GED in Spanish
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Does anyone have information/words of wisdom about the GED in Spanish?
Jennifer Barber
English as a Second Language
Grays Harbor College
Aberdeen, WA
Hi Jennifer and everyone,
Last year we held a discussion on Strategies for Innovation in Community College ESL - which also focused on transitions. One of the threads of discussion was focused on the GED in Spanish - it was quite a lengthy thread I recall.
Here is the URL to the transcript of that discussion - you will see a list of the threads and one is entitled Spanish GED.
Hope this helps,
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
We tried to do a GED class in Spanish but had few qualify as most could not test into the GED level, and most who did could not produce documentation. We had two instructors as everything but writing had to be in Spanish but the ESSAY has to be English. Contemporary has a good GED Complete text in Spanish.
John B. Willetts
Instructional Specialist at Baltimore City Community College
We have offered it at Miami Dade College for two or three years, but even here we have gotten a tepid response. The students taking it usually do so because it fulfills a job requirement or because they are older people who want to set an example for children or grandchildren. Although it is recognized by the State of Florida and by MDC, it is of no benefit to students who plan to attend college classes taught in English.
Susan Dow
We have had many Spanish speaking students who wanted to explore that possibility --especially the young ones who were raised in the U.S. -- and have only recently left high school. They think that they could pass without studying if they took the GED in Spanish -- so we give them practice tests in Spanish. In every case, the students soon realize on their own that they didn't have enough knowledge to pass the GED in Spanish. And it is a good place to have the discussion about the need for studying - and the need to become skilled in English.
I might also add that as teachers, we do steer the conversation towards the importance of spending time working in English. And I usually give the Social Studies pre-GED test.
We believe that the toughest barrier for the Spanish speaking students to pass -- is the Social Studies Test. Unlike the GED Science prep texts -- which assume no knowledge of key vocabulary -- and define everything -- the Social Studies GED texts do not have the same level of sensitivity to how much vocabulary is used in Social Studies that students do not know.
I'm wondering what other people have found.
Gail Bundy
Native American Multi-Cultural Education School
Denver, CO
Jennifer,
At Centralia College we offer a class to help facilitate materials and instruction to students who need a GED and aren't proficient enough in English to do it in English. We also see it as a service as many companies have the GED as a job requirement. It is a part of our ESL program. You have to be an ESL student in order to work on the GED in Spanish because our mission is to teach people English.
We have placed GED prep materials in the college library so that students may check out books for study. We have pre-tests and they also do their actual testing here on campus. We are fortunate that one of our instructors was raised in Mexico and actually got his GED through the migrant program here in WA state in the late 90s. He then went on to The Evergreen State College to earn his bachelor's degree. He actually started as a level 4 ESL student in about 1995. He's worked in reforestation and on a chicken farm so the students relate to him very well as most Hispanic people here work in agricultural jobs. He serves as a great role model for others.
You also are in WA State and know that because of House Bill 1079, people who are WA State residents and have earned a high school degree or a GED but don't have legal documentation in our country, may attend college classes at their own expense, paying in-state tuition. Many students wish to continue their education and are willing to pay.
Judith E. Aguilar
ESL Coordinator
Centralia College
Centralia, WA
We have some experience with it. Wisdom might best be sought elsewhere
Jim Schneider
Scott Community College
Career Assistance Center
Davenport, IA
Jim,
I asked my Spanish-speaking ESL students recently, who were talking about the GED in Spanish, what they would do if they were managers of a local retail store in Austin, Texas and they had a choice between two native speakers of Spanish to hire to be salespersons. One had taken the GED test in English and the other in Spanish. They talked about this and all decided, after some discussion, that they would rather hire the person who had taken the GED in English to prove that they were truly bilingual and could comfortably deal with both English and Spanish-speaking customers, as well as handle the paperwork. In the long run, our ESL students' successes will be based on their abilities to deal with two languages in our environment. It is possible to live here and not learn much English, but the best jobs will be for the persons who show the most linguistic flexibility. The same thing goes for English speakers here who are functional in Spanish. In some cases, they get extra pay for that ability.
Ted Klein
www.tedklein-ESL.com
The Spanish GED® Tests is a direct translation of the English version. Five more minutes are allowed are on each part because of the number of Spanish words required to convey the English translation.
B.J. Helton
Our Spanish-speaking students who take the GED in Spanish, also take the sixth English proficiency test. That way their GED certificate is issued to them without stating that they did their GED testing in Spanish. The students who are a level 4 ESL student can pass that test. We also tell them that even though they have the GED, they can still go into our ABE all English classes to continue to improve their English.
Judith Aguilar
A student may take the test in Spanish and then if English is required for post-secondary or employment, the student may take test in English. Not so, in the reverse unless they are going to another country and have to prove Spanish comprehension.
B.J. Helton
We have received some private funds to develop and deliver Spanish GED preparation sessions since the State of PA Adult Ed program will not fund such prep classes. The pass rate for the three test sessions we have conducted so far is less than 50%. The program director always makes clear to the participants that it's a great achievement to obtain the GED in Spanish, but they must continue their studies for competency in English language reading, writing, speaking and listening.
I essentially see obtaining the GED in Spanish as a way to demonstrate a significant achievement and instill some motivation and excitement for post-secondary education; also, it's useful for job purposes and it's important to show if the individual has the goal of entering college....especially if they don't already have a high school diploma from their native country.
In a special grant program I direct focusing on a comprehensive college prep program (called Project Success) for GED completers, I admitted three young adults (from the Dominican Republic) who had obtained the Spanish GED. They were also graduates of high school in their country; they have been in the US for less than two years. They still need lots of help to enhance their academic and everyday English language skills, so they are currently enrolled in credit ESL developmental courses.
I realize now it was probably a waste of their time to obtain the Spanish GED since the college would have admitted them with proof of their native country's high school graduation, and they probably would have done OK on the Accuplacer (see discussion thread entitled 'Accuplacer') using the "Ability to Benefit" option to obtain their financial aid. (The financial aid folks tell me a high school diploma from a foreign country is not recognized for an individual to received federal and/or state financial aid). All community college folks need to be familiar with the "Ability to Benefit" option. Unfortunately, it's not heavily promoted.
For similar situations in the future I would focus on helping these folks to aggressively prepare for the Accuplacer placement test using such tools as A+dvancer (notably the diagnostic function), tutoring, and other effective instructional approaches.
I am pleased to report that all three of the Latino students earned 12 credit hours in Spanish by taking the College Board's CLEP test. It was a great motivator for them to earn these credits as they begin their pathway to college. We need to encourage as many motivated Latino folks as possible to consider taking the CLEP Spanish test. It's a great way to help them get on a successful path for college studies.
Peter P. Balsamo, Ph.D.
Chief GED Examiner and Director of Community Outreach
Director of Project Success Grant
Luzerne County Community College
Wilkes-Barre, PA
