IN THIS ISSUE

Introducing PASSPORT

Student Turns Lemons
into Lemonade — and Tacos

Adapting Environments to
Meet Special Needs

Success Comes in 3s

The Jacqueline Sue Bates Story

Mill Workers Go Back to School

GED Student Nominated for
Poet of the Year

Countdown to the New Millenium

Georgia's Office of Adult Literacy (OAL) administers all or part of the GED battery of five tests to over 30,000 examinees annually at 58 GED testing centers. Scoring the tests, which include a written essay as well as nearly three hundred multiple choice questions, and reporting the scores is a daunting challenge. On top of the sheer volume, the process is complicated by the fact that many examinees must take different parts of the test at different times in order to pass.

It can be an anxious time for examinees when they have completed the tests and are awaiting their scores. A passing grade brings with it opportunities for a better life. Just ask entertainer and producer Dr. William "Bill" Cosby, Delaware Lieutenant Governor Ruth Ann Miller, the founder of Wendy's restaurants Dave Thomas, U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, or Georgia Literacy Ambassadors Cheryl Johnson, Teresa Broderson, and Adriana da Silveira, all holders of GED diplomas.

In order to serve the citizens of Georgia better, the OAL has been hard at work developing a state-of-the-art GED scoring and reporting system aptly named the PASSPORT (Processing Accurate Students' Statistics and Providing Official Report Totals System). With PASSPORT, GED tests will be scored more quickly and accurately than ever before. The process of retrieving and reporting scores will be automated. Instead of storing GED data on four separate databases, PASSPORT will keep all relevant information on a single Oracle database, increasing the speed and efficiency of storing and reporting test scores.

The main goal of the new system is improved customer service. PASSPORT is Y2K compliant and will accommodate anticipated technological upgrades for at least the next five years. There should be, fewer errors in the overall system, and errors that do occur will be caught and corrected more quickly. PASSPORT includes an intricate, automated Error Processing System that will check and correct scoring and scanning errors with minimum manual intervention. It also automates the processing of special needs applicants, including examinees with learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. PASSPORT is designed to allow for changes in the GED tests themselves, as GED Testing Services is currently updating the tests to better meet the needs of examinees in a rapidly changing world.

GED Testing Services, an arm of the American Council on Education, will roll out a new edition of the GED test battery on January 1, 2002. The 2002 Series will replace the current version, implemented in 1998.

PASSPORT will help to make the transition to the new test smoother, as examinees who have not passed the entire battery by January 1, 2002, must start all over again and pass all five tests using the new Series 2002 version. The new version is designed to better reflect the skills needed by employers in coming years, benefiting examinees as they enter the workforce or upgrade their current positions.

Examinees aren't the only stakeholders in the system who will benefit from PASSPORT. GED Examiners will be able to spend more time with individual students as the new scoring system speeds UP the whole process of administering the GED tests. State employees will be able to process invoices from the state's 58 official GED testing centers more quickly. The new scoring system is a giant step toward developing a virtually paperless system, which could save taxpayers money while conserving environmental resources.

PASSPORT will do more than simply upgrade test scoring and reporting. A major concern when administering the GED test is security. Without ensuring strict adherence to standards set by GED Testing Services, those who administer the tests and credentials could compromise the integrity of the whole system. PASSPORT includes strict security provisions that will protect the value of the GED diploma for all involved.

Implementing PASSPORT will require training Georgia's GED examiners and alternate examiners in the operation of the new system. Hands-on training will be provided to GED Examiners across the state as well as to technical support personnel. Eventually, a certification process will be developed to measure examiner and staff competency on the new system.

The PASSPORT system reflects OAL's efforts along with a talented group of programmers and data management experts. As the system is implemented, it will involve the cooperation of hundreds of Georgians, from the Department of Technical and Adult Education (DTAE) employees to examiners and practitioners in adult literacy programs and GED testing centers throughout the state. From the first phase of planning through implementation in the field, the PASSPORT system has one goal in mind: helping more citizens of Georgia earn GED credentials.