Melissa Ripley, who is chief examiner for GED (General Educational Development) testing at Tusculum College, has been named to the Tennessee GED Testing Service Advisory Board.
Ripley, director of operations and marketing for the Residential College at Tusculum, will be representing East Tennessee on the Advisory Board for a three-year term. Members of the group are broadly representative of adult and secondary education, research, disability advocacy, correctional education programs, military recruitment and test development.
The Advisory Board was created to review the nature of the GED tests and provides guidance to the GED Testing Service staff in conducting its activities. The Board meetings each six weeks to advise, plan and discuss policy for GED Testing Services in Tennessee.
Tusculum College was approved last December as a testing center to administer the GED tests that provide adults who did not complete a formal high school program the opportunity to certify their attainment of high school-level knowledge and skills. The college has also received approval to administer the test at the Greene County Detention Center and the Washington County Detention Center.
Testing on site began in January, and 151 students have been tested thus far this year. Tests are given in either one-day sessions, typically on Saturdays, or in split sessions over two weekdays to accommodate individuals who may not be able to devote the seven-hour block of time needed to complete the entire test due to work or family responsibilities.