DATE: Tuesday, June 3, 1997                 TAG: 9706030261

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   63 lines

FEWER VIRGINIANS TAKING GED TEST IS GOOD NEWS, EDUCATOR SAYS

The slide in the number of Virginians taking the GED high-school equivalency test is actually good news, the state's GED coordinator said Monday.

Virginia suffered the sharpest decline of any state in the number of people completing the General Educational Development exam, according to a national report released Monday.

The figure dropped 20 percent - from 15,183 in 1995 to 12,094 last year, according to the American Council on Education.

Patricia Ta'ani, the state's GED administrator, on Monday attributed the decline to two factors: First, GED officials are working harder to ensure that people are prepared before they sign up for the test. So, instead of taking the test year after year, adults are waiting until they think they can pass it.

``What's happening is that people are waiting to take it until they are ready,'' she said. ``We've increased pre-test counseling. . . .People are getting ready for this instead of walking off the street and taking it.''

That, she said, has increased the pass rate from 58 percent in 1991 to 71.6 percent last year.

Second, Ta'ani said more high school students are graduating, so fewer need to take the GED.

``There are more people in the 16- to 18-year age range that are staying in school because of better programs in high school,'' Ta'ani said. ``It's really their best option.''

However, the percentage of Virginia teen-agers who have dropped out has stayed virtually constant at 3 percent, between 1990-91 and 1995-96, according to state education statistics. The number of high school graduates in the state has increased only slightly in the past five years - from 58,647 in 1991-92 to 59,663 in 1995-96.

Not all local cities have suffered declines in GED test-taking. Virginia Beach and Norfolk officials say their numbers have risen.

The number of people in Virginia Beach who signed up for the GED test increased 12 percent - from 1,263 in 1995 to 1,413 last year. Bonnie Mizenko, the principal of the Virginia Beach Adult Learning Center, said the growth in test-takers was partly because of an increase in personnel to administer the tests to more people.

Though some educators last week suggested that the push for welfare reform would increase GED numbers, Mizenko said she thought it might already have caused a decrease. In the rush to get any job, Mizenko said, many welfare recipients might bypass further education.

In Portsmouth, the number of people taking the GED test has stayed steady at about 350 to 400 in the past few years, said Joe Watson, coordinator of adult education. But that's down from 550 about a decade ago. Watson cited the ``improving economy. It's easier for people to get jobs and make a living without having a credential.''

Norfolk also reported an increase in test-takers. Chesapeake reported a decrease and Suffolk officials could not be reached Monday.

The Navy has also reserved fewer recruitment spots for GED recipients in recent years. Nearly 91 percent of recruits had high school diplomas in 1987, compared with 95 percent last year. As the number of openings has decreased, ``we're able to be more selective,'' said Lt. Daren Pelkie, a spokesman for the Navy Recruiting Command in Arlington.

The cost of taking the GED in Virginia will jump to $45 from $25 next month, Mizenko said. That could further depress the numbers, she said, but ``the flip side is: People tend to value that which they have to invest in.''

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu