Mississippi High School Equivalency Program State Policy

Mississippi High School Equivalency Program State Policy MISSISSIPPI HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY PROGRAM STATE POLICY 1. Title of State Credential: Mississippi High School Equivalency Diploma 2. Current Approved Options: a. GED® Test, General Education Development, Pearson Vue b. HiSET High School Equivalency Test, Educational Testing Service c. ACT® WorkKeys® Applied Mathematics d. ACT® WorkKeys® Workplace Documents e. Mississippi Competency-Based High School Equivalency Option f. Total Transcript, intra-state and inter-state framework for integrated, multiple publisher high school equivalency testing and credentialing 3. Eligibility Requirements for Testing: a. Eighteen (18) years of age or older b. Has not earned a high school equivalency diploma c. Not enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary education under the compulsory school law 4. Residency Requirements: In order to have the test fee waived pursuant to available state funding, students must reside in Mississippi. 5. Age Exceptions for Testing: a. Sixteen (16) and seventeen (17) year olds must: i. not be currently enrolled in K12 school. ii. provide documentation (withdrawal form) signed by the superintendent/designee certifying the applicant has been released from compulsory school attendance by the school board. iii. have consent from parent or legal guardian. 6. Other Exceptions: a. Home School examinees: proof of registration as a home schooled student from local school district or home school association. b. An applicant with documentation verifying any one of the following conditions: i. incarcerated in a correctional institution, correctional youth center, training school for adjudicated youth, or similar institution; ii. confined as a patient or resident of a state-operated hospital or alcoholic rehabilitation center; iii. enrolled in or has completed a program of instruction provided by the Job Corps or other such agency, or an apprenticeship training program; iv. married with minor status removed; v. a member of the United States Armed Forces; or vi. an emancipated minor. (Court order with case number) vii. an applicant who is enrolled in an official Option/alternative education program as stipulated in Senate Bill #2855 from the 1997 legislative session. viii. an applicant with extenuating or extreme personal circumstances showing proper documentation. These include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: 1. an illness of long-range duration; 2. sole support of family; or 3. untenable situation at home which required the person to leave school to earn a livelihood. Note: Any situation in which the local Chief Examiner cannot render a determination on granting a waiver will be referred to the State High School Equivalency Office for guidance. 7. Assessment Options: The below prices and policies are established by the vendor. A. GED© Test, Pearson Vue a. Computer-Based Test Only b. Passing Scores i. GED® Passing Score: 145 on each subject area test ii. GED® College Ready Score: 165-174 iii. GED® College Ready + Credit Score: 175-200 c. Cost: i. GED Testing Service offers in-person testing as well as online proctoring options for students. The cost for both options is established by GED Testing Service and can be found at www.ged.com. d. Re-Take Fees i. GED Testing Service establishes re-take fees. This information can be found at www.ged.com. e. Retesting Policy i. For those testing in-person at a Testing Center: 1. There is no waiting period if you do not pass a subject area test the first time. 2. After taking a subject area test three times, you must wait 60 days each time before retesting. 3. There is no limit how many times you can test in a year. ii. For those testing on the Online Exam: 1. The Online Proctored Exam allows for one retake before a 60- day waiting period. After taking a test subject two times online, you have to wait 60 days before retesting. iii. For more information, visit https://ged.com/policies/mississippi/. B. HISET©, Educational Testing Service a. Computer Based & Paper Based Options available b. Passing Scores: i. HiSET® minimum score by subtest: 8 1. Requires minimum score 2 on constructed response essay in Writing subtest, for a composite score of 8 ii. HiSET® college and career ready indicator 15 – 20 iii. HiSET® battery passing score: 45 comprehensive score c. Cost: i. HiSET offers in-person paper- or computer-based testing as well as an online option. The cost for both options is established by HiSET and can be found on the HiSET website https://test- takers.psiexams.com/hisetmississippi. d. Re-Take Fees: i. HiSET battery fee includes two additional attempts per subset within a calendar year. More information on re-take fees can be found on the HiSET website at https://test- takers.psiexams.com/hisetmississippi. e. Retesting Policy: i. There is no waiting period if you do not pass a subtest the first time. ii. You may