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The GED Will Be Cheaper Next Year For Some Kentucky Students

Kentucky is offering the GED test at a reduced cost for a limited time.Test takers who qualify for the cheaper price will save $20 on each of the four required modules of the test, making the cost of individual modules $10 and the whole test $40, according to the state Council on Postsecondary Education.To qualify, a student must meet the GED program's enrollment standards and pass a practice test, said Jacqueline Korengel, the assistant vice president for Kentucky Adult Education, part of the state Council on Postsecondary Education.The federal Workforce Investment Act gave the state a grant to temporarily reduce the costs for some students.  The reduced price will help education officials remove the barriers associated with attaining a high school equivalency diploma, Korengel said.“We feel like this will help our students,” she said.A new computer-based model of the GED test was introduced earlier this year and with it came a price nearly double that of the previous year.  The current price is in line with the national average at $120, according to the GED Testing Service.Korengel said the new model of the GED is “more aligned” with what high school students can expect and focuses more on contemporary skills necessary for today’s workforce.The Workforce Investment Act supplies enough funds to discount just more than 8,500 modules, which equals out to about 2,100 complete tests, Korengel said.In the 2012-2013 school year, more than 10,000 Kentucky students attempted to earn their GED, and 8,890 passed the test, according to the CEP. Students that attain a GED or high school diploma can earn, on average—$9,400 more than those who fail to complete high school or a high school equivalency diploma.“We want to ensure that as many as possible get into the jobs they want or college,” Korengel said.

Jacob Ryan is the managing editor of the Kentucky Center for Investigative reporting. He's an award-winning investigative reporter who joined LPM in 2014. Email Jacob at jryan@lpm.org.