My Idea: ALLOW ALL 16 YEAR OLDS TO TAKE THE GED TEST

[DIRTYSECRET]

Many will pass. Then what?

[Gay State Conservative]

Many? Surely some,and perhaps many,living in suburban and rural areas would. But in cities? No more than 5%.

[Pollard]

They’re already allowed to take the test but they don’t get the diploma until they’re 18.

and what’s the point?

[TexasFreeper2009]

any smart 12 year old could easily pass the GED

[DIRTYSECRET]

SOTU address. Give them 4 months to ‘prepare/brush’ up. Take the test 1st week of June. Those that pass show up at the school cafeteria the next day and do what Scott Walker DIDN’T do when the recall failed. They holler “Food fight!”

[PIF]

My Idea: ALLOW ALL 4 YEAR OLDS TO TAKE THE GED TEST

[The Pack Knight]

Then they have a “Good Enough Degree,” as Chris Rock put it.

[chajin]

Those who don’t pass will sue for discrimination.

[humblegunner]

Then what?

Then they will have passed the GED test.

Did you expect something different?

They'll magically be transformed into Wizards or Dragons or something?

[RoosterRedux]

I think testing is a great idea. But not just for GED...for all college courses. If you pass, you get credit. If you pass enough courses, you get a degree.

U Tube U.

[4yearlurker]

About 23 years ago or so I took my G.E.D. test. I never graduated school. It was a class of about 10 people of all ages and we started around 9:00 am,took a lunch break then finished up around 4:00 pm. One young guy was very disruptive and the teacher threw him out. Anyway I passed with good grades and have my diploma mailed to me from Harrisburg,PA.

[DIRTYSECRET]

What’s the point? You’re missing it. They can enroll at a local J.C. or trade school. Go to work and get started EARLY on that 401k/IRA. Parents keep paying the bills until they’re 18 and then they get a real head start going on their own lives. At that age they don’t need any sleep. Untapped productivity/potential.

[Mathews]

Colorado in the 80s... I knew lot and lots of kids who earned their GEDs and went to community college much earlier than others. That loophole was closed in the early 90s.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

My idea: Unless and until they are able to reintroduce corporal punishment into the schools then attendance is optional.

Kids who act up and don't follow teachers' instructions are expelled for a given number of days based on the infraction. Kids who are expelled for a third time are no longer eligible for free public education for the remainder of the school year.

Kids who loiter or commit crimes during school hours are detained for the entire day and not released until one of their legal guardians picks them up. There is also a small fine that must be paid for each day that a kid is housed in the jail.

[hanamizu]

any smart 12 year old could easily pass the GED

---

I taught adults and incarcerated juvenile delinquents trying to pass the GED many years ago. The test may well have changed since then, but for math, one big stumbling block was knowing how to deal with fractions. That was then considered a 5th-grade math skill (yes, I know this was a while back). At a high school math level they were supposed to be to calculate square roots using pencil and paper.

The GED was a hard test back then because it was supposed to show the student actually would have been able to graduate from a rigorous high school education. I have no idea of how hard it is now. There is also an alternative test to the GED, but I’ve been out of touch with Adult Education for some time.

[lee martell]

There are some 16 y/o mature enough for joining the military,
and others mature enough to become, what’s the term?
Emancipated from their parents.

I loved my parents and our family, but I was ready at 17 to leave the family home at go to college on a scholarship.
I was ready and willing to start making my own little rules.

[Responsibility2nd]

They’ll magically be transformed into Wizards or Dragons or something?

_____________________________________

Bloggers. Bloggers with an advanced degree.

(Won’t that be sumthin’?)

[BBQToadRibs]

I think my 11 year old daughter could. She loves school and does very well. She actually gets upset when we keep her home when she’s sick. Weird kid, but has a good noggin.

[Rio]

There is a perceived "stigma" for GED recipients. From Wiki:

The GED certification itself (i.e., without further post-secondary education or training) does not create the same labor market opportunities available to traditional high school graduates.[23] While people who have earned the GED test credential tend to earn more than dropouts and less than high school graduates, economist James Heckman has found that this is primarily due to existing differences in the characteristics and backgrounds of GED test graduates. When controlling for other influences, he finds no evidence that, for the average taker, the GED test credential improves an individual's economic opportunities above those for other dropouts.[23]

Some say overall, there is a certain level of stigma for GED certification holders that affects employability or pursuit of higher education.[24][25]

[Wikter]

Most 16 year olds are already allowed to take the GED, and for admission into many colleges, a GED will suffice.