High School Exit Examinations and State-Level Completion and GED Rates, 1975-2002 (John Warren, Krista Jenkins, and Rachael Kulick, Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis, June 2006)

This article takes a 50-state look at the effects of state exit exams on the high school graduation rate. The study uses more than 25 years of data and found that state exit exams are leading to lower graduation rates: "Many thousands of students fail to graduate from high school each year because of state [exit exam] policies, and only a small percentage of those students are likely overcoming the situation by obtaining a GED." The effect is amplified in states with more difficult exit examinations. Critics point to studies that find positive outcomes from the exams and emphasize that there is a balance to be struck between the academic benefits of the examinations and the potential effect on the graduation rate.