The Londer Learning Center is facing new dual challenges to its mission of educating adults transitioning out of prison or drug treatment — from the loss of federal money and a new testing standard.
It is unclear yet exactly how these changes will affect the program. But they likely will lead to loss of services to certain students and to lower graduation rates among those who remain.
After Myldred Silvia graduated from the GED program last year, she got a call from her oldest son. He wanted to follow her example and get his diploma, too.
But when Silvia called the center, where teachers had shown her so much love and compassion during her own schooling, she was turned away.
Her son wasn’t on parole and didn’t need treatment for addiction. That meant he didn’t meet the center’s requirements for entry.
But two weeks later, Londer staff called her back with good news: her son would be able to attend weekend classes taught by volunteers at Londer, and the center would coordinate with other adult education programs around town to fill his weekdays with learning, too.
His admittance to the center wasn’t based on the desperate plea of a mother — it was the result of a nationwide effort to graduate as many adults as possible before the introduction of tougher GED exams in January.
GED tests hadn’t changed since 2002 — until this January, when the company rolled out new exams based on the Common Core standards that are the new norm in the public schools of 45 states and Washington, D.C.
GED is a brand name. The tests are created by GED Testing Service, a for-profit corporation jointly owned by textbook publisher Pearson and the American Council on Education.
But just like the Common Core standards, which are hotly debated in school districts around the country and which some states are threatening to discard after dismal test results, the new GED standards aren’t universally loved.
Two competitors issuing high school equivalency diplomas have emerged, in part because education departments weren’t happy with the new GED standards. Several states started offering these new exams instead of, or sometimes alongside, the GED test. Oregon offers only the new, beefed-up GED exam.
The new GED exam’s most visible change is that it is only offered in a computer-based version. No more paper. It’s meant to foster much-needed computer literacy in adult students, the company has said.
But some advocates question the wisdom of mandating computer tests for people who may not have a PC at home.
The other changes are more complicated and arguably much tougher than the fact that students need mouse clicks to give their answers.
The reading curriculum, for example, includes more nonfiction material. Students are asked to analyze what they read more deeply and sum up their analysis in their own words, with little multiple-choice options left in the reading section.
There is more algebra and math beyond basic algebra. And throughout, the test asks more critical thinking of its takers. It will prepare students better for college and the workplace, its creators say.
The manager of the Londer Learning Center agrees, to a point.
“The GED needed to change,” Carole Scholl said. “It needed to catch up.”
But with the changes comes the need for more classroom time. Adults who dropped out in eighth grade decades ago now are faced with more complex lessons and test questions. The numbers won’t be in until next year, but Scholl estimates that her students will now take two to three times longer to finish their GED.
The catch? There’s no extra money for adult learning centers to go with the extra work. Students won’t rotate through as quickly, which means slots won’t open up as often. But expanding the program isn’t an option, financially.
“I think we’ll have fewer grads,” Scholl said. “Changing the GED was a really big deal, yet not enough people thought about how it will impact people who need extra support.”
The center also will be affected by a cut in federal money to state health departments. Until now, the center took in not just parolees, its original clients (the center is part of Multnomah County’s Department of Community Justice), but also adults recovering from drug addiction.
These adults in, or just out of, treatment were referred to the center by the Portland nonprofit, Impact NW. Those extra students, however, did not drain the center’s budget, because each student directed a little bit of federal money to the center.
In 2010, The Oregon Health Authority received a federal grant called Access to Recovery. The $3.3 million grant has allowed the state agency to increase services for people recovering from addiction in seven Oregon counties, including Multnomah County.
Part of that grant paid for sending adults in recovery back to school — at Londer. And that grant is running out in September, shutting down these extra services in Oregon, said Denise Yale, services coordinator for Access to Recovery.
The agency applied for the next round of the grant, but has not heard back, which doesn’t bode well for success. Only five agencies nationwide will receive money this round, Yale said. Last time 30 did.
Losing the federal grant will cut funding for about 10 percent of the Londer Learning Center’s students, Scholl said.
Center staff is working on a proposal to allow nonprofits to pay a small fee to sign up students, Scholl said.
“That federal money has allowed us to serve a population in need of special support,” she said. “We’re trying to figure out other solutions (to continue to serve) people in recovery.”
If you are looking to get your GED, and are not on probation or in drug/alcohol treatment, a good place to start is PCC. You can find out more about its low-cost GED program by calling 971-722-6255 or going to www.pcc.edu/prepare/basic.
