Some High School Exit Exams Lower College Preparation

Professor Laura Perna from the University of Pennsylvania  examined the impact of state exit tests on college prep in the May 2009 issue of Educational Policy.   She found that:  “High school exit exams shape college enrollment by limiting high school graduation; diverting attention away from ensuring that students are academically prepared for college toward ensuring that students obtain the minimum academic requirements for graduating from high school; reducing time for college counseling; and reducing students’ real and perceived academic qualifications for college.  Second, the ways that state testing policies shape college opportunity vary across and within states.”

High school exit policies are complex to design correctly, and the college implications are often overlooked.