(a) An applicant for a certificate of high school equivalency shall meet the following requirements.
- (1) Residence. The applicant must be a resident of Texas or a member of the United States armed forces stationed at a Texas installation.
- (2) Age. The applicant must be 18 years old. An applicant who is 17 years of age is eligible with parental or guardian consent. An applicant who is 17 years of age must present written permission signed by the applicant's parent or guardian. An applicant who is 17 years of age and married, who has entered military service, who has been declared an adult by the court, or who has otherwise legally severed the child/parent relationship is not required to present parent or guardian permission to be tested. Any applicant who is at least 16 years of age may test if recommended by a public agency having supervision or custody under a court order. Recommendations must include the applicant's name and date of birth and must be signed by an official of the public agency having supervision or custody of the person under a court order.
- (3) Educational status. The applicant must not be enrolled in school and must not have received a high school diploma from an accredited high school in the United States. A student who is 17 years of age is eligible to test if the student has participated in an in-school program approved by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to prepare for the General Educational Development (GED) Test.
- (4) Minimum test scores. An applicant must achieve a standard score of 40 or above on each of the five parts of the test and achieve an average standard score of 45 on all five parts of the test. An applicant who achieved scores of 35 on each of the five tests prior to January 1, 1959, or who achieved 40 or above on each test or a 45 average on all five tests prior to January 1, 1997, may be issued a certificate.
- (b) Test centers shall verify that any person being tested meets the eligibility requirements in this section.
Source Note:The provisions of this §89.43 adopted to be effective September 1, 1996, 21 TexReg 5690; amended to be effective September 1, 1999, 24 TexReg 386.