Florida GED Model Testing Centers

2006 Winners

The mission of Florida's Model GED Test Center Project is three-fold:

1. to preserve the integrity and uniformity of the GED Testing Service in Florida
   

2. to raise the standards of test center operation, test administration and customer
   service.
   

3. to increase the public's awareness of the value of the GED Test.

Project Overview

The national office of GED Testing Services (GEDTS) has established standard requirements for operating a GED Test Center. The Florida Department of Education wanted to raise the level of our testing centers beyond the GEDTS standards.

Toward that end, in FY 2002 - 2003, the Florida Department of Education conceived the concept of a Model GED Test Center and charged the Practitioners Task Force on Adult Secondary, GED & Vocational Preparatory Instruction Programs with its development and implementation.

The Model GED Test Center Committee, now a subcommittee of the GED Practitioners Task Force, was given the responsibility of making the concept a reality. With input from adult education leaders at the state and local level, the committee members established the standards and requirements of a Florida Model Test Center.

Using a strict set of criteria, approximately ten of Florida's GED Testing Centers are visited annually by committee members (all who are GED Examiners) and assessed for best practices. These leaders look for exemplary standards in five critical areas: Test Administration, Test Operation, Test Accommodation, Customer Service, and Marketing & Outreach.

In Florida, test security is identified as one of the critical areas. It is integrated into each of the five essential components and is critical in all areas of a GED Testing Center.

A center that meets the strict criteria is designated as a Florida Model GED Test Center and is recognized as such at the annual ACE of Florida Conference.

In initiating higher standards, a Florida Model GED Test Center may function as a demonstration site, a training center, and / or a monitoring branch of the state GED office. As a minimum requirement, designation as a "model test center" requires 100% adherence to all policies and procedures outlined in the GED Examiner's Manual and should indicate the implementation of policies and procedures that exceed the requirements of the GED Testing Service. Consistent with other components of the GED Testing Program, model centers are -e-evaluated at appropriate intervals.

The five essential components necessary for the successful operation of a Florida Model GED Testing Center include the following:

1. Test Administration
   
2. Test Operation
   
3. Test Accommodation
   
4. Customer Service
   
5. Marketing & Outreach

Model GED Test Center Project Team members:

1. Brad Bell, Examiner, Brevard Public Schools
   

2. Christalee S. Burkett, Consultant, Southern Expression
   

3. Ken Harper, Examiner, Orange County Public Schools
   

4. Skip Hill, Examiner, Nassau County Public Schools
   

5. Aaron L. McKinney, Educational Consultant, Florida DOE GED Testing Office
   

6. Carolyn Thompson, Examiner, Seminole Community College
   

7. Iowana Whitman-Tims, Manager, GED Practitioners Task Force

Request for Test Center Assessment

If you would like your GED Test Center to be assessed for possible designation as a Florida Model GED Test Center, please send your request to Christalee Burkett at aimcsb@aol.com