Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES Offers Flexible Path to High School Diploma

Jennifer Kent Isaacs — Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES

June 8, 2026 Paul Szmal 7:25

The official logo for Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES.

For adults who need a high school equivalency diploma but can’t fit traditional test prep into a packed schedule, Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES is offering a flexible, mostly online alternative that lets students work at their own pace from home.

The National External Diploma Program, known as NEDP, has existed since the 1970s but Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES only began offering it within the past couple of years. Unlike the GED exam, which requires passing subject tests including higher-level algebra and geometry, NEDP is competency-based — focusing on real-world skills like health literacy and civic literacy. Students complete activities at home and check in with a staff member in person or remotely about once a week or every two weeks for roughly an hour.

Jennifer Kent Isaacs, who coordinates adult education programs at the BOCES Center for Learning, said the program typically takes six to nine months to complete. She described it as a good fit for people who struggle with advanced math or simply can’t come in for daytime classes. “I have students that are enrolled that are home health aides,” she said, “and they can work on this when their clients are sleeping, or when their kids are in school, or on the weekend.”

Before enrolling, prospective students must pass a reading, math, and writing assessment to confirm they meet the minimum score requirements. Strong digital literacy skills are also important, since the program relies heavily on computer-based work. Isaacs noted that NEDP is not the right choice for anyone in a hurry — the GED exam route, by comparison, can move much faster for motivated students.

For those pursuing the GED, Isaacs reminded community members that passing Regents exams, previous GED sections, or TASC exam sections (taken after 2002) can count toward their credential, potentially eliminating the need to retake certain subject tests. Four GED testing dates are scheduled for July; students can register at GED.com by selecting the BOCES testing site.

Also launching in July is a fast-track nurse aide program that runs through the end of August — a condensed version of the BOCES nurse aide training offered on a compressed schedule. Information sessions are being held in June for anyone interested.

For more information on NEDP, GED testing, or the nurse aide program, call Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES at 315-253-4899 or visit www.cayboces.org.

Read Full Transcript

Paul Szmal: We're going to check in now with Jennifer Kent Isaacs. She's from Cayuga Onondaga Boceys. Jennifer, good morning. How are you this morning?

Guest: Good morning. How are you? I'm enjoying the sunshine and warm weather today.

Paul Szmal: Yeah, I think everybody is. There's a special program that is happening at the Cayuga Onondaga Boceys Center for Learning. It's called the National External Diploma Program, or NEDP for short. Can you tell us a little bit about what this is?

Guest: Yeah, so this program has actually been around since the 70s, but we just started offering the program probably in the last couple of years. So it's a different way to get somebody's high school equivalency diploma. So they can take the GED exam or they can go through this program. So this program is mostly an online program. So they work on competency activities at home, and then they come in every week, every two weeks for about an hour to do what's called an in-office check. We can also do those remotely. And it's a different way to get their diploma. It's more real-life work-based type things. They aren't going to get the higher level of algebra and geometry that are on the GED exam, but it's kind of self-paced. Typically, it takes students about six to nine months to get through the program. But it's definitely a good option for people that either really struggle with those higher level math areas or just can't come into class for preparation that they really need to do stuff mostly at home.

There is a reading, math, and writing test that they need to take before they enroll because there is certain cut score that make them eligible for the test because there is a lot of reading to it. And it's a lot of kind of self-taught at home. They can come in for in-person tutoring as well, but it's a lot of like you need to be really self-motivated. And your digital literacy skills, obviously, being on the computer has to be at a good level.

Paul Szmal: So this program takes six to nine months. How does that compare usually to preparation for a GED?

Guest: Yeah, so that's kind of the pros and cons. People kind of have to waive if they're in a real rush to get their diploma. NADP is really not the option. But the GED exam is really test run ready. So for students that come in for our preparation, we give them an assessment. They typically just work on what they need to work on what they missed on the initial assessment. And then we send them to the test when they're ready. And there's other people that have not been out of school for that long, don't need that much preparation, and they can just go right in and take the exam right away.

So this is really designed for people that have families, have jobs, maybe more than one, and they want to go ahead and do the high school equivalency thing. But they need something that's going to be able to kind of shoehorn into a busy schedule.

Paul Szmal: Right. Yeah. I mean, for the GED exam preparation options that we have, we do have Monday evenings open. We're open till seven on Mondays. But other than that, the class is really during the day, eight to four.

Guest: So the NADP does give people an option. You know, I have students that are enrolled that, you know, they're, you know, a home health aide, and they can, you know, work on this, you know, when they're, you know, working, when, you know, their clients are sleeping, or they have some downtime, or when their kids are in school, or, you know, on the weekend that they're not working, it gives them just another option.

And you mentioned that it starts with a little bit of an intake program and a test to see where you're at. But if you've taken a Regents or GED, or one of the tasks, the TASC exams, then those actually count toward this program.

Paul Szmal: Yeah, so that applies towards if they go the GED exam route. That doesn't apply for NADP, because NADP is more competency-based, and their areas are like health literacy, civic literacy, those type of things. But if people do go the GED exam route, yes, if they passed any Regents when they were in school, or if they passed any old GED exams, as long as it was after 2002, and then when New York used to give the TASC exam, if they pass any sections, those are grandfathered in. So a lot of people don't realize, you know, if they passed any math Regents, that applies. So they won't need to take the math portion of the exam.

And speaking of the GED exams, you have four of those coming up in July?

Guest: Yep, yep. So we're not running any tests in June, just because it's end of school year time. But yeah, we are usually typically give the GED exam four days over every month. And if people go on to GED.com, typically they create an account, and then they can schedule their exam all through that website. And if they click our testing site, they usually are able to see what states are available.

Also want to mention that in July, there is a fast track nurse aid program that's starting.

Paul Szmal: Yeah. Can you give us a little more on that, Jennifer?

Guest: So yeah, so typically, our nurse aid program, we run only on Mondays and Tuesdays, and it's a little bit longer of a program. This fast track nurse aid program that we're running in July is very fast paced. It's starts in July, very beginning of July, we have information sessions going on in June. So for anybody that's interested, they can call or go on to our website for more information. But yeah, it starts in July, and it's done by the end of August. So it's a really quick pace that students can get through the nurse aid program, become a nurse aid, and be able to, you know, go to work right away.

Paul Szmal: Now, if people want to find out more information about the NEDP program, or the nurse aid program that we're talking about, or maybe even the GE testing dates, how do they do that, Jennifer?

Guest: So they can call our office. So our office number is 315-253-4899. They can also go on to our website, we have all the information. There's actually a QR code in a Google form that they can fill out their information for all those programs, and especially signing up for the info sessions for nurse aid at www.cayboces.org.