A U.S.-based provider will no longer offer general equivalency degree (GED) exams in Canada next year.
GED Testing Service has elected to cease delivery of general equivalency degree (GED) exams in Canada effective May 2024. The official GED website, run by TVO Independent Learning Centre, states candidates will have until Jan. 31, 2024 to register for their exams.
Exams must be completed by April 15 at the latest and certificates will be distributed by June 30.
GED and Pearson have been in charge of distributing the GED to test centres across the country since 2002, while TVO is Ontario’s sole provider of the GED test and has delivered programs in educational centres across the province as an agency of the Ontario Ministry of Education since 1926.
Both Pearson and TVO worked together to bring the test to residents of Ontario.
The ministry of education did not comment on why the decision has been made to discontinue GED exams.
“It is a priority to ensure that adults in Ontario continue to have access to education opportunities which empower them to develop and demonstrate the skills and knowledge that can help advance their lives and reach their potential,” said the ministry in an official memo sent out to directors of education across the province.
On the other hand, GED's state relationships and special populations coordinator Mellissa Hultstrand stated that "the standards on which the current test is based, and content and skills measured using those standards, has become dated."
Hultstrand further pointed out that the software employed to score the test is "severely outdated" and "no longer supported."
Arguably, the online GED testing service was the one of the most accessible ways for those in rural communities to complete a high school equivalency degree.
Carol Cline, manager and dean of literacy and basic skills training centres in Marathon and Greenstone, said that "at this point in time it is very early on to determine the impact" to their programs.
The centres she oversees are affiliates of Confederation College.
While an Ontario Secondary School Diploma can still be completed online through TVO ILC or Ontario eSecondary School, those without readily accessible internet or the means to travel to a learning centre might find it harder to continue or complete their education.
As well, the GED exams take far less time to complete than a traditional OSSD program. Whereas the GED is a seven hour test, an OSSD may take months or even years to complete in comparison.
However, there are other, more readily accessible options and supports available.
Adult learners can also access the Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) program, as noted by the ministry in their memo.
The PLAR allows adult learners to have their experience formally recognized as credit toward an OSSD but, does not completely fulfill credit requirements — only 26 out of the 30 credits required to complete an OSSD.
Furthermore, adult learners and those continuing their education can still access the Academic and Career Entrance program (ACE) which is "delivered on campus by Ontario's twenty-four public colleges at eighty sites across the province and through ACE Distance (e-learning)."
Established in 1967 and supported by the College Sector Committee for Adult Upgrading (CSCAU), ACE program certificates are recognized as a grade 12 equivalent by all Ontario public colleges and most employers.
Ontario residents who are 19 and over can enrol for free in the ACE program so long as they meet eligibility requirements.
What's more, there are numerous supports available for prospective applicants through many of the ACE programs offered at colleges across the province including "equipment loans, reimbursement for internet charges, child care support, travel support and more," said Robin MacKenzie, director of communications for CSCAU.
"College ACE programs work with each individual learner on a case-by-case basis to assess their needs and help them access whatever training support allowances are available to them," said MacKenzie. "These may help pay for child care, technology costs, and transportation."
While achieving their grade 12 equivalency through ACE, students can also improve their high school marks and work towards qualification for the college program, apprenticeship, or career of their choice with all of the "advantages and supports" that college offers.
The provincial and federal government have yet to determine what will replace the GED exam.
“[We are] working with other Canadian jurisdictions and TVO regarding possible future opportunities,” the ministry stated. “More information will be available in the future.”
In the meantime, ACE and PLAR offer at least two solutions that can be tailored to learner's respective needs and keep barriers to educational services at bay.