New Mexico Looking at Alternatives to "GED" in State Law

Adults in New Mexico could soon have more options for earning their high school diploma other than taking the GED test.

New Mexico State Senator Gay Kernan is pushing to reintroduce a bill that would allow people in New Mexico to take alternative high school equivalency exams, aside from the GED test. Currently, those other exams include the TASC, offered by McGraw-Hill, and the HiSET, though ETS.

A similar bill was passed by the New Mexico legislature last year but was vetoed by Governor Susana Martinez.

Kernan’s bill aims to change references in current laws that are specific to the GED test. For example, rather than stating “GED” as a requirement for college admission, the state’s laws would read “high school equivalency credential” instead.

The legislation began moving again last Monday, with a unanimous vote from the New Mexico Senate Education Committee. Governor Martinez’s spokesman, Enrique Knell, said the wording of last year’s bill conflicted with federal requirements governing students with disabilities. According to him, the conflict has since been resolved, and the administration now fully supports the bill.

The question then is--will other states follow suit?

For more information about the GED, HiSET, and TASC tests, visit the New Readers Press special 2014 HSE Test InformationCenter.