The General Educational Development Testing Service of the American Council on Education and the PEI Department of Education are pleased to announce Blair H. Yeo, Richmond, Prince Edward Island, as a national award winner based on high scores earned on the Tests of General Educational Development (GED). The award was for scores earned in 1995.
"I am extremely proud to present Mr. Yeo with this award," said Minister of Education Gordon MacInnis at a brief ceremony with the winner. "Today we are not only crediting an individual's outstanding achievement on the GED test, but we are also recognizing and rewarding his commitment to lifelong learning."
Mr. Yeo had been out of school for over 20 years. He says he was very surprised when notified of his achievement. "Passing was my number one goal," said the award recipient. "When I received my marks, I knew I had done well on the test, but I never dreamed I did this well."
GED Tests were developed in 1942 for persons who had not completed high school. The tests provide an opportunity for individuals to demonstrate that they have acquired the level of learning required of traditional high school graduates. The five tests in the GED battery (writing skills, social studies, science, literature and the arts, and mathematics) are designed to measure the major concepts and lasting outcomes of a high school education.
Since World War II, the GED Testing Program has enabled over ten million adults to obtain formal recognition of their educational development through attainment of a high school equivalency credential. Last year 190 adults were tested in Prince Edward Island.
The American Council on Education, a nonprofit association based in Washington, DC, is the major coordinating agency in American higher education. The Council, through its Center for Adult Learning and Educational Credentials, serves as an advocate for adult learners in a variety of ways, from administering the GED high school diploma program to providing college credit recommendations for courses taught outside the traditional campus classroom.
Information about the GED Tests may be obtained by contacting the Chief Examiner of the GED Testing Program at the PEI Department of Education.