GORHAM – As GED classes get under way this fall, it marks the start of a shift toward computer-based testing for the high school equivalency test.

Beginning in 2014, a new assessment will come into effect with an increased focus on critical thinking and problem-solving skills relevant to the real world. The biggest change, however, is that the test will now be taken on a computer rather than with pencil and paper, as the program moves to adapt to changing workforce needs.

Students who have already begun working toward a GED credential must finish before the new computer testing in 2014 is implemented or be required to start over.

According to Barbara Quinn-Gagnon, marketing coordinator for Gorham Adult Education, “The program is indeed still paper and pencil and will change to on the computer in 2014.”

She said the tests will also be more rigorous and based on the common core, a national set of standards for students. A compelling reason for the change in tests includes a “greater demand for higher skilled workers on the national level,” Gorham Adult Education said in a statement.

According to Andy McMahan, the GED administrator at the Maine Department of Education, as the state prepares for the new GED assessment, officials will look to install a few computer-based testing centers before the changeover date in an effort to “try it out before we get to 2014.”

The state will also make an effort to get people who are currently in the program to finish before the new assessment comes into effect, because those students who haven’t finished by Dec. 31, 2013, will have to restart the process. The state dealt with a similar issue in 2001 as the cutoff for the new 2002 assessment approached.

This year will also see a focus on professional development for GED educators. There will be “a lot of staff development,” McMahan explained, in order to “start getting them up to snuff” as the state learns more about the specific changes to the new test.

A public affairs specialist for the GED Testing Service, which administers the test nationwide, said educators will receive sufficient preparation for the switch to computer testing. Armando Diaz explained that the test requires “very basic technology skills,” and noted that nationwide, the average GED test taker is 26 years old and thus likely has already achieved basic computer literacy.

The reasoning behind the launch of a new assessment, Diaz said, is the need to address an “evolving workforce and demand on technology.”

“The landscape is shifting,” he said, which meant that it was time to do a major overhaul of the assessment, rather than simply update a few questions. The test should show that the student has “real-life skill sets,” Diaz said.

The testing service also made the change because it wants the assessment to be a “starting point” for graduates, rather than an endpoint. As many jobs now require more than a high school diploma, the goal of the changes is to encourage students to “take it to that next step,” whether that be job training, community college, or a four-year college, Diaz explained.

The assessment must “test the skills that an adult learner needs” to succeed in today’s workforce or a higher education setting. Changing high school standards require adjustments to the test, because “we need to make sure that we’re staying on par with high school standards,” Diaz said. The new assessment is undergoing field testing with high school seniors.

This is the fifth revamp of the test since it was first created in 1942. Starting this fall, the testing service, which is a public-private joint venture between the American Council on Education and Pearson, will begin a national closeout campaign to push current students to finish the program before the December 31, 2013 cut off date.

McMahan said that GED programs in Maine are already working on students’ computer skills. “Most of the programs are doing quite a bit with computers,” McMahan said, in an effort to keep pace with changes in K-12 classes.

GED enrollment, meanwhile, has been down slightly since the beginning of this year. Enrollment “goes just the opposite of the economy,” he explained. When the economy is doing well, the number of students enrolled in GED programs goes down. “They tend to go up” when the economy is not doing well, as people return to get new skills or decide to work towards a degree if they are “out of work or in danger of being out of work.”

McMahan expects the new test to “upgrade some of the skills” required of graduates, and better prepare them for a changing world.

Gorham Adult Education, an official GED testing site, is urging prospective students not to feel intimidated about seeking GED credentials and to contact it soon. Testing is done privately and is available day or evening.

“If they’re willing to work with us, we’ll help them get there,” said Kate Rotroff, director of Gorham Adult Education.

In Gorham, the adult education staff interviews each GED student privately.

“Our goal is to figure out where each person is and move them forward,” said Rotroff.

And adult students going back to school don’t even have to live in Gorham to enroll in its GED program. James Murray of Windham, whose goal is to become a pastor, graduated in June. Murray passed his tests in Gorham, scoring in the top 10 percent in the country.

Gorham GED classes are also small groups with three to five students.