From the ECS State Policy Database High School--GED (General Education Development)

This database is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States (ECS). Most entries are legislative, although rules/regulations and executive orders that make substantive changes are included. Every effort is made to collect the latest available version of policies; in some instances, recent changes might not be reflected. For expediency purposes minimal attention has been paid to style (capitalization, punctuation) and format. Please cite use of the database as: Education Commission of the States (ECS) State Policy Database, retrieved [date]. State Status/Date Level Summary WV Signed into law 04/2012 P-12 Study of GED Issues S.B. 646 Requires the State Board of Education to study GED issues, especially increasing costs and access to internet and other technology, and make... More... TX Adopted 12/2011 P-12 Certificate of High School Equivalency 19 TAC 89.41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48 Makes various changes to provisions regarding administration of the Texas certificate of high school equivalency, in accordance with 2011 S.... More... CA Signed into law 10/2011 P-12 Option for 17-Year-Olds to Be Eligible to Sit for GED S.B. 461 Adds being at least 17 years of age, having accumulated fewer than 100 units of high school credit before enrollment in the academic program... More... OH Signed into law 06/2011 P-12 Permission to Take GED H.B. 153 - Permission to Take GED Requires a person who is at least 16 but under the age of 19 who is applying to the department to take the tests of general education develo... More... LA Signed into law 06/2011 P-12 Compulsory Attendance and GED H.B. 95 Indicates that a child who is at least seventeen years of age and who, after successfully completing a program established by the State Boar... More... TX Signed into law 06/2011 P-12 Online High School Equivalency Exams S.B. 1094 Directs the state board to adopt rules to provide for online administration of high school equivalency exams. Requires that the rules provid... More... MS Signed into law 03/2011 P-12 Dropout Status of GED Students H.B. 639 Clarifies that a student participating in a General Educational Development option program under a school district agreement with a communit... More... GA Signed into law 05/2010 Postsec. HOPE GED Voucher S.B. 341 Rewrites Section 20-3-519.6 relating to HOPE GED vouchers. Previous legislation awarded a one-time $500 voucher to each student earning a GE... More... MS Signed into law 03/2010 P-12 GED Program Entrance Requirements H.B. 629 Revises the GED program entrance requirements for students who are at least one full grade level behind his or her ninth grade cohort. Requi... More... UT Adopted 07/2009 P-12 GED R277-702 Replaces references to "Utah General Educational Development Certificate" with "Utah High School Completion Diploma". Defines "out-of-school... More... TX Signed into law 06/2009 P-12 Postsec. Community College Increasing Workforce in High-Demand and "Green" Occupations H.B. 1935 and H.B. 3, Section 64 Establishes the Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grant program and fund to award grants to public junior colleges and public technical in... More... TX Signed into law 06/2009 P-12 Job Corps Diploma Programs Ratings H.B. 3 - Section 20 Authorizes the commissioner to develop a system of distinction designations consistent with those developed for purposes of accreditation sa... More... LA Adopted 10/2008 P-12 Pre-GED/Skills Option Program LAC 28:CXV.2907 Amends rules relating to the PreGED and Skills Option Programs and spells out requirements for districts. http://doa.louisiana.gov/osr/lac/2... More... FL Adopted 09/2008 P-12 GED Testing Fees FAC 6A-6.021 Amends rule to review the General Educational Development (GED) testing fees to recommend an increase in the testing fees so that the Depart... More... MD Signed into law 04/2008 P-12 Information on GED and Obtaining High School Diploma H.B. 953; S.B. 264 Requires representatives of local boards of education to provide information concerning alternative education programs and GED program requi... More... WV Signed into law 03/2008 P-12 State Subsidized GED Testing Fee for Eligible Students H.B. 4477 Directs the state board of education to develop and administer a program to provide the GED exam fee for eligible students.... More... LA Signed into law 02/2008 P-12 GED Testing Program LAC 67:III.5595 The Department of Social Services, Office of Family Support establishes the GED Testing Program as a new TANF Initiative. Pursuant to Act 18... More... UT Adopted 01/2008 P-12 Adult Education Programs R277-733 Defines "adult basic education," "adult education," "GED," "measurable outcomes." Establishes clearer fiscal standards and practices for adu... More... IL Signed into law 09/2007 P-12 GED Testing Program S.B. 853 Provides with respect to the high school equivalency testing program, that an individual is eligible to apply if he or she is 17 years of ag... More... IL Signed into law 08/2007 P-12 GED S.B. 1391 Provides that when the subject of a parole or mandatory supervised release is in compliance with all conditions of his or her parole or mand... More... LA Signed into law 06/2007 P-12 Project Return Post-Release Skills Program for Recently Released Offenders S.B. 308 Authorizes the department of labor to establish or to contract with service providers or community service organizations to establish a comp... More... IN Signed into law 05/2007 P-12 Postsec. 