Using the nationally representative, cohort-based data of the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:02), this study employs multiple regression to examine the effects of exit exams on student achievement and school completion. This study finds that exit exams as a whole do not have substantial effects on student achievement in mathematics, twelfth grade GPA, or school completion. Standards-based exams are a positive predictor of dropping out of school but lose their predictive power once GED recipients are coded as completing school. Exit exams do not affect GED seeking and acquisition. When exit exams are disaggregated by type and students are sorted by ninth grade GPA quartiles, end-of-course exams have some negative effects on mathematics test score gains. Students in the bottom two quartiles see reduced test score gains of 28% and 29% of a grade level equivalency (GLE). These effects disappear when students in North Carolina are coded as taking a different type of exam. Standards-based exams had a small positive effect, about 37% of a GLE, on the top quartile of students. Overall, the findings showed no results for school completion and mixed results for test score gains. The article concludes that policymakers looking to boost high school achievement would be better served by working to boost student accomplishments before high school. Keywords: high school exit examinations; high school graduation tests; accountability; graduation tests; minimum competency testing; education longitudinal study. Re-examining Exit Exams 2 Re-examinando los exámenes de egreso: Nuevos hallazgos del Estudio Longitudinal de Educación de 2002Resumo: Usando datos de una muestra representativa nacional del Estudio Longitudinal de Educación del 2002 (ELS: 02), este estudio emplea regresión múltiple para examinar los efectos de los exámenes de egreso en el rendimiento escolar y finalización de la escuela. Este estudio revela que los exámenes de egreso como un todo no tienen efectos sustanciales en el rendimiento escolar en matemáticas, el promedio de notas (GPA) del duodécimo grado, o de la finalización de la escuela. Los exámenes basados en estándares son un predictor positivo de abandono escolar, pero pierden su poder predictivo, una vez que los estudiantes que obtienen los diplomas de exámenes de educación GED se codifican como completando la escolaridad. Exámenes de egreso no afectan la búsqueda y adquisición de diplomas de GED. Cuando los exámenes de egreso están desagregados por tipo y los estudiantes de noveno grado son clasificados por los cuartiles promedio (GPA) los exámenes tienen algunos efectos negativos sobre las mejorías en las calificaciones en las pruebas de matemáticas. Los estudiantes en los dos cuartiles más bajos pierden 28% y 29% de las mejorías en las calificaciones de las pruebas de equivalencia de nivel de grado (GLE). Estos efectos desaparecen cuando los estudiantes de Carolina del Norte están codificados como tomar otro tipo de examen. Exámenes basados en estándares tuvieron un pequeño efecto ...
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