In 23 states, members of the high school class of 2008 were required to pass a state high school exit examination (HSEE) to earn regular high school diplomas. Proponents of these policies claim that they improve student academic achievement, although critics argue that they reduce the quality of instruction without raising academic achievement.…

Background/Context: The prevailing theory of action underlying No Child Left Behind's high-stakes testing and accountability ratings is that schools and students held accountable to these measures will automatically increase educational output as educators try harder, schools will adopt more effective methods, and students will learn more. In…

Nations other than the U.S. elicit better performance from their students through the use of high-stakes graduation exams. Along these same lines, Michigan now links college scholarships to high school test results. Michigan has rejected the use of minimum-competency exams, largely because it wanted the state's high-school test to reflect more…