Are 8 semesters of postsecondary ed a tipping point for GED passers to graduate?

Crossing the Bridge research on 2004 GED passers found that 43% of GED passers went on to postsecondary education (Zhang, et al., 2011). However, from 2004 through 2010 very few who enrolled actually graduated. Research Allies for Lifelong Learning conducted follow-up analyses using the same dataset and learned that the number of semesters the GED passer enrolls relates positively to postsecondary completion. Click on Crossing the Bridge at www.researchallies.org for more information. For those who are curious about how GED passers did in their home states, this website also offers state-by-state data on college enrollment and graduation for GED passers. If 8 semesters really is a tipping point, how can adult educators use this information to prepare ASE learners to persist in college?