OPINION: Anchorage should reassess tests it uses as job qualification standards

Our new mayor has made it clear that staffing is one of her main priorities. We are dealing with serious shortages all across the board, including snow plowing and bus services. After working in adult education for three years supporting students to earn their GEDs, I believe the Municipality of Anchorage may be missing out on highly skilled and qualified job seekers who do not have a high school diploma or GED. An adult may not have a high school diploma for reasons unrelated to their abilities.

The GED is much harder than most people think and is not designed to be a job readiness test. I encourage the Muni and all employers to review how they are assessing applicants for job readiness, remove unnecessary barriers, and hire qualified workers to fill the essential services we all rely on.

There are many reasons outside of an adult’s control that they may not have earned a high school diploma or GED. Many of the students that I work with had to drop out to take care of kids or get a job to support their family. Others could not finish their education due to political turmoil or war in their home country. Others have lost their diploma while moving from a different country and cannot reach their high school to retrieve documents. Many of our students who are working toward their GEDs are highly skilled, responsible adults with decades of experience in their fields.

The GED is harder than most people think. It is my belief that most adults in the country could not pass the GED tests if they took them today. To earn your GED, students need to earn passing scores in language arts, math, science and social studies. Passing the GED requires a different skill set than graduating from high school the traditional way, since Alaska high schools have not required students to pass a test to graduate since 2014. Students will also encounter subjects on the GED tests that are not necessarily required to graduate from high school, such as advanced algebra and physics.

The time it takes to study for the GED can vary greatly from person to person, with some adults spending years of dedicated study in order to pass. Completing the GED can be a monumental task for students who are learning English as a second language and students who have learning disabilities such as dyslexia. The skills needed to pass the GED are not necessarily the skills that many jobs require.

Here are some examples of the skills that students need to demonstrate to pass the GED with a minimum score. Keep in mind that significantly harder questions and concepts are included in the GED.

1. Read an article and make inferences about the author’s purpose based on tone and word choice.

2. Support or refute a claim by identifying specific evidence from a text.

3. Explain key concepts in U.S. history and government, such as the three branches of government and the Articles of Confederation.

4. Solve complex algebraic expressions, such as: -2(x-1) + 6 = -(x+3)

5. Add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions and decimals.

I believe the GED is a worthy pursuit for any adult who wants a general education, but it is ultimately not designed to be a job readiness test. There are other tests that employers can require to measure common skills encountered in the workplace. For instance, the WorkKeys tests can be taken at any Alaska Job Center and can result in verifiable credentials.

Before requiring a GED on a job application, I urge all employers to go to ged.com to try some practice tests themselves and make a decision on whether or not the GED would be an accurate way to measure if someone will succeed in the job. It is my hope that we can build an Anchorage economy where job seekers are fairly assessed for their abilities and our essential services are fulfilled by qualified workers.

Kengo Nagaoka is an adult education student integration specialist with Alaska Literacy Program.

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