On May 3, the GED high school equivalency program as we know it ended. A new program, the Canadian Adult Education Credential, launched May 21.
The GED program has been in place for decades.
Pearson Vue GED Testing Service, the company performing GED testing in the United States, made the decision last year to stop providing services in Canada.
“Alberta Education put in a bid to lead the work to develop the new Canadian Adult Education Credential program," Trisha Enman, Adult Literacy Coordinator at Barrhead Community Adult Learning said.
Enman attended the Learning and Literacy Symposium in Edmonton held to support the provincial professional development of Alberta’s Community Adult Learning Program (CALP) associates earlier this month. Sessions were held to provide information on the Canadian Adult Education Credential.
The biggest barrier for Barrhead residents with the GED program was transportation to testing sites.
The closest testing sites are in Edmonton.
“The goal is to have testing in Barrhead available in the future," Enman said.
The intent of the new program is to provide Albertans with top-quality Canadian-made credentials that meet institution-level standards.
Enman said if a person has started writing the subject tests but has not received certification, those test scores will count towards their Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC) results until May 2027.
The CAEC will be an online program with five subjects offered in English. A French version is being offered for the first time. Those subjects are reading, writing, mathematics, social studies and science. This subject line-up has not changed from the previous program.
There are practice tests on the CAEC website.
The CAEC program has been developed as a more realistic scenario testing method, where you can check the source for the answers.
The program is built for adult learners and is diversity-conscious, explained Enman.
“The mathematics test is hard. We have a connection with Norquest College and can provide a math assessment for students,” Enman said.
The Barrhead Adult Literacy group can provide support and test-taking tips. If students are interested in the Norquest College preparation course, some funding is available by talking with the Barrhead Community Adult Learning group.
The other change is that if accessibility or accommodations are needed for individuals to complete the testing they will not, in most cases, be required to provide medical documentation any longer.
The Canadian Adult Education Credential program will be available online and is user-friendly. There is still an option to write the test in paper form, Enman said.
To enter the program, you must be 18 years old or older, a Canadian citizen, and out of school for a minimum of 10 months. You also need an Alberta student number to register, which you can obtain by calling 1-780-422-9337.
There is a new website for the Canadian Adult Education Credential program at https://www.alberta.ca/canadian-adult-education-credential
Any questions regarding the new CAEC program replacing the GED program can be sent to [email protected]
