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This paper evaluates how three GED policy innovations affect high school graduation and dropout outcomes. A six-point reduction in GED pass rates tied to higher national standards is associated with a 1.3-point decline in overall dropout rates. GED certification programs in Oregon and California are linked to changes in graduation and dropout behavior, and the study concludes that the GED program induces students to drop out.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/taking-the-easy-way-out-how-the-ged-testing-program-induces-students-to-drop-out-research-findings/264097/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/taking-the-easy-way-out-how-the-ged-testing-program-induces-students-to-drop-out-research-findings/264097.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Caleb Sterling","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-09-14",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",11,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What is the main question of the paper about the GED program?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"The paper examines how changes in the availability and difficulty of the GED test affect high school dropout rates, i.e., whether the GED option encourages students to drop out rather than graduate.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"How did changes in GED pass standards affect dropout rates?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"A six-point decrease in the GED pass rate caused by higher national passing standards produced a 1.3-point decline in overall high school dropout rates.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"What did the paper find about GED programs in Oregon and California?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"In Oregon, introducing a GED certification program in high schools produced a four percent decrease in high school graduation rates. In California, offering GED certificates for civilians increased the high school dropout rate by 3 points.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},264097,1789377651,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":140,"language":141,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":142,"faqs":143,"seo_title":144,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":130,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},962084925290,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_085a072bc5b1113ac321206ff7593b45","NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES  \nTAKING THE EASY WAY OUT:  \nHOW THE GED TESTING PROGRAM INDUCES STUDENTS TO DROP OUT  \nJames J. Heckman  \nJohn Eric Humphries  \nPaul A. LaFontaine  \nPedro L. Rodriguez  \nWorking Paper 14044  \n[http://www.nber.org/papers/w14044](http://www.nber.org/papers/w14044)  \nNATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH  \n1050 Massachusetts Avenue  \nCambridge, MA 02138  \nMay 2008, revised July 2023  \nThis research was supported by the American Bar Foundation, NIH R01-HD043411, the Spencer Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, the JB and MK Pritzker Family Foundation, the Buffett Early Childhood Fund at the Susan T. Buffett Foundation, and an anonymous foundation. We would like to thank the California Demographic Research unit for helpful assistance. We thank the editor and an anonymous referee for helpful comments. We also thank participants at the Spencer Foundation GED Conference at the University of Chicago, April 2011, for helpful comments. Tim Kautz, Janice Laurence, Lois Quinn, Chris Taber and Rob Warren gave especially helpful commentary. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the funders listed here. A Web Appendix is available at [http://jenni.uchicago.edu/GED_dropout/GED_incentives/. The views](http://jenni.uchicago.edu/GED_dropout/GED_incentives/. The views) expressed in this paper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the funders listed here, nor of the National Bureau of Economic Research.  \nNBER working papers are circulated for discussion and comment purposes. They have not been peerreviewed or been subject to the review by the NBER Board of Directors that accompanies official NBER publications.  \n© 2008 by James J. Heckman, John Eric Humphries, Paul A. LaFontaine, and Pedro L. Rodriguez. All rights reserved. Short sections of text, not to exceed two paragraphs, may be quoted without explicit permission provided that full credit, including © notice, is given to the source.  \nTaking the Easy Way Out: How the GED Testing Program Induces Students to Drop Out James J. Heckman, John Eric Humphries, Paul A. LaFontaine, and Pedro L. Rodriguez  \nNBER Working Paper No. 14044 May 2008, revised July 2023 JEL No. C61  \nABSTRACT  \nThe option to obtain a General Education Development (GED) certificate changes the incentives facing high school students. This paper evaluates the effect of three different GED policy innovations on high school graduation rates. A six point decrease in the GED pass rate due to an increase in national passing standards produced a 1.3 point decline in overall high school dropout rates. The introduction of a GED certification program in high schools in Oregon produced a four percent decrease in highschool graduation rates. Introduction of GED certificates for civilians in California increased the highschool dropout rate by 3 points. The GED program induces students to drop out of high school.  \nJames J. Heckman Department of Economics The University of Chicago 1126 E. 59th Street Chicago, IL 60637  \nand University College Dublin and IZA and also NBER  \n[jjh@uchicago.edu](jjh@uchicago.edu)  \nJohn Eric Humphries Department of Economics The University of Chicago 1126 E. 59th Street  \nChicago IL 60637 [johnerichumphries@gmail.com](johnerichumphries@gmail.com)  \nPaul A. LaFontaine NORC  \n1155 E. 60th Street Chicago IL 60637 [plafonta@gmail.com](plafonta@gmail.com)  \nPedro L. Rodriguez  \nCenter for Social Program Evaluation 1155 E. 60th Street  \nChicago, IL 60637 [pedrolrs@uchicago.edu](pedrolrs@uchicago.edu)  \nAn online appendix is available at:  \n[http://www.nber.org/data-appendix/w14044](http://www.nber.org/data-appendix/w14044)  \n1 Introduction  \nThis paper examines how changes in the availability and di􀀎culty of the General Education Development (GED) test a􀀋ect high school dropout rates. GED certi􀀌cation allows dropouts to earn a state-issued GED credential.  \nGED credentials account for approximately 12% of high school credentials ","cbCaiglIN3tYgae4","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiglIN3tYgae4","pdf",961102,37,"English","# Introduction\n## GED test availability and difficulty\n## GED credential share and testing requirements\n## Prior research on GED policy effects\n## Identification and endogeneity concerns","[{\"question\":\"What is the main question of the paper about the GED program?\",\"answer\":\"The paper examines how changes in the availability and difficulty of the GED test affect high school dropout rates, i.e., whether the GED option encourages students to drop out rather than graduate.\"},{\"question\":\"How did changes in GED pass standards affect dropout rates?\",\"answer\":\"A six-point decrease in the GED pass rate caused by higher national passing standards produced a 1.3-point decline in overall high school dropout rates.\"},{\"question\":\"What did the paper find about GED programs in Oregon and California?\",\"answer\":\"In Oregon, introducing a GED certification program in high schools produced a four percent decrease in high school graduation rates. In California, offering GED certificates for civilians increased the high school dropout rate by 3 points.\"}]","Taking the Easy Way Out: How the GED Testing Program Induces Students to Drop Out - Research Findings | PDF",93]