Preparing learners for the CAEC high school equivalency? Don’t forget our guide.

Are you helping learners prepare for the Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC)? If so, don’t forget we offer a guide that can help you build their confidence and get ready for what this relatively new assessment really asks.

Our guide to the CAEC — and how it differs from the GED

The CAEC replaced the General Education Development (GED) test in 2024. In response, AlphaPlus created the Preparing Learners for the Canadian Adult Education Credential online guide to help adult literacy educators make the shift. It’s been one year since we launched the guide, and we want to make sure you haven’t forgotten it exists!

If you’re working with a learner who wants to write the CAEC, you’ll need to understand the test’s principles, the online experience, the question types and how to practise effectively. The CAEC is substantially different from the GED, so preparing learners for it requires a different approach.

Here are a few key differences between the CAEC and the GED:

1. The CAEC features genuinely Canadian content; it’s not a light adaptation of the GED. The social studies test and much of the reading test draw on Canadian institutions, perspectives and current issues — they are not just featured as topics here and there.

2. The thinking required goes deeper. The CAEC’s cognitive complexity framework asks candidates to apply concepts and reason, not just recall facts. This is a step up from more familiar test formats.

>> See this section of the guide: CAEC changes and new features compared to the GED®

3. Science and social studies knowledge is actually tested. Unlike the Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework (OALCF) Milestones, the CAEC assesses subject-based content. Your learners will need real knowledge of these subjects, not just reading comprehension. 

>> See this section of the guide: Using OALCF Milestones and Culminating Tasks with CAEC learners. 

4. Question formats are far more varied, including drag-and-drop, ordering and multi-select. Learners will need practice with the format itself (not just the content). 

>> See this section of the guide: Multi-faceted test preparation  

Get familiar with the CAEC now so you’re ready to teach using emerging tools

CAEC instructional materials such as test-preparation workbooks are starting to roll out and become available for purchase. So now is a good time to get ready for them by returning to our free CAEC guide:

• Our guide can help you put the CAEC and the emerging materials into context and make decisions about the right tools for you and your learners.
• There’s a difference between how to teach for CAEC preparation and how to take the test (the focus of the workbooks). We’re helping educators with the former.
• With the guidance of subject matter experts, we’ve also built subject-specific prep guides for reading, writing, math, science and social studies — along with curriculum-planning tools and sample question templates you can use directly.

Our guide won’t fill every gap, but because it was created by Ontario educators for Ontario educators, it’s a reliable place to start.

Don’t forget to use (and share) the CAEC guide

If you’ll be working with learners whose goals include writing the assessment, set aside time to work through the AlphaPlus CAEC guide to get you and your learners ready.