GED testing set to end in Canada
Posted Oct 21, 2023 08:12:15 AM.
Last Updated Oct 23, 2023 05:57:50 AM.
Canadians looking to receive their high school equivalency will have fewer options starting this spring.
The General Education Development (GED) test will no longer be provided in Canada beginning May 3, 2024.
Other options for Canadians to get their high school diploma include the Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR), which is provided through school boards and adult learning centres.
Lisa Mackay, the principal at Saint Louis Adult Learning and Continuing Education in Kitchener, said programs like PLAR are designed to help students receive the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) through life experiences and prior learning.
“Some people go to post-secondary and get those as a mature learner without having had their high school,” said Mackay. “This allows them to go back and get that OSSD that might be missing that some employers are looking for.”
Students require 30 credits to graduate through the PLAR, and can achieve 26 of them through experiences and previous learning. For example, a parent can receive an equivalency credit for a parenting course. Mackay said there are also co-op programs where students can earn credits through paid employment.
“For students it’s really appealing.. so they don’t have to take time off work to get credits,” said Mackay. In a school year, students can receive up to 10 credits or 2 credits for every 37 hours of class study.
GED testing is done through Conestoga College and the Independent Learning Centre. The last day to register to write the GED is January 31.
