68 Rockland County TASC Grads Celebrated in Nyack

NYACK, NY — On the evening of Nov. 3, families, teachers and staff came out to the BOCES Educational Resource Center in Nyack to acknowledge the efforts of 68 students who received their high school equivalency diploma through Rockland BOCES and SUNY Rockland Community College.

This was the second year New York State offered the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC), which is generally acknowledged as more difficult than the previous GED exam first introduced in 1942. Many graduates cited their children as the reason for their perseverance.

Brief remarks were offered by Rockland BOCES Chief Operating Officer Mary Jean Marsico, RCC Executive Vice President Susan Deer and several graduating students, including Carmita Galdi and William Martinez.

The five testing subject fields of the TASC Testing Battery are: Literacy Writing, Literacy Reading, Math, Social Studies, and Science. The entire examination takes a little over 8 1/2 hours and includes a writing part.

To pass the TASC test students must reach a score of at least 500 for each of the five sub-tests (Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies). Additionally they must score at least two points (eight is possible) on their essay.

New York is one of only four states that completely subsidize the high school equivalency test for residents. Not only is the TASC Test free in New York, most prep facilities offer classes at no cost.