`GO TO SCHOOL, MOM' WOMAN FACES GED DEADLINE.Byline: Amy Raisin raisin, in botany and cooking raisin, dried fruit of certain varieties of grapevines bearing grapes with a high content of sugar and solid flesh. Although the fruit is sometimes artificially dehydrated, it is usually sun-dried. Staff Writer NEWHALL - Maria Abreu was 13 when she quit school to clean houses in her native Mexico, abandoning her own education to help fund her brother's college pursuits. Three decades later she is the wife of a university professor, mother to a Stanford University Stanford University, at Stanford, Calif.; coeducational; chartered 1885, opened 1891 as Leland Stanford Junior Univ. (still the legal name). The original campus was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. David Starr Jordan was its first president. freshman and Hart High junior and, at 43, an eager student determined to earn a GED GED abbr. 1. general equivalency diploma 2. general educational development GED (US) n abbr (Scol) (= general educational development) → and pursue her own college dreams. ``My daughter said 'Go to school, Mom. You took care of us. It's your turn to go and get your education,' '' Abreu said. ``I was so excited because since I was in Mexico I wanted to go to school and become a nurse or a teacher.'' The pressure to pass the General Educational Development test, however, has increased for Abreu and others after the GED branch of the American Council on Education Established in 1918, the American Council on Education (ACE) is a United States organization comprising over 1,800 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher education-related associations, organizations, and corporations. announced the implementation of a new generation of GED tests effective Jan. 1, 2002. The deadline forces those who have passed some of the five required tests to complete the cycle before the new year, as existing tests will be considered invalid Null; void; without force or effect; lacking in authority. For example, a will that has not been properly witnessed is invalid and unenforceable. INVALID. In a physical sense, it is that which is wanting force; in a figurative sense, it signifies that which has no effect. upon the release of the updated tests. Abreu began taking classes at the William S William, crown prince of Germany William or Frederick William, 1882–1951, crown prince of Germany, son of William II. In World War I he commanded (1914) an army on the Western Front and was nominal commander in the German attack . Hart Union High School District's Golden Oak Adult School four years ago, when the growing independence of her teen-age children afforded her more time. She has taken and passed each test individually, scoring at least a 40 on each, but has yet to meet the required average of 225 points - one must average 45 points to pass all five. ``I need 13 more points to earn the certificate and November is my last chance,'' Abreu said, adding that the past two attempts have helped prepare her. ``I'm working intensely, better than before. I have more confidence in me now,'' she said, citing her four-nights-a-week attendance at Golden Oak. Mark Fetler, assessment office manager for the California Department of Education The California Department of Education is a California agency that oversees public education. The Department oversees funding, testing, and holds local educational agencies accountable for student achievement. , said the changes are necessary to keep current with changes in education and commerce. ``With math, for example, there's more emphasis now on data analysis and statistics,'' Fetler said. ``We've been looking very carefully at what people need to do to succeed in employment and in college.'' The last test revisions came in 1988, Fetler said. Regardless of the shift, Golden Oak Principal Carrol Ruffell has seen the benefits of earning the certificate and praised the program. ``It's vital. There are just so many people that have to leave high school for so many reasons - family issues or a tragedy, drug or alcohol abuse. These people need a way to demonstrate to employers and others that they have the skills necessary to compete in the workplace,'' Ruffell said. Others, she said, take the tests to set examples for their children and grandchildren GRANDCHILDREN, domestic relations. The children of one's children. Sometimes these may claim bequests given in a will to children, though in general they can make no such claim. 6 Co. 16. . Abreu's examples came from her daughter Melissa, 19, son Michael, 17, and a husband who himself navigated the often trying journey of college. ``My daughter was the pushy push·y adj. push·i·er, push·i·est Disagreeably aggressive or forward. push  i·ly adv. one. She'd say 'Mom, don't worry, I'll finish cooking dinner, you're going to be late for school,''' Abreu said. ``My attitude now is, OK, I know the test. ``I know I can do this. And I go to school because there are wonderful teachers, too. I felt like a little kid. I needed attention and they helped me.'' |
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