Not the Same Test
My Road Goes Ever On
Not The Same Test reminds us that we are not identical parts of a machine society. Our individuality might cause communication challenges, but it remains one of our greatest societal assets.
Education is meant to offer wings not a cage. I was a public and private school teacher for many years before I home-educated my own children. Recognizing the individual needs of each child and responding to their personal hopes and dreams prioritizes the motivating forces that take a person from “forced learning” to a love of learning.
Home education success led me to volunteer work where I assisted GED students. While the GED testing process is straightforward and there are resources to assist students, I have discovered a misalignment in meeting the needs of disabled students.
My student, Matt, is wheelchair-bound, has limited use of his hands, and has poor vision. While his spirit is strong, his body does not reflect his inner person. He has been working toward his GED for several years now. When I came on board to help him prepare for his exams, his drive to succeed propelled him through the first few tests. He passed the English, science, and social studies tests the first time around.
But the math test has been another matter altogether.
He has taken and failed the test four times, by only three points twice. Though he is given “accommodations” in the form of an aide to read and write for him and double the testing time, the exam morphs from a math test to an endurance test.
The math tests (There is more than one version.) start with seven computational problems unaided by a calculator. For an able-bodied person who can write the problems down and see his or her own work, it is a matter of navigating through basic math and computing the answer. Simple, right?
For Matt, this first part of the test involves explaining to his assistant what to do in detailed steps, trying to read his or her writing if he or she attempts to follow along on a written sheet, (making the writing legible and large enough for Matt to see) and forcing Matt to work much of the multi-step problem in his head. Then he has to communicate the answer to his assistant. That takes more time and effort. What would normally take a person a few minutes takes Matt up to an hour to accomplish because of the additional steps and communication difficulties.
The next part of the tests involves algebra, word problems, percentages, geometry, graphs and functions, and the ability to apply these concepts to solve real-world problems. For an able-bodied person who can read the screen, use his or her hands, take notes and work through problems, pull up the formula sheet and read through it quickly, pull up a calculator and see it well enough to use it, manipulate the online environment so as to move tools around the screen and choose the correct answer in a timely manner, this is a doable task.
For Matt, who can’t manipulate the tools himself or see the screen well unless it is enlarged, which involves more tools, this standard test becomes a labyrinth of pitfalls. His assistant has to read the problem, he has to imagine it in his mind, communicate to the aide what he wants him or her to do, remember the question while working through the problem, and constantly communicate to the aid what the tools (for example – enlarge the screen so he can see the geometric figures, pull up the formula sheet and enlarge and search for the particular formula he needs, pull up the calculator and input the equation according to his directions…and various other steps required during the test). Some aides do not know or understand all the math tools so he might have to educate the aid on what tool he is asking for and how to use it.
For an able-bodied person, the test can take up to two hours. Matt needs every minute of the double time, which means, added to the first hour, he is working for five hours on the math GED test.
He is in a wheelchair, unable to adjust himself. He can’t drink or eat anything during that time because that will likely make him need a bathroom break, which would be impossible in the ten minutes given every forty-five minutes. By the time he gets home, an hour’s drive from the testing center, he has missed his meds and not been able to eat or drink for close to seven hours.
I brought this issue to the attention of the GED State Relationships Manager & Special Populations Coordinator and the Manager of the Accommodations Team. We had a Team Meeting where I explained the difficult steps Matt must work through. After explaining Matt’s challenges and offering several possible solutions, I was presented with the statement: “You’re not going to like what I have to say. We have to give the same test to everyone.” The fact that Matt has an aide and extra time is seen as “accommodating his special needs.” But they do NOT accommodate his needs. An aide adds new communication difficulties and the extra time becomes a physical endurance test.
My suggestions to meet both the GED standards and Matt’s needs were ignored.
My possible solutions?
- Have Matt retake the part of the test he failed so that he can prove his competency while not having to endure multiple versions of the full test.
- Break the test into shorter more digestible parts so that he isn’t forced to do everything in one sitting.
- Have two GED paths: One with a humanities focus and another with a math focus. The humanities focus could involve a much simpler math test while the math-focused test could involve the higher math skills. This way, all students could get the GED that fits them more appropriately and would assist all students to move forward in their individual career paths.
Matt has to face serious challenges every single day of his life. He has dreams just like everyone else. And he has something valuable to add to the human conversation. But because of this GED math exam roadblock, he has not been able to move forward in any meaningful career. He would love to assist game and educational developers in designing their technology to better fit a handicapped population.
Insisting that we have to “give everyone the same test” when it is clearly not the same test for Matt is a cruel absurdity that has denied our society the benefits of Matt’s insight and assistance.
Maybe someday we will grow out of the “one test fits all” mentality and enable disabled men, women, and children to break free of the cages that hold them back and fly free, finally able to make this a better world for all.
A. K. Frailey is the author of 21 books, a teacher for 35 years, and a homeschooling mother.
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