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Evidence summarized in the chapter indicates minimal average value for labor market outcomes and limited successful pathways to post-secondary credentials. Cognitive equivalence coexists with constrained noncognitive skill opportunities, while testing also distorts social statistics on completion, minority gaps, and wage growth. Availability and low cost can additionally induce some students to leave school.",{"@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/the-ged-discussion-paper-4975-academic-overview-and-policy-implications/264080/",{"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/the-ged-discussion-paper-4975-academic-overview-and-policy-implications/264080.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Arica Lee","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",15,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What is the GED credential based on?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"The GED credential is issued based on an eight hour, subject-based test.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"How does the literature assess the GED’s value for labor market outcomes?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"The summarized academic literature finds minimal value of the certificate for labor market outcomes and that only a few individuals successfully use it to obtain post-secondary credentials.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"What noncognitive limitations are discussed for GED recipients?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"Recipients face limited opportunities due to deficits in noncognitive skills such as persistence, motivation, and reliability.","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},264080,1789377402,{"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},8796096645457,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/800003749518d68ffe3?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1779345340919836971","IZA DP No. 4975  \nThe GED  \nJames J. Heckman John Eric Humphries Nicholas S. Mader  \nMay 2010  \nD I S C U S S I O N P A P E R S E R I E S  \nForschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit Institute for the Study of Labor  \nThe GED  \nJames J. Heckman  \nUniversity of Chicago, American Bar Foundation, Geary Institute, University College Dublin,  \nCowles Foundation, Yale University and IZA  \nJohn Eric Humphries  \nUniversity of Chicago  \nNicholas S. Mader  \nUniversity of Chicago  \nDiscussion Paper No. 4975 May 2010  \nIZA  \nP.O. Box 7240  \n53072 Bonn  \nGermany  \nPhone: +49-228-3894-0  \nFax: +49-228-3894-180  \nE-mail: [iza@iza.org](iza@iza.org)  \nAny opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but the institute itself takes no institutional policy positions.  \nThe Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn is a local and virtual international research center and a place of communication between science, politics and business. IZA is an independent nonprofit organization supported by Deutsche Post Foundation. The center is associated with the University of Bonn and offers a stimulating research environment through its international network, workshops and conferences, data service, project support, research visits and doctoral program. IZA engages in (i) original and internationally competitive research in all fields of labor economics, (ii) development of policy concepts, and (iii) dissemination of research results and concepts to the interested public.  \nIZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author.  \nIZA Discussion Paper No. 4975 May 2010  \nABSTRACT  \n*  \nThe GED  \nThe 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.  \nJEL Classification: I21, J24, J31  \nKeywords: returns to education, GED, dropouts, graduation rate, noncognitive skills Corresponding author:  \nJames J. Heckman  \nDepartment of Economics University of Chicago 1126 E. 59th Street Chicago, IL 60637  \nUSA  \nE-mail: [jjh@uchicago.edu](jjh@uchicago.edu)  \n* This research was supported by NIH R01-HD054702, the American Bar Foundation, The California Endowment, The Commonwealth Foundation, The Nemours Foundation, the Buffett Early Childhood Fund, the Spencer Foundation, an anonymous funder, and the J. B. and M. K. Pritzker Foundation. Weare grateful to the helpful comments of the Handbook authors present at the CESIfo Munich conference. We also received research assistance from Alejandro Alvarez and Joel Han. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the fun","cbCaivGKCYzrJ6vx","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaivGKCYzrJ6vx","pdf",2836168,68,"English","# Introduction\n# Institutional Background and Functions of the GED\n## The GED Test\n# The Effects of GED Certification\n## The Direct Benefit of GED Certification\n### Average Labor Market Outcomes\n### Heterogeneous Labor Market Returns\n### Cognitive and Noncognitive Ability\n## Educational Attainment\n# Changes and Growth in the GED Test Taking Population\n## Government Education and Training Programs\n## Changes in the Costs and Benefits to Education\n## Growth in High School-Age Test Takers\n# Adverse Consequences of the GED\n## The GED Induces Would-Be High School Graduates to Drop Out\n## The GED InflatES High School Graduation Statistics\n## The GED Obscures the Actual Returns to Education\n# Conclusion","[{\"question\":\"What is the GED credential based on?\",\"answer\":\"The GED credential is issued based on an eight hour, subject-based test.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the literature assess the GED’s value for labor market outcomes?\",\"answer\":\"The summarized academic literature finds minimal value of the certificate for labor market outcomes and that only a few individuals successfully use it to obtain post-secondary credentials.\"},{\"question\":\"What noncognitive limitations are discussed for GED recipients?\",\"answer\":\"Recipients face limited opportunities due to deficits in noncognitive skills such as persistence, motivation, and reliability.\"}]","The GED - Discussion Paper - 4975 - academic overview and policy implications | PDF",171]