2013 GED Campaign To Finish

NEW YORK -- Finish your GED in 2014 before the test changes in 2014.

That's the message behind the new 2013 GED Campaign To Finish recently launched by the Fund for Public Advocacy in effort to get the city's young adults to complete the General Educational Development (GED) accreditation process before a revised exam for high school equivalency is released in January 2014 in New York State.

The new exam criteria will invalidate any test scores earned through the existing, five-part GED, and require anyone who has passed even a segment of the current five part GED process to start the exam over. In order to get as many people as possible to make the cut, the campaign -- which is also being supported by a coalition of state, city, CUNY and non-profit organzaiations -- is raising awareness regarding this change and urging young adults to complete the GED process by the end of this year.

The free program will target approximately 3,000 individuals -- ages 17-24 -- who have begun the process and are close to completion. This program provides eligibility for free test preparation programs and counseling, as well as providing access to additional 2013 testing dates. Additionally, the fund has created a GED Compass website hotline (718-557-2525) and a texting campaign (text "GED" to 30644) -- all aimed at reaching the largest possible audience as quickly as possible.

In New York City, alonge about 1.2 million adults lack a high school certification. An estimated 18,000 young adults have begun the GED process during the past three years but have yet to pass. The GED is an alternative degree program for young adults who are not in school, are not working or are underemployed, to achieve their high school equivalency diploma and move forward into postsecondary education or professional career advancement.

In addition to its other efforts, the fund has also set up outreach activities in all five boroughs in target communities where a majority of the young adults reside:

• Bronx: Morrisiana/East Tremont, Williamsbridge/University Heights, Highbridge/ Morris Heights, Soundview
• Brooklyn: Sunset Park, Bushwick, Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant
• Manhattan: Harlem, Inwood/Washington Heights
• Queens: Jamaica, Corona, Elmhurst
• Staten Island: Port Richmond/Mid-Island, St. George

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