High School Equivalency Credentialing and Postsecondary Success (Poster 22)

• In Event: Excellence in Education Research: Early Career Scholars and Their Work Poster Session

Abstract

For the over 24 million American adults who do not hold a traditional high school diploma, high school equivalency credentials represent the primary “second-chance” pathway to many careers or educational opportunities. This project uses current, representative data to assess whether, how, and for whom high school equivalency credentials promote post-secondary success. Examining post-secondary outcomes in a sample of 102,000 GED® testers who attempted a GED® subject test in the United States between 2014 and 2023, I describe the modern population of GED® graduates and their post-secondary trajectories. Additionally, I use regression discontinuity methods to assess the causal role of high school equivalency credentials and GED® college readiness designations in facilitating post-secondary attainment for the highest- and lowest-scoring GED® graduates.

Author

• Blake Heller, University of Houston