How to get an Oklahoma high school diploma in days using your old test scores

For years, the path to a high school equivalency in Oklahoma was a rigid “all or nothing” game. You either passed the GED or HiSET with a perfect average score, or you walked away with nothing—even if you excelled in math or science.

“It’s heartbreaking to tell a student they passed every content area but didn’t meet a total average score,” says Lance Allee, a Program Specialist for Adult Education and Family Literacy (AEFL).

But a new program is changing the math. In just its first two weeks, the Oklahoma Career Readiness Diploma has already begun issuing credentials, proving that a little flexibility can open a lot of doors.

Oklahoma is facing a massive education gap that the old testing models simply weren’t closing fast enough.

• The Numbers: Approximately 279,000 Oklahomans (about 10% of the state) do not have a high school diploma.
• The Bottleneck: Traditional tests like the GED only issue about 2,500 diplomas a year.
• The Expiration Trap: Many students passed sections of their tests years ago, but because they didn’t finish the whole battery at once, their scores “expired.”

Instead of a single, high-stakes test, the new Career Readiness Diploma acts like a portfolio. It’s designed for the 10% of Oklahomans who started their journey but got stuck in the red tape of “expired” scores or rigid testing averages.

How it works: You can now “mix and match” your previous successes. If you passed a section of the GED ten years ago, or earned credits in high school before leaving, those achievements now count toward your diploma.

To earn the diploma, students spend 12 hours at an Adult Learning Center focusing on the “real world” skills that actually land jobs:

• Professional Resumes: Most applicants have never had a formal resume; the program helps build one from scratch.
• Interview Prep: Learning how to talk to employers so the diploma translates into a paycheck.
• Career Coaching: Whether you’re 24 and looking for a trade or 71 and looking to set an example for your grandkids.

The program is less than a month old, but the impact is immediate. In the first two weeks alone, 20 diplomas were issued. One student in the correctional system is even being released 90 days early because they reached this academic milestone.

The goal is to move 1,000 Oklahomans into the workforce with this credential in the first year. With a processing time of just 2 to 3 days, that goal is well within reach.

If you are 21 or older, the door is open. You can apply directly through the Oklahoma CareerTech website or visit one of the 100+ Adult Learning Centers across the state.