A miracle!

Over the years, I have sent several students to take the GED exam with pretty definite expectations of their passing.  Sometimes they don't and I am disappointed and of course, so are they!  Sometimes it's just one test that is below the minimum. But this time, the best possible outcome happened!

T has been in our classes off and on for three years.  We chatted in the spring almost four years ago and put her on the list for the fall.  At that point she was pregnant and caring for ten siblings because her mother had a stroke.  Over the summer, I recognized her name in the news when her newborn died under suspicious circumstances.  After investigation, it was determined that the baby died of SIDs.  T came to class the following fall with her 2 year old and three of her sisters of whom she had custody.  She has always been a class leader and an example to others.  One of the child care aides said "T is a gift."  She was the one who would be willing to speak on our behalf in public settings.  She even became trained in the Talk With Your Baby program and started leading sessions for others this fall at St. Margaret's House, a drop-in center in our city.

Last spring I applied for accommodations for T.  She passed the predictor tests without much to spare and only by taking them in the office by herself where she could read aloud, take her time, and use a calculator.  After months of waiting we were turned down by the official GED testing board because there was not enough discrepancy between her potential and her achievement.  This is no longer the definition of a learning disability in most assessments, but that was the reason given.  

T decided to go ahead and take the test anyway.  She felt terrible about her performance, saying she didn't have nearly enough time to do well.  I gave her credit for her courage in trying.

Meanwhile, I began to pursue other ways to get her accommodations.  I talked to the head of assessment of the school corporation and he advised I talk to the head of special education which I planned to do after Christmas break. 

Yesterday I was in the GED examiner's office working on attendance records.  I asked hesitantly if T's scores were in and learned that she had passed the exam!  I could not believe it, but I saw the numbers on the paper.  Every test was at least 20 points over the minimum and one was well over so she had a passing average--barely over the average, but barely is good enough!  

I called her and told her to check the documents online site where she could learn her scores.  She said she didn't have internet access, so I told her the good news.  She asked if I was happy!  Of course!  I was so happy that I have been telling everyone since then-- everyone in the adult education office, our small group that prayed for her, our church council that met last night, and all those who worked with her over the years in Family Literacy.  

Passing the GED demands a certain amount of ability including abstract thinking and skill in doing multi-step math problems.  It's not easy.  But she did it.  She has worked hard, but it takes more than hard work.  I am so grateful that she achieved this first step in opening doors for her.  Now we'll see what is next!