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Zenobia Johnson,
Director, Adult Learning Center
Hostos Community College
Zenobia Johnson does not view the General Education Development examination (GED)
as an end unto itself. Rather, she sees an opportunity to make learning applicable to real
life by helping students build their skills beyond just passing the exam. Her two-year,
$125,000 project,
Hostos Contextualized GED Exam Preparation Pilot,
funded by the
JPMorgan Chase Foundation, involves identifying ways to create instruction that promotes
the consideration of careers in allied health or vocational training. The project follows the
model of thematic instruction concentrating on historical periods or scientific disciplines
and encourages students to establish a career path beginning at the GED level. Selecting
the student cohort involved identifying candidates with previous exposure to or interest in
health care and reviewing their test scores in math, science and writing. With the curricu-
lum and instructors in place, the pilot program is working with its first cohort of GED
students. “While students prepare for this challenging exam, we focus on helping them
develop transferrable skills and think about career exploration so they may move out of
poverty, become more self-sufficient, or simply make changes in their lives.”
over 1.5 million
New Yorkers in the five boroughs
lack a high school diploma
Pt
78
195.084