Gel Pen Learning

If homeschooling in New York isn’t difficult enough, start asking questions about graduation, and see just how maddening everything really is. It is almost impossible to get a straight answer on how to get a GED in New York State, leaving me to believe that the whole thing is a side quest designed by someone who hates parents.

It started out simple: “How does my daughter go about signing up for the GED?”

BOCES: “Not our thing, call your superintendent’s office directly and they can help you.”

The District Office: “Call the high school, someone there can help you.”

The High School Guidance Councilor: “I have no idea. Our students don’t ask about getting a GED.”

Yeah I didn’t believe that last one for a second, because the school district is responsible for ALL student’s, not just the ones who attend in person. They seem to forget that until they need something from you.

Dead end. Brick wall. Nada.

Then, by sheer dumb luck, I ran into someone who knew someone in Continuing Education. She connected me with her contact and I finally got real information…followed immediately by the catch: they couldn’t actually help us because my daughter hadn’t been out of school for at least a year.

Fine.

She did tell me that we needed to make an account at GED.com. Great. We make the account and hit a wall. To schedule the test, they needed a Age Eligibility Verification form filled out.

But I can’t submit it.

Neither can the State that issued her birth certificate.

Neither can the DMV who verified her entire identity with six points of identification also can’t submit it.

THE SCHOOL has to do it.

The same school that has already assured me they have “no idea” what’s going on. The same school that only knows her date of birth because I told them. But whatever.

Okay.

Email BOCES again.

They send a contact.

I email the contact, who forwards me to another contact.

I submit the forms to the contact.

And then I wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Finally, after two weeks, I follow up to ask if the form was submitted.

She replies, “If you don’t tell me your daughter’s name, I can’t give you a status.”

Her full name was:

• In the subject line
• In the body
• And on the attached form

In three places. THE INFO WAS IN THREE PLACES. Sorry, I’m trying to chill out even months later.

She responds immediately with, “Oh, I sent it two weeks ago. Five minutes after you submitted the request.”

Okay. Cool.

So we don’t tell anyone anything anymore?

We don’t follow up at all?

No confirmation?

No smoke signal? Nothing?

Once that hurdle magically resolved, the rest was fine (minus our own procrastination). We were finally able to schedule the test.

That’s it. That’s how you sign up for the GED in New York.

Actually, let me break it down. I’m no expert, but I’m also not a dunce:

How to sign up for the GED in NY (the real version)

1. Be at least 16 years old
2. Fill out an Age Eligibility form
3. Send it to whoever processes your homeschool paperwork
4. Wait for the “Schedule Test” button to unlock in the GED.com portal
5. Study while you wait
6. Sign up for the test
7. If your student wants to take it online, they have to pass the official practice test first because the site won’t let you schedule without it.

I just saved you three hours on the phone. You’re welcome.

And hopefully your kid isn’t like my kid. She signed up for her test, completely cold, with no math classes for two years, and chose a timeslot two days later because, because, and I quote: “it’s now or never.”