1. Performance level descriptors and high impact indicators
Tools for the Classroom

2. Objectives:
Refresh the “big ideas of the GED® test
Uncover PLDs and HIIs

3. GED® test TEST TIME NOTES Reasoning through Language Arts
150 minutes (1 hour, 30 min)
This includes a 10 min break and the 45 minutes for the extended response
Mathematical Reasoning
115 minutes (1 hour, 55min)
Part 1 = no calculator
Part 2 = calculator
Formula sheet
Social Studies
70 minutes (1 hour, 10 min)
Science
90 minutes ( 1 hour, 30 min)
2 short answer questions included within the time given

4. GED® Performance Levels
Pass/High School Equivalence
GED® College Ready
GED® College Ready + Credit
145 – 164
165 – 174
Scores at or above the GED® test Passing Standard
Scores indicative of College and Career Readiness
Scores indicative of skills taught in some beginning college-level courses

5. RLA – OVERVIEW Content- Integrated reading and writing Close reading
Clear writing
Editing and understanding the use of standard written English in context
Source texts – 75% nonfiction; 25% fiction
Passage length – words
Range of text complexity, including texts at the college and career- ready level
Technology-enhanced items and extended response

6. Mathematical Reasoning Test – Overview
Content
- 45% - Quantitative Problem Solving
* Number operations
* Geometric thinking
- 55% - Algebraic Problem Solving
Texas Instruments – TI 30XS Multiview ™ (calculator allowed on Part 2)
Integration of mathematical practices
Formula page, symbols, and calculator page provided

7. SOCIAL STUDIES TEST- OVERVIEW
Content
- 50% - Civics and Government
- 20% - United States History
- 15% - Geography and the World
Themes
- Development of Modern Liberties and Democracy
- Dynamic Response in Societal Systems
Social Studies Practices – analyzing , thinking, reasoning
Technology - enhanced question items

8. SCIENCE TEST – OVERVIEW
Content
- Life Science - 40%
- Physical Science – 40%
- Earth and Space Science – 20% Themes
Themes
- Human Health and Living Systems
- Energy and Related Systems
Science Practices – reasoning and thinking scientifically
Question types – Technology – enhanced items and two short answers

9. PERFORMANCE LEVEL DESCRIPTORS (PLDs)
What are they and how do they help?
PLDs - are precise descriptions of individual skills contained within an assessment target
Tells us what the student needs to work on
Helpful too for the classroom
Explain in detail the skills students need to demonstrate to pass test

10. Two Formats Official Versions Test-taker Version
Figure out what words and phrases mean using clues from the context of a written source.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining connotative and figurative meanings form context.
Official Versions
Test-taker Version

11. Use PLDs to: Assess student’s current skill level
Determine when students are ready to test
Shape learning activities
Add perspective to lesson plans

12. WHAT ARE HIGH IMPACT INDICATORS?
Important skills that are widely used throughout the test
May generally receive light coverage during GED® test preparation
Lend themselves to straight forward instruction
Based on research

13. PLDs + HIIs = RELATIONSHIPS
Assist instructors in creating instructional plans that address the maximum number of skills
Assist students in applying skills in multiple ways and in a variety of contexts

14. Reason from data or evidence to a conclusion
HERE’S AN EXAMPLE OF APPLYING A SKILL IN MULTIPLE WAYS AND IN A VARIETY CONTEXTS
RLA
Order sequences of
Events in texts
SOCIAL STUDIES
Identify the chronological structure of a historical narrative and sequence steps in a process
SCIENCE
Reason from data or evidence to a conclusion
Mathematics
Search for and recognize entry point for solving a problem and plan a solution pathway

17. Performance Level Descriptors
Four Performance Levels
Below Passing
HSE
GED® College Ready
GED ® College Ready + Credit
What skills are demonstrated at each level
What skills need development to advance to the next level

18. High Impact Indicators
A complete list—all content areas available:
Demonstrate interconnectedness across content areas
Developed skills available for use across a range of learning contexts

21. Resources http://www.gedtestingservice.com/educators/pld