showed similar, and much lower, completion rates: 9 percent for GED holders and 10 percent for high school dropouts. The number of high school dropouts enrolled in associate degree programs was substantially lower than the number of GED recipients, however, and this population may have been subject to more scrutiny at the time of admission.

A review of credits earned showed no significant differences between GED holders and high school dropouts. Again, both younger and older high school graduates earned more credits than GED holders (Table 4).

GED test scores were identified for 2,778 of the GED recipients who took courses toward a degree, diploma, or certificate program at MATC from 1979 through 1984. In spite of the American Council on Education's recommendation to use total GED test scores as equivalents to high school rank in class for admissions determinations, MATC graduation rates showed only slight improvements for students with higher range scores (Table 5).[2]

Performance of GED Recipients at the University of Wisconsin

To facilitate the study of the experience of GED recipients enrolled at all University of Wisconsin campuses, the state Department of Public Instruction requested copies of student transcripts for all GED recipients who first enrolled at University of Wisconsin schools from Fall 1979-80 through Fall 1984-85. During the study period over 145,000 new freshmen were enrolled on a full or part-time basis in the thirteen four-year UW campuses: Eau Claire, Green Bay, LaCrosse, Madison, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Parkside, Platteville, River Falls, Stout, Stevens Point, Superior, and Whitewater.[3] Again, this research involved a study of the entire GED population entering the University of Wisconsin and not a sample. The study did not, however, include transcript data on the high school graduate population at these schools.

The thirteen campuses reported a total of 2,895 GED holders, or about two percent of the estimated 145,000 new freshmen enrolled at the University of Wisconsin four-year schools during the study period (Fall 1979-80 through Fall 1984-85). During the same time period GED credentials made up 13 percent of the high school credentials issued in the state. The highest numbers of GED recipients were enrolled at campuses serving urbanized areas of southeastern Wisconsin, UW-Milwaukee (where 952 GED recipients made up six percent of the student population) and UW-Parkside (where 544 GED recipients comprised nine percent of the students). Less than one percent of freshmen (93 GED recipients) accepted in the state's largest university, UW-Madison, were GED recipients. The median age of GED admissions was 22.4 years.

Data were collected on each student's first and second semester experience (credits attempted and earned, grade point average, academic status), remedial and first regular courses taken in English and math, transfer credits, semesters enrolled, last known academic status, and final grade point average.[4] The data indicated that many GED recipients had serious retention problems, and few graduated. In each of the schools there were GED recipients who performed well; however, staying power was a serious problem for GED recipients on all campuses.

First semester grades were analyzed for GED recipients attending twelve of the thirteen campuses. (UW-Parkside did not provide grades by semester.) Over half (59.5 percent) of the GED recipients successfully completed their first semester with an overall grade point average of C- or better, about one-third (32.2 percent) had grade point averages of D or U, and 8.3 percent withdrew in mid-semester before earning any grades. The mean number of credits earned for students first enrolling in the fall or spring semesters was 6.5 credits; students first enrolling in the summer earned an average of 3.8 credits. At the end of the first semester, 65 percent of the GED recipients were in good standing, 11 percent were on probation, 7 percent had withdrawn in mid-semester, 7 percent were suspended or deemed ineligible, 5 percent were given academic warnings, conditional or special status, and 4 percent dropped at the end of the semester. By the end of the second semester, only 48 percent were still in good standing, 40 percent had withdrawn or were dismissed, deemed ineligible, or suspended, 9 percent were on probation, and 3 percent were on conditional status, special status or academic warning. Half (50.9 percent) of the GED recipients showed second semester grades of C- or better, 17.4 percent had grade point averages of D or U, and 31.7 percent did not reenroll or complete their second semester.

While many GED recipients remained enrolled in school for several years, only about half of GED recipients earned one full semester of college credits, and only about one third of GED recipients reached sophomore year standing in credits. The average number of credits earned by GED recipients was less than half that expected for full-time students (Table 6).

Of the 1,982 GED recipients in the study who left college before graduation, 35 percent had earned no college credits and 85 percent did not reach their sophomore year in credits. Only four percent reached junior year status (54 credits) before leaving college. The problem of accumulating college credits was exacerbated for GED recipients who were required to enroll in remedial non-credit courses. Data on remedial courses taken in English and math at all schools except UW-Parkside showed that 23 percent of the GED recipients were required to take remedial math courses before enrolling in college-level math courses and only half of these students successfully completed their first remedial math course. Twenty percent of GED recipients were required to take remedial English courses before enrolling in college-level English courses for credit. While three-fourths of these students passed their first remedial English course, many of the students received failing grades in other college-level courses taken while they were enrolled in remedial English.

