State could help pay high school equivalency test fee

Legislation that would require the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to pay at least 50 percent of the high-school equivalency testing fee will go to the floor next week at the Missouri House of Representatives.

State Rep. Kathy Swan, R-Cape Girardeau, and State Rep. Elaine Gannon, R-DeSoto, are sponsoring combined House Bills 381 and 405. Swan said she expects the bills to be heard on the House floor Tuesday.

In January 2014, Missouri changed from the GED test to the HiSET test for people wanting to earn their equivalency certificates.

Although the HiSET test at $95 is less expensive than the new GED test, which can cost more than $120, it is more costly than the previous $40 GED.

The increased cost is one reason for a decline in the number of people earning their certificates, said Becky Atwood, coordinator for the Cape Girardeau Adult Education and Literacy Program.

During the 2012-2013 school year, 136 adults earned their equivalency certificates. The following year, which included the January change to the HiSET test, 115 people earned a certificate.

As of March 27, Atwood said 43 people had received the certificate. That total doesn't include those who will take the test over the next couple months, she said, but the number still will be low compared to previous years.

Swan said when she first combined her bill with Gannon's, both asked that an alternative test be offered in an attempt to lower the cost.

After meeting with different groups, Swan said she decided a better approach would be for the state to appropriate funds to assist with testing fees. The bills were amended and shortened, and Gannon will be handling the legislation on the floor.

The bill would require the state to cover at least 50 percent of the testing fee for first-time test takers, or up to 100 percent of the cost, depending on appropriations.

"The only concern is if we would have enough money to do this," Swan said, adding it depends on the number of participants.

Swan said she has spent a lot of time meeting with stakeholders and working on the bill.

"The last thing we want is the cost being a deterrent for taking the high-school equivalency test," she said.

klamb@semissourian.com

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