High School Equivalency Diploma Policy

August 14, 2017

TO: All NYSED funded adult education programs

FROM: Robert Purga, Director, ACCES Adult Education Programs

SUBJECT: High School Equivalency diploma policy

This memo is intended to announce new policy regarding the New York State High School Equivalency Diploma (HSE) and to remind WIOA, EPE, WEP, and ALE funded programs of existing NYSED policy regarding diploma credit in ASISTS.

Beginning July 1, 2017, students enrolled in NYSED funded preparation programs that appear ready to take the TASC™ test must be given the TASC™ Readiness Test before being referred to the testing center. Score results are considered acceptable when they meet mastery criteria suggested by the publisher, Data Recognition Corporation. The TASC™ Readiness Test scores must be recorded in ASISTS and included on the TASC™ Test Application Form (T-TAF).

Reminder: In 2015, NYSED set policy indicating that NYSED HSE preparation programs who refer students to the TASC test must affix their NYSED five-digit preparation code to the TASC™ Test Application Form (T-TAF) and submit this form to the TASC™ testing center prior to the test date.

The T-TAF form can be found online.

When the T-TAF is submitted, the NYSED HSE office associates that student’s scores with the respective NYSED HSE preparation program and these students are included on quarterly reports issued by NYSED. Should an error occur and the student is not included on the quarterly preparation program report, NYSED HSE staff will recheck with the testing center to locate the T-TAF form however, if the form was not submitted, credit is not given to the preparation program regardless of how long the student was registered with that program. When that student, absent the T-TAF form, attains the NYS HSE diploma, the preparation program cannot claim that diploma in their ASISTS account. The diploma will not be counted on any performance reports from ASISTS. Beginning July 1, 2017, any diploma recorded in ASISTS that does not meet these criteria, will no longer count for the preparation program.

cc: RAEN Directors, ACCES-Adult Education Regional Staff