Working Paper: NBER ID: w29742
Authors: Jane Arnold Lincove; Catherine Mata; Kalena Cortes
Abstract: High school exit exams are meant to standardize the quality of public high schools and to ensure that students graduate with a set of basic skills and knowledge. Evidence suggests that a common perverse effect of exit exams is an increase in dropout for students who have difficulty passing tests, with a larger effect on minority students. To mitigate this, some states offer alternative, non-tested pathways to graduation for students who have failed their exit exams. This study investigates the post-secondary effects of an alternative high school graduation program. Among students who initially fail an exit exam, those who eventually graduate through an alternative project-based pathway have lower college enrollment, but similar employment outcomes to students who graduate by retaking and passing their exit exams. Compared to similar students who fail to complete high school, those students who take the alternative pathway have better post-secondary outcomes in both education and employment.
Keywords: high school exit exams; alternative pathways; postsecondary outcomes; dropout prevention
JEL Codes: I21; I24; I26; J01; J18
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Students who graduate through Maryland's bridge program (I23) | Lower college enrollment rates (I23) |
| Students who graduate through Maryland's bridge program (I23) | Similar employment outcomes (J68) |
| Students who take the bridge pathway (Y80) | Better postsecondary outcomes (I23) |
| Bridge completers (Y20) | Acquire similar skills and abilities as those who pass exit exams (I21) |