attempt each subtest up to three times per calendar year, regardless of language tested. (January through December of a given year.) iii. You may retest in any order, whether you have tested in another subtest or not. iv. You may use your additional attempts to achieve a higher score when needed to pass the battery or qualify for scholarship. C. Mississippi Competency-Based High School Equivalency Option a. Title of State Credential: High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) b. Cost: $25.00 application fee c. Eligibility: i. Must be a Mississippi Resident ii. Has not received a valid high school diploma or a High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) iii. Not enrolled or required to be enrolled in school under compulsory school law d. Enrollment in Adult Education i. Student Success Plan ii. Meet with Transition Specialist/Navigator 1. Create Student portfolio iii. Register with MS WORKS 1. WIOA Common Case Management Technology (Hub) iv. Identify Barriers v. Referrals to core agencies e. Adult Education Instruction i. College & Career Readiness Standards - All students will receive instruction in reading, writing, and math aligned with the College and Career Readiness Standards required by the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education https://lincs.ed.gov/professional- development/resource-collections/profile-521 ii. Smart Start Course 1. Basic Skills- National Career Readiness Certificate 2. Career Exploration/Employment Preparation 3. Necessary Skills (Soft Skills) f. Must enter an approved MIBEST Program OR Integrated Education and Training Pathway i. Must complete 15 hours of college credit 1. Prior Learning Assessment college credits are allowable 2. Developmental education courses are excluded ii. Minimum GPA: 2.0 or higher g. Earn the Mississippi Smart Start Credential h. Earn a National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) i. Earn an Industry-Recognized Credential 8. Total Transcript (Effective December 1, 2022): a. Title of State Credential: MS High School Equivalency Diploma (MS HSED) b. High school equivalency testing structure: i. GED® 1. See Section 7.A.a-e for testing format, passing scores, cost, re-take fees, and retesting policies. ii. HiSET® 1. See Section 7.B.a-e for testing format, passing scores, cost, re-take fees, and retesting policies. 2. HiSET® battery passing score is evaluated in relation to eligible subtests Applied Math Workplace Documents Graphic Literacy Level 4 or higher Silver Level 4 or higher Silver Level 4 or higher Silver Commented [BL1]: Removed since the ACT WorkKeys is now approved as an assessment with the federal register. a. one subtest: 9 comprehensive score b. two subtests: 18 comprehensive score c. three subtests: 27 comprehensive score d. four subtests: 36 comprehensive score e. complete test battery: 45 comprehensive score iii. TASC® 1. Passing scores (consistent with those prior to test discontinuation): a. TASC® minimum score by subtest: 500 i. Requires minimum score 2 on constructed response essay in Writing subtest b. TASC® distinguished achievement indicator: i. Language Arts Reading: 580 ii. Language Arts Writing: 560 and 6 on constructed response essay iii. Mathematics: 560 iv. ACT® WorkKeys® Assessments 1. ACT® WorkKeys® Applied Mathematics: Scale score of 76 or higher 2. ACT® WorkKeys® Workplace Documents: Scale score of 77 or higher c. Credentialing requirements: i. Obtain a passing score in the following subject areas as described in 8.b.i-iv: 1. Language arts (reading/writing or combined) 2. Mathematics 3. Science 4. Social Studies ii. Obtain a passing HiSET® comprehensive score as applicable and described in 8.b.ii. d. Components of TotalTranscript i. Diploma Sender (DS) Grade Point Indicator (GPI) 1. A universal achievement metric to which DS indexes all current-series HSE test scores, useful for scholarships and other competitive academic qualifications. 2. Consistent with the traditional 4-point GPA scale in both design and interpretation. 3. Supports interpretation of testers’ academic attainment and may be interpreted in relation to graduating high school seniors via test publishers’ norming study documentation. ii. DS Letter Grade 1. Maps DS GPI to a familiar letter grade heuristic to facilitate stakeholders’ interpretation of testers’ academic attainment, useful for credit recovery and other letter grade applications. a. ‘A’ reflects academic attainment equal to or greater than at least 80 percent of graduating high school seniors whose academic attainment was above the HSE threshold. b. ‘B’ reflects academic attainment equal to or greater than between 40 and 80 percent of graduating high school seniors whose academic attainment was above the HSE threshold. c. ‘C’ reflects academic attainment equal to or greater than up to 40 percent of graduating high school seniors whose academic attainment was above the HSE threshold. Part 3 Chapter 11: GED Testing Guidelines for Alternative Education Programs