Is the New Ken Burns App a Great Tool for Adult Ed?

Ken Burns, known for his award-winning documentaries on American history, is introducing a brand new way to explore and enjoy his work: an app for your iPad.

In collaboration with Big Spaceship, a digital agency, Burns and producer Don MacKinnon are launching an app that condenses all 8,147 minutes of documentary material into more appealing, “easily-digestible mixtapes.” 

The hour-long playlists of clips from Burns’ work explore six major themes in American history, including race, politics, art, and war, among others. The app, called “Ken Burns,” allows the user to explore a timeline year by year, to see clips from separate films line up chronologically. Users can also watch the six playlists straight through–ranging 20 minutes to an hour–or select individual clips for viewing. The app is designed to present history the way Burns sees it.

The app is initially free to demo, but costs $10 for the full experience. 

The Ken Burns app has the potential to be a great tool in adult education. Advancing technology has changed the way we think and learn, bringing us more information at faster speeds. User-friendly tools such as the iPad can really engage students, and give them a brand new perspective in learning about a subject they might be interested in.  

Like the Ken Burns app, ProLiteracy’s American Lives is another great learning tool for adult classrooms. This collection of stories about Americans who helped shape U.S. history, is a fun way to teach adults about the country’s history. American Lives not only offers engaging stories, but also includes maps, charts, and other activities to strengthen the students’ skills.

While the facts in American history may stay the same, the way we learn about the subject doesn’t have to. Through innovative tools such as the Ken Burns app and American Lives, we can make learning fun and engaging for adults. 

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.

Massachusetts Chooses HiSET

Massachusetts education officials announced January 2 that the state will administer the new high school equivalency test called HiSET developed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).  

The three-year contract with ETS will not require any state expenditure, as people who take the test will bear the cost. The GED test costs a flat rate of $120 and a GED spokesperson, C.T. Turner, said the HiSET prices in New Hampshire range between $95 and $160.

In addition to Massachusetts, 10 other states have elected to go with HiSET as their high school equivalency exam. Six states have elected to adopt the TASC test, developed by McGraw-Hill. 

View our state-by-state chart for more information.

In West Virginia, TASC Replaces GED in 2014

West Virginia has joined the list of states that will offer an alternative to the GED exam beginning in 2014.  

The 6,000 annual high school equivalency test takers in West Virginia will now take the

 Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC), which assesses English language arts (including reading and writing), math, science, and social studies, and which will be offered in pencil and paper and on the computer.

For a more detailed comparison for each test and which state is offering which test, please visit the New Reader’s Press website, http://www.newreaderspress.com/2014test.aspx.

New Jersey to offer three high school equivalency exams: GED, TASC, and HiSET.

CORRECTION:

It was brought to our attention that the pricing as reported in the news article on the New Jersey test and re-reported in our blog was incorrect. The correct information is: the pricing for the 2014 GED test, as announced in May 2012, is $80 for all the program services and $40 added for testing center compensation, which is $120, not $195. 

On December 4, the New Jersey state board of education decided that it would offer three options for the high school equivalency exam beginning in 2014.

Since the new version of the GED, which will be offered only on the computer, was going to cost about $195 per test-taker, state officials researched alternative options. New Jersey will offer the GED (published by Pearson), the TASC (published by ETS), and the HiSET (published by CTB/McGraw Hill) at its 32 testing centers throughout the state. All tests will only cost $112.

For a more in-depth comparison between the different exams, see this chart on the New Readers Press website: http://www.newreaderspress.com/HSEcomparison.aspx.

To check which states offer which exam, see a table here. 

Wyoming Approves TASC and HiSET as Statewide Alternatives to GED in 2014

The Wyoming Community College Commission announced its decision last week that adults seeking a high school certificate in Wyoming will have three test choices in 2014: the GED, the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC), and the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET).

Wyoming joins Nevada in offering three test options for a high school equivalency certificate, along with a handful of other states that are offering something other than the GED beginning in 2014.

Each of Wyoming’s 27 primary testing centers will decide for themselves which of the authorized tests they will offer starting in 2014.

A state-by-state comparison for the test each state has approved so far can be found here. A side-by-side comparison of each of the three tests is available on our website at http://www.newreaderspress.com/HSEcomparison.aspx.

Nevada to accept 3 tests for Certificate of High School Equivalency

The Nevada Board of Education decided on October 4, that the state would offer two additional options for high school equivalency exams beginning next year.

In addition to the revised GED that will be available starting in January 2014, students can consider the HiSET exam or the TASC exam.

Facing a steep cost increase and many challenges for implementing the new GED exam (only four of Nevada’s 20 public GED test centers are equipped to administer the new computerized version of the exam,) the state decided to accept two alternative tests.

The GED will cost $95 for Nevadans, and includes two free retakes. It will only be offered as a computerized version except for at correctional centers.

The HiSET will cost $65 and allows for two free retakes as well. There is both a paper and a computerized version.

The TASC will cost $65 for Nevadans and allows for two free retakes. There is both a paper and a computerized version.

For further comparison information among the different tests, please visit our website at http://www.newreaderspress.com/HSEcomparison.aspx.

To see which test your state will offer in 2014, look at this chart.