• Effective January 5, 2009 there will be only one location for the program. The new location is:

  Benton Middle School
  7411  Hoadly Road
  Manassas, VA.20112

• Prince William County Schools offers two GED programs to meet the needs of both high school age students and adult students. This web site describes the GED program is for high school age students between the ages 16 and 17 years old and is part of PWCS's Office of Student Management and Alternative Programs (OSMAP).
• If you are seeking information about the adult GED program for adults, ages 18 and above, go to the web site for the Adult Education Program or contact their officeat 703.791.7357

Registration forms for the GED program are available in the Guidance Department at each high school.  Students may register for the program through the Guidance Department. The registration form will be forwarded, by the school, to the Office of Student Management and Alternative Programs.  A placement test is given to each student who requests services. 

Robin Morrow, GED Coordinator, contacts students via letter and telephone regarding the time and place of the test.  Phone: 703.906.7053, address: 8886 Rixlew Lane, Manassas, 20109.

While there is no tuition cost to the student, participants pay for the GED test, which is administered once a month.  The cost of the GED test is $43.50.

RETURNING STUDENTS FROM THE 2007-08 SCHOOL YEAR - Students returning from the 2007-08 school year must go to the base school and complete a current registration form for the 2008-09 school year.

• Students must be 16 years old to be eligible for the program. 
• VERY IMPORTANT - STATE REQUIREMENT

  The State requires that students in the Sixteen/Seventeen-Year-Old GED Program read on a 7.5 grade level in order to be eligible for participation in the program. They must score a 410 on each of the pre-GED content area tests.  Schools are notified when students do not meet the criteria.

Classes will be held at Rippon Middle School and New Directions Alternative Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. 

Students are required to attend class for the entire three (3) hours per evening.

RETURNING STUDENTS FROM THE 2007-08 SCHOOL YEAR - Students returning from the 2007-08 school year must go to the base school and complete a current registration form for the 2008-09 school year

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Effective January 5, 2009 there will be only one location for the program. The new location is:

• Students will be required to attend two three hour educational sessions per week in order to maintain their enrollment in this program.  This mandatory attendance is necessary since the typical GED student starts the program with academic levels much lower than needed to pass the State GED exam. 
  

• In addition to preparation for the GED test students will receive counseling for employment. 
  

• EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENT - It is mandatory for all students enrolled in the GED program to be currently employed for a minimum of fifteen hours per week. Students who cannot meet this requirement will be dropped from the program.
  
• The program meets in the late afternoon and follows the regular PWC school schedule.  Students who discontinue attendance in the GED program will be out of compliance with the compulsory school attendance law.  They will be referred to an attendance officer and the juvenile court system will be notified. GED students are under the same rules and guidelines as applied to all other PWCS students. 

• Once students have achieved a level of proficiency in all of their
  curriculum areas, they will be allowed to take a GED practice test to
  determine if they are ready to apply for the State's GED exam.

• They must score 500 or better on each sub-test of the GED official practice test to be eligible for the exam.

• The following are requirements for GED exam registration:

  Once the GED Coordinator certifies the student for testing, the test schedule will be provided to the student.  The state GED exam is given monthly at the following location:

  New Directions Center
  8886 Rixlew Lane
  Manassas, Virginia 20109

  • Robin Morrow, The GED Coordinator, will arrange the registration for testing with the student. 
    
  • In order to register for the test:
    • Students must bring a cashier's check or money order made out to NDAC-GED (New Directions Center) for $43.50 which is non-refundable, and
    • Students must present a Social Security card and driver's license.  (A picture identification that provides student name, date of birth, current address, and residency in the Commonwealth of
      Virginia can be substituted if student does not have a driver's license).

For further information regarding testing, please contact:

Robin Morrow
Monday - Thursday

703.906.7053
8886 Rixlew Lane, Manassas, 20109

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Updated 12/9/08

• GED, best known as a test of General Education Development is a national alternative educational program leading to a certificate of achievement from the State of Virginia as an alternative to a regular high school diploma. 
  
• Students enrolled in this program must be able to pass a comprehensive 7.5 hour exam targeting specific curriculum areas in order to complete their GED.  Unlike traditional high school programs, there is no grading system used to build credit toward the certificate.
  
• The student's success in obtaining their GED is based solely on their ability to pass the exam. Therefore the major focus of the program is to prepare students by building their competencies in writing, math,  science, social studies,and literature to successfully pass the GED exam.
  
• Students enrolled in this program will be pre-tested using a computer based diagnostic program to assess their educational levels and deficiencies.
  
• Students will then begin a state-of-the-art computer assisted instruction specifically designed for GED education.  This special program will develop a personal profile for each individual student and will then track them through all of their sessions. 
  
• Students will also participate in teacher led classroom instruction in math, writing, critical reading,  basic concepts, vocational and career planning.
  
• To enable the student's ultimate success in this program, teachers will monitor each student's progress as they proceed through the program, provide one-to-one assistance or tutoring with students as needed, and
  review each student's progress monthly.

• An important mission of Alternative Education's GED program is to ensure that each of our students will graduate with the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue plans for their future which will guide them to become a positive contributor to society. 
  
• To help accomplish this an instructional team consisting of a vocational specialist, a counselor, and academic faculty will be present to actively assist each student to set their immediate goals and make
  decisions in the planning of their future. 
  
• This will involve providing each student with personal, educational, and career counseling.

• This type of counseling offers students assistance in developing viable strategies and skills which will enable them to address issues as they prepare to transition to other opportunities for such as in vocational,
  educational, or military pursuits.  
  
• Students are encouraged to access these services, and confidentiality is maintained.

• Counseling in this area focuses on assisting students with identifying additional school opportunities and attaining their personal educational goals. 
  
• Services encompass helping students to select appropriate educational programs and curriculum.

• Counseling for careers consists of exposure to various career options based on the student's interests and abilities and current job market information. 
  
• Students are encouraged to explore careers through aptitude tests, interest inventories, and a variety of other resources.

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