The GED. NBER Working Paper No. 16064

Autor/inn/en	Heckman, James J.; Humphries, John Eric; Mader, Nicholas S.
Institution	National Bureau of Economic Research
Titel	The GED. NBER Working Paper No. 16064
Quelle	(2010) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Credentials; Testing Programs; Dropouts; Labor Market; High School Graduates; High School Equivalency Programs; Foreign Countries; Academic Aptitude; Academic Persistence; Student Motivation; Certification; Outcomes of Education; Nontraditional Students; Postsecondary Education; Reliability; Graduation Rate; Minority Groups; Canada; United States; General Educational Development Tests + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Studienbuch; Drop-out; Drop-outs; Dropout; Early leavers; Schulversagen; Labour market; Arbeitsmarkt; High school; High schools; Graduate; Graduates; Oberschule; Absolvent; Absolventin; Ausland; Schulische Motivation; Abschlusszeugnis; Zertifizierung; Lernleistung; Schulerfolg; Post-secondary education; Tertiäre Bildung; Reliabilität; Ethnische Minderheit; Kanada; USA
Abstract	The General Educational Development (GED) credential is issued on the basis of an eight hour subject-based test. The test claims to establish equivalence between dropouts and traditional high school graduates, opening the door to college and positions in the labor market. In 2008 alone, almost 500,000 dropouts passed the test, amounting to 12% of all high school credentials issued in that year. This chapter reviews the academic literature on the GED, which finds minimal value of the certificate in terms of labor market outcomes and that only a few individuals successfully use it as a path to obtain post-secondary credentials. Although the GED establishes cognitive equivalence on one measure of scholastic aptitude, recipients still face limited opportunity due to deficits in noncognitive skills such as persistence, motivation and reliability. The literature finds that the GED testing program distorts social statistics on high school completion rates, minority graduation gaps, and sources of wage growth. Recent work demonstrates that, through its availability and low cost, the GED also induces some students to drop out of school. The GED program is unique to the United States and Canada, but provides policy insight relevant to any nation's educational context. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	National Bureau of Economic Research. 1050 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-5398. Tel: 617-588-0343; Web site: http://www.nber.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10