Since the average student at the University of Wisconsin took from nine to ten semesters to graduate in the 1980s, GED recipients who first enrolled in the 1979-80 school year were analyzed by graduation status at the study's conclusion, eleven semesters later, in February 1985. Only 4.1 percent of the 294 new freshmen enrolled in 1979-80 had earned college degrees, 1.0 percent had transferred to other UW schools, 10.6 percent were still enrolled, and 84.3 percent had left school without graduating. The cohort of new freshmen entering in the 1983-84 school year already showed a dropout rate of 60.8 percent by February 1985 (Table 7).

The American Council on Education suggests that college admissions staff treat total GED scores like high school rank in class to predict college success.[5] The Wisconsin data raise serious questions about the effectiveness of this approach. Correlations between GED test scores and college grades, while statistically significant, were not particularly helpful. The correlation between total GED scores (which ACE recommends using) and first semester grade point averages was .2300, at a .01 level of significance. That is, about 5 percent of the variation in students' first-semester grade point averages could be predicted by the GED scores.

Performance of GED Recipients at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

During the GED research project, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee made available a performance and retention study it had conducted on entering freshmen. This study compared performance data for the full population of 12,146 high school graduates by rank in their class and for 538 GED recipients who first enrolled at UW-Milwaukee in the fall or spring semesters from Fall 1978-79 through Spring 1982-83. UW-Milwaukee had the largest number of GED holders enrolled of all the University of Wisconsin campuses.

College performance was compared for all students' first four semesters with regard to number of semesters completed, retention rates, mean grade point averages, and mean number of credits earned (Table 8). The GED recipients as a group showed lower completion rates than high school graduates from the bottom of their class and showed similar grade point averages. After four semesters, only 31 percent of the GED recipients were still enrolled at UW-Milwaukee, compared with 62 percent of high school graduates from the upper half of their class and 41 percent of graduates from the lowest quintile of their class (Table 9).

Demographic data showed that the GED population was on average older and more likely to include minority students. Only 31 percent of GED recipients were below age twenty, while 86 percent of high school graduates were under twenty when they enrolled. The GED recipients made up less than two percent of new freshmen under age 20, but 22 percent of older freshmen ages 30 and over. Retention problems were evident for GED recipients of all ages, as well as for lower-achieving high school graduates entering the university several years after their high school graduation. Among youth under age twenty who entered college, GED holders showed retention rates well below those of high school graduates admitted from the bottom twenty percent of their high school classes. Retention rates for the GED adult population were similar to rates for many high school graduates who entered the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee several years after completing high school.

GED Test Changes Raised Questions about Readiness for Post-Secondary Education

High school graduation typically indicates that a student has successfully completed four years of specific high school courses, met school attendance requirements, passed the school district's minimum competency tests, participated in school routines, and adhered to certain behavioral regulations. Additionally, many high school graduates have participated in extracurricular activities including sports, drama, school leadership, debate, music programs, school clubs and competitions. While GED recipients have not met the minimum standards for graduation established by their local school districts or accredited private schools, the GED test publisher maintains that all GED recipients have at least achieved certain academic skills associated with high school completion. One of these skills, according to the publisher, is reading, which has historically been measured by three of the five GED subtests.

Two post-secondary institutions, Milwaukee Area Technical College and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, had reading score data available on applicants, including GED recipients, who were required to take the Nelson-Denny or Nelson Reading Test prior to their admission to post-secondary education programs.[6] Measured skill levels for this special population of GED recipients ranged from below the 6th grade level to reading levels of 15th grade or above. Of the GED population tested, 25 percent showed reading levels below 9th grade (including 10 percent with reading levels of 6th grade or below). Only 39 percent of the population tested showed reading levels at 12th grade or above (Table 10). The test data further revealed a marked change in reading scores for persons who earned their GED credentials after January 1978, the date of the GED test revisions which further de-emphasized reading and math skills. (See discussion in Chapter 9.) Of GED holders who earned their credentials prior to 1978, 4 percent showed reading levels below 9th grade, compared to 31 percent of college applicants who were awarded GED credentials under the new test battery implemented in January 1978.[7]

Records for UW-Milwaukee applicants and enrollees showed that 92 percent of GED holders with Nelson-Denny reading scores below the 10th grade level and 87 percent of GED holders with reading levels below 12th grade also had unsatisfactory scores on the Wisconsin English Placement Test, necessitating their enrollment in remedial English before taking college-level English classes. Of 721 GED holders given the English Placement Test, 57 percent were required to take remedial English, 28 percent were allowed to enter English 101, and 15 percent were allowed to bypass English 101 for English 201 (Table 11).

