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A new GED examination is coming to states nationwide, promising to better prepare students for the rigors of higher education or the 21st-century workforce. The update marks the largest change to the exam in its 70-year history, and not everyone is on board with the new product � or its higher price tag. Is the new GED a necessity to maintain a competitive workforce in America, or will it price some students right out of high school completion?

Need for Revamping

The Washington Post reports that the new GED examination is scheduled to be introduced on a national level in January 2014. The exam is currently in a pilot phase in select locations and has received positive reviews from many who have taken the new test. The test is designed to assess skills and knowledge that are more relevant to the 21^st century, including critical thinking skills, a deeper knowledge of mathematics, and basic computer literacy.

“The content has been aligned with the Common Core State Standards,� Tiffany Cowie, public information officer for the Florida Department of Education, stated in a report from the . “The new test will reflect the knowledge and skills required for current graduates.�

The current GED exam is available in English, French, and Spanish. It covers five test areas: writing, reading, mathematics, science, and social studies. According to the website for GED Testing Service, the new exam will cover four test areas: literacy, mathematics, social studies, and science.

In what has traditionally been seen as an all-boys sport in high schools across the country, female athletes are beginning to make their mark. Female wrestlers have struggled for many years to be serious contenders in wrestling competitions, dealing with coaches who didn’t want them on the team and male contenders who forfeited matches rather than compete against them. Now, that tide appears to be changing, as more schools across the country are beginning to recognize these athletes as the serious competitors they are. Some are even giving girls their own place in the wrestling world, forming all-girls teams that are making their way into national competitions.

Female Wrestling Growing Nationwide

reports that female wrestling at the high school is a growing sport across the country. In fact, the entire sport appears to be on the rise for both male and female athletes. The publication reports on a survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations during the 2010-11 school year that showed a .3 percent increase in the number of male wrestlers and a 19.8 percent increase in the number of female wrestlers. That year, 273,732 high school boys competed in the sport and 7,351 female athletes competed at the high school level.

This video shows Kasey Baynon of Statesboro Georgia making history as the first girl in Georgia to take the podium at the GHSA Wrestling Championships.

High school athletics has become a complex maze of rules and regulations in some states. At the crux of the issue is fairness, which is debated through school boundaries, student eligibility and recruitment rules for high school coaches. Now, two states are taking the proverbial bull by the horns to address these issues in an effort to make high school athletics a level playing field once again.

The Public v. Private Debate in Ohio

Recent talks about splitting teams from private and public schools into separate tournaments in Ohio appear to be on the back burner. A new proposal to combine schools in the state to a single tournament structure that would bring “competitive balance.� According to a report in the , the new proposal came about after months of work by a competitive balance committee for the state.

Previous referendums involved penalizing private schools that have a winning tradition or offering additional help to schools with serious socioeconomic issues. The new proposal does away with these factors, and instead adjusts enrollment numbers for each school based on students that live outside the school’s district. Private schools would also be evaluated based on the district where they are located, according to the .

“It is generally believed that in addition to the size of enrollment, students on a team’s roster who are from outside that school’s geographic boundary or attendance zone does affect athletic success,� Dan Ross, commissioner

Dual-enrollment programs have become a popular way for high school students to explore the world of college curricula prior to their high school graduation. These programs typically exist between high schools and neighboring community colleges, offering students the chance to earn college credits � often tuition-free - while still in high school. The rising popularity of dual-enrollment has led many students and their parents to explore the potential benefits of such a program in their own academic endeavors. Check out these benefits of a dual-enrollment program � as well as some of the possible reasons why dual-enrollment may not be the best choice for you.

What is Dual-Enrollment?

According to the website for Columbia State Community College, dual-enrollment is a program that provides the opportunity for qualifying juniors and seniors in high school to take college-level courses. The courses may be offered on the community college campus or right at the high school. Specific laws involving eligibility, tuition rates, and earned credit opportunities vary from state to state.

In many cases, there is no tuition charge for high school students participating in the dual-enrollment program � a huge boon to those concerned about the cost of higher education. Other programs might involve a tuition fee, although it is often highly discounted from what students will pay after graduating from high school. High schools are generally responsible for overseeing dual enrollment programs.

This video explores the suitability of dual enrollment.

Graduation rates are on the rise at high schools across the county, putting the nation on track to achieve a 90-percent graduation rate by the year 2020. However, not all students are faring as well as those numbers make it sound, and plenty of factors may still impact the country’s ability to meet that completion goal. Check out the potential reasons why some states are seeking exponential increases to their own graduation rates, and why some students are not reaping the benefits of those improvements.

New Report Shows Encouraging Numbers

According to , the positive news comes from a recent report titled, “Building a Grad Nation,� co-authored by a leading expert on dropout rates from Johns Hopkins University, Robert Balfanz. Balfanz and his team noted that graduation rates are improving in an eclectic listing of states that include Texas, Tennessee, and Alaska. The report did not include numbers from Oklahoma or Kentucky since those states used a different formula from the rest to calculate their graduation rates.

The report lists the top performers in terms of graduation rates as Iowa, Vermont, and Wisconsin, which led the country with rates at nearly 90 percent. A handful of states still showed plenty of work ahead in their completion efforts. New Mexico and Nevada fell at the bottom of the pack, with graduation rates that barely reached 60 percent. Nationwide, graduation rates have increased from 71.7 percent