High School Exit Examinations and State-Level Completion and GED Rates, 1975 Through 2002

Abstract

This article investigates the extent to which state-mandated high school exit examinations are associated with state-level public high school completion rates in the United States. The authors estimate a series of state and year fixed effects models using a new measure of state-level public high school completion rates and archival information about states’ policies on high school exit examinations from 1975 through 2002. The study finds that state high school exit examinations—particularly the “more difficult” examinations that have been implemented recently in some states—are associated with lower public high school completion rates and higher rates of General Educational Development test taking. Furthermore, the study finds that the association between state policies on high school exit examinations and public high school completion grows stronger as states become more racially and ethnically diverse and as poverty rates increase.

To leave or not to leave? A regression discontinuity analysis of the impact of failing the high school exit exam

“…However, it has been suggested that such high stakes exams have adverse impacts that prompt minority and low-achieving students to leave high school early (CEP, 2006;Garcia and Gopal, 2003;Jacob, 2001;Warren, Jenkins, and Kulick, 2006). Furthermore, despite the vast and rapid adoption of the policy, there is very little causal research on the benefits of the HSEE including whether the exam effectively raises students' academic skills.…”

“…An exit exam is designed to test all subject matter learned during high school in a comprehensively fashion. The introduction of the HSEE as a graduation requirement can be traced to the 1980s 9 when the report A Nation at Risk (1983) 10 called for higher standards and expectations including the use of standardized tests to improve the academic underachievement of U.S. students compared to other advanced countries (Dee, 2002;Dee and Jacob, forthcoming;Harris and Herrington, 2006;Warren et al 2006). …”

“…Opponents of exit exams (Griffin and Heidorn, 1996;Jacob, 2001;Warren et al 2006) often claim that exit exams encourage more students to drop out 15 . For example, Warren and his colleagues (2006) used a combined data set of Current Population Survey (CPS) and Common Core Data (CCD) to measure the impact of high school exit exam policy on number 12 For some states the passing score to receive a high school diploma is lower than the proficient level demanded by NCLB.…”

“…9 High stakes testing was first integrated into student accountability reform in the 1970s and became more common in 1980s (Warren et al 2006). For a detailed discussion on the educational reform movement, see Dee (2002), Dee and Jacob (2006), Harris and Herrington (2006), Warren et al (2006). 10 National Commission on Excellence in Education (1983).…”

“…For example, the data sets vary from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS: 88) (Jacob, 2001;Mueller, 1998;Mueller and Schiller, 2000) to the Census (Warren and Edwards, 2005;Warren et al, 2006) and the Common Core Data (Dee and Jacob, Forthcoming). Some of these studies encounter data limitations and the calculation of student outcomes varies considerably 17 in these data sets.…”