The failure of the GED test battery to ensure even high school reading levels was confirmed in a 1985 study by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Urban Research Center of general assistance recipients enrolled in Milwaukee County work relief programs. The group included 166 GED recipients who were given the Wide Range Achievement Tests (WRAT). Nine percent of the GED holders had reading levels of 6th grade or below, and 64 percent scored below a 9th grade level on the WRAT.

Changes in Admission Policies at the University of Wisconsin

A survey of University of Wisconsin admissions officers in 1984 indicated that all campuses accepted GED recipients and that most campuses did not require high school coursework as a condition for admission; only UW-Madison required evidence of completion of specific high school subjects (algebra and geometry) for GED entrants. Three campuses accepted students solely on their GED credential and placed no restrictions on their entry. Seven universities required most GED holders to take additional tests prior to acceptance, usually the ACT or SAT. UW-LaCrosse and UW-River Falls had policies requiring all GED holders to enter their institutions on probation. UW-Eau Claire required many GED students under age 22 to enter during the summer or spring semester conditionally and to earn a grade point average of 2.00 in the first six or twelve credits; UW-Green Bay required GED holders to earn a C average in the first 12 credits attempted.[8]

In light of the data on performance of GED holders in UW schools and increased coursework standards for high school graduates, in 1986 the Board of Regents (which governs the University of Wisconsin system) reexamined its admission policy for persons not completing a four-year high school program. In the past the University of Wisconsin system had required all high school graduates entering UW schools to show nine high school credits from the academic fields of English, speech, foreign language, natural science, social science, and mathematics (not including general mathematics), and a number of campuses had more demanding credit requirements. The Regents' prior policy had been based on the assumption that GED holders had the academic skills gained in these nine subjects, stating,

Students admitted on the basis of high school equivalency credentials shall be considered to have fulfilled these minimum [course] requirements…An applicant who has not graduated from a recognized high school must provide evidence of ability to begin college work. This evidence must include General Education Development test scores or a high school equivalency examination or other established criteria…[emphasis added][9]

When in 1986 the University of Wisconsin System increased the number of high school credits required in specific academic courses to fourteen, it also developed a new policy allowing non-traditional students, including those who did not have a high school credential, to enroll if they showed evidence, other than passing the GED test, of their readiness for college (e.g., transcripts of course work completed in high school, high school rank-in-class before leaving, written recommendations, ACT/SAT scores). The Regents required that GED not normally be admitted to UW schools unless they are two or more years past their expected date of high school graduation.[10] After reviewing the performance of GED holders at their campuses, a number of University of Wisconsin schools also increased their counseling and support services available to GED holders at their institutions.

Acceptance of GED Recipients in Wisconsin Private Colleges and Universities

The private colleges in Wisconsin relied primarily upon ACT or SAT test scores as the basis for admission of non-traditional students. As part of the GED research study all twenty private baccalaureate degree-granting institutions in Wisconsin were contacted by the Employment and Training Institute regarding their acceptance of GED recipients and their requirements for high school graduates. Nineteen of the 20 schools indicated that they accepted GED recipients who met their other testing requirements for admission, usually minimum ACT or SAT scores plus an acceptable individual scholastic record. School admissions officers estimated that about 200 GED holders were enrolled in the private four-year colleges and universities in the state in 1985. These students constituted less than one percent of the total student population in those schools.

In 1986 six of the colleges required GED scores above passing.[11] Mandatory high school coursework requirements were infrequently imposed on GED holders. An engineering college required GED recipients to have passed high school algebra, geometry, and three years of English (or to demonstrate competence through placement tests). Two schools required high school chemistry and/or biology for admission to nursing programs.

Most private schools appeared satisfied with the GED recipients who met their other admissions standards. One university noted that its GED admittants were typically advanced students who entered college directly after their junior year of high school. Another college observed that its GED students were generally over age twenty-five and "motivated because of the price of private schools."

Conclusion

References

"Admissions and Scholarships for GED Graduates: Guidelines for Interpreting GED Scores," GED Items 6 (November/December 1990), 4-5.

Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 9 May 1986. "Minutes of the Meeting of the Regent Study Group on the Future of the UW System."

Quinn, Lois M. 1986. Performance of GED Holders Enrolled at the University of Wisconsin's Thirteen Campuses: 1979-1985. Milwaukee: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Employment and Training Institute.

Quinn, Lois, Sandra Bouman and John Pawasarat 1985. Acceptance of GED Holders at Post-Secondary Institutions in Wisconsin. Milwaukee: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Employment and Training Institute.

Pawasarat, John, Peter Reynolds, and Lois M. Quinn. 1986. Performance of GED Holders at Milwaukee Area Technical College, 1978-1985. Milwaukee: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Employment and Training Institute.

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[1] Because MATC enrolls students interested in single courses, enrichment activities, and transfer credits for four-year institutions as well as completion of certification programs, a methodology was developed to identify those students who were most likely enrolled at MATC with the intention of graduating from a degree, diploma, or certificate program. Consultation with school admissions staff and an analysis of the 17,625 students graduating from MATC from 1978 to 1985showed that 70 to 80 percent of MATC graduates had attempted seven or more credits in their first semester while enrolled in a specific Associate of Applied Science degree program or a one-year vocational diploma program. While other MATC students enrolled in one or two courses per semester and at some future time completed coursework required for graduation, this study limited its analysis only to those MATC students who attempted seven or more credits in their first semester in a program. The study period allowed several years for students to complete these programs beyond the time needed for a full-time student. See Pawasarat, Reynolds, and Quinn 1986.

[2]. "Admissions and Scholarships for GED Graduates: Guidelines for Interpreting GED Scores," GED Items 6 (November/December 1990), 4-5.

[3]. Ten of the campuses provided complete records on all GED recipients admitted. UW-Platteville was able to identify those GED recipients who first enrolled from Summer 1982 through Fall 1984-85 (N=26); another twenty to thirty students may have first enrolled between Fall 1979-80 and Spring 1981-82. At UW-Whitewater the records of a few GED recipients enrolling in 1979 and not re-enrolling in 1980 had been archived and were not available. Additionally, UW-Whitewater did not provide transcripts of GED recipients with out-of-state addresses. UW-Parkside provided computerized records on all GED recipients and cumulative (but not semester) credits and grades. See Quinn 1986.

[4] The UW-Milwaukee and UW-Parkside campuses provided computerized records for their students. All other campuses provided individual student transcripts which were reviewed and coded by Employment and Training Institute staff.

[5]. "Admissions and Scholarships for GED Graduates," 4-5.

[6] At MATC all students were required to take reading tests prior to admission to certain health programs. Additionally, high school graduates with grade point averages below C (2.00 on a 4.00 scale) and GED recipients with total scores below 250 (260 for certain health programs) were required to take reading tests in order to demonstrate their ability to handle specific post-secondary programs. Applicants to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee were required to take a reading test if they had been out of school for several years, had GED scores below 265, or as a condition for acceptance to the Department of Educational Opportunity. Nelson-Denny reading scores were located for 560 GED recipients.

[7]. Comparisons of GED and Nelson-Denny Reading Test scores for UW-Milwaukee applicants also suggested a significant drop in the reading skill levels necessary to pass the GED test after 1977. Students scoring in the 12th grade reading range on the Nelson-Denny test had an average GED score of 239 for the population earning the GED before 1978, compared to a score of 263 for students earning the GED in 1978 or after. Similarly, UW-Milwaukee applicants testing at a 14th-grade reading level had an average total GED score of 246 if the GED credential was issued before 1978 and a higher average of 275 if the GED credential was issued after 1977.

[8]. The thirteen University of Wisconsin Center's two-year campuses required all GED holders to follow the same procedures as high school graduates in the lowest quartile of their class, and in many cases the students' first semester caseload was restricted to twelve credits. Descriptions of admissions policies for each institution are included in Quinn, Bouman and Pawasarat 1985.

[9]. Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, "Minutes of the Meeting of the Regent Study Group on the Future of the UW System," 9 May 1986, 14-15.

[10]. Ibid., 14.

[11]. Milwaukee School of Engineering required a GED score of 265, Carthage College and Marquette University required a score of 250, and Lakeland, Ripon, and St. Norbert Colleges required scores of at least 50 on each of the five GED subtests. Quinn et al., Acceptance of GED Holders.

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