21st Century Scholars Program Expansion, Graduation H.B. 1647 Expands eligibility for the 21st Century Scholars program to grade 7 students, and beginning with the 2008-09 school year, to grade 6 studen... More... VA Signed into law 03/2007 P-12 Online Corrections Education H.B. 3191 Allows the Board of Correctional Education to develop programs to provide restricted Internet access to online secondary education or adult ... More... MD Adopted 02/2007 P-12 Alternative Ways to Earn a High School Diploma COMAR 13A.03.03.01 Ensures state alignment with national policies of the American Council on Education and consistency within the operations of the Maryland St... More... LA Signed into law 06/2006 P-12 Community College Early College/Dual Enrollment S.B. 749 Requires and provides incentives for high schools and postsecondary institutions to maximize the shared use of facilities, technology, facul... More... TN Signed into law 06/2006 P-12 Postsec. HOPE Scholarship for GED Students S.B. 2981 Relates to lottery scholarships and grants; provides that a student that is eligible for a HOPE scholarship upon graduation from high school... More... IA Signed into law 06/2006 P-12 High School S.B. 2272 - Section 1-4 Directs school districts and nonpublic accredited schools to report graduation rates using the definition of graduation rate specified by th... More... IA Signed into law 06/2006 P-12 Community College Reporting GED Students S.B. 2272 - Section 8 Requires board of directors of each community college to request that a student pursuing or receiving a high school equivalency diploma prov... More... IA Signed into law 06/2006 P-12 GED Test Areas S.B. 2272 - Section 29 Modifies subject areas covered in tests for high school equivalency diploma. States that equivalency diploma tests must cover reading, the a... More... IL Signed into law 05/2006 P-12 GED Incentives S.B. 2320 Eliminates the provision that the additional good conduct credit awarded to a prisoner who passes the high school level Test of General Educ... More... VA Signed into law 03/2006 P-12 Earning a GED H.B. 347 Allows participation in a general educational development program by court order; excludes from the compulsory school attendance requirement... More... NY Signed into law 09/2005 P-12 Diplomas for war veterans S.B. 2714 Authorizes the commissioner of education to implement a program for all war veterans to earn high school diplomas based on knowledge and exp... More... IL Vetoed 08/2005 P-12 GED Incentive Program for Prisoners S.B. 326 Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the rules and regulations for the early release of a prisoner on account of good condu... More... IL Signed into law 07/2005 P-12 Community College GED Testing S.B. 463 Transfers all powers and duties of the State Board of Education and State Superintendent of Education with regard to high school equivalency... More... AZ Signed into law 04/2005 P-12 High School Equivalency Diplomas H.B. 2051 Authorizes the state board to establish and collect fees for the issuance and reissuance of general equivalency diplomas and general equival... More... MS Signed into law 03/2005 P-12 General Educational Developmental Test S.B. 2277 General Educational Developmental Test (GED) security procedures; criminal penalties for violations of. 1)  It is unlawful for anyone knowi... More... CA Vetoed 09/2004 P-12 Postsec. Community College Prison Education Reform Act A.B. 1914 Establishes the Prison Education Reform Act. Changes the position of Superintendent of Correctional Education to the Deputy Director of Corr... More... FL Signed into law 06/2004 P-12 Juvenile Justice Education H.B. 1989 Relates to juvenile justice education; increases percentage of Florida Education Finance Program funding generated by students in juvenile j... More... KY Signed into law 04/2004 P-12 Student Dropouts H.B. 178 Amends KRS 158.145 to require that all students who drop out of school be counted in the annual state dropout index. Amends KRS 158.6455 to... More... MS Rule Adoption 01/2004 P-12 GED State Policy (Uncodified) Amends rules concerning GED State Policy, with regard to, minimum requirements and eligibility for testing. MISSISSIPPI REG 9040 (SN)... More... MI Signed into law 08/2003 P-12 Family Resource Center Curriculum Blue Ribbon Study Committee H.B. 4401 (multiple provisions) Sec. 107a. (1) The family resource center curriculum blue ribbon study committee is established to explore and make recommendations on imple... More... VA Signed into law 03/2003 P-12 General Educational Development H.B. 1464 Relates to the general educational development examination; relates to the testing age for persons not enrolled in public school and not oth... More... FL Signed into law 05/2002 P-12 Standard High School Diploma to Certain GED Recipients S.B. 20E Mandates the state board to adopt rules permitting any GED recipient who meets certain criteria to be awarded a standard high school diploma... More... MD Signed into law 04/2002 P-12 Need- and Performance-Based Adult Education Grants S.B. 737 Requires the department of education to distribute need- and performance-based grants for adult education. Adult education and -literacy gr... More... MS Signed into law 04/2002 P-12 Duties of Board in GED Program Administration S.B. 2626 Clarifies the duties of the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges in the administration of General Educational Development (GED) Tes... More...