For immediate release: Thursday, August 1, 2002
For more information: Ron Parker, 515-281-0173

Vilsack Credits Iowa's Community Colleges for Top Ranking in GED Pass Rate

OKOBOJI - Governor Vilsack recognized Iowa's community colleges today for their leadership in educating the next generation of Iowa's leaders.

Specifically, Vilsack credited the community colleges for their role in ensuring that nearly 95 percent of the adult students who took a GED (General Educational Development Test Battery) in Iowa during calendar year 2001 received an Iowa High School Equivalency Diploma.

During a speech to a joint meeting of the state's Community College Trustees and the State Board of Education this morning in Okoboji, Vilsack said that the 95 percent pass rate is the highest in the nation, according to a new report by the American Council on Education GED Testing Service.

"This is even more evidence that community colleges continue to be leaders in our efforts to educate the next generation of Iowa leaders," Vilsack said. "They are an integral part of our efforts to ensure that all Iowans receive the best education possible and that more Iowa families achieve economic security."

The state's GED program is administered through Iowa's 15 community colleges and coordinated through the Iowa Department of Education. Nearly 8,500 Iowa adult students age 17 or older completed the GED tests, and 7,996 passed. Nationwide, 945,131 students completed the GED tests, with a national average pass rate of 69.6 percent.

"A successful GED program is essential not only for personal growth but also for economic growth," Vilsack said.

During his speech, Vilsack also noted several accomplishments in the Vilsack/Pederson Administration efforts to increase educational opportunities at Iowa's community colleges. This includes:

• Proposing to increase state funding for community colleges every year. The Administration was successful in three of the past four years.

• Fighting to increase the local levy authority to provide additional resources to community colleges that better reflects the original formula for funding; and
• Proposing a tuition tax credit for Iowa graduates who choose to stay and work in Iowa after graduation.

"We will continue to fight for greater resources for our community colleges because they are great partners in our efforts to increase productivity, wages and opportunities for Iowa workers," Vilsack said.