[Lorianne]

YES!

I’ve been proposing this for years.

End compulsory school attendance at age 12 if the student can pass basic literacy, math, history and science tests. End it at age 16 regardless.

AFTER PASSING THE BASIC TEST, if the student wants to continue with his/her education, taxpayers will pay for up to 4 more years of advanced education (above the basics) or for vocational education.

[wintertime]

One of the advantages of using the SAT, ACT, GED, or any community college placement exam is that these exams already exist and have had a long history of acceptance and reliability.

If the child can prove they are literate and numerate with one of these exams then give the child an **official** high school diploma from their local high school. ....Regardless of the child's age!

The system is already in place and ready to go. All it needs is state legislature approval. The next time the legislators cry for more money this is one area they could save lots of tax dollars.

[hanamizu]

Alas, the trend is moving in the opposite direction—they are raising the age to legally “drop out”. The real reason has little to do with education—it is to keep ferals “off the streets” for as long as possible, ie. baby sitting.

I taught junior high for over thirty years. Two hundred years ago, my 7th and 8th graders would have been considered adults. The girls would be getting married and the boys would be apprenticed out to learn a trade. We, as a society, for better or worse, have artificially extended “chlldhood”. It is one reason why those years are so difficult. These “kids” are or can be so much more capable than we think.