Originally Posted by cmguy
To extend this why not just take a test when one is ready (at 14, 16, or whatever) and get a HS Diploma? Competency based credentials make more sense to me than ones earned by serving a certain period of time (especially for the academically precocious).
States typically prohibit people below age 18 from taking the GED because they fear that this would encourage kids to drop out and pass a test to get a high school diploma. I don't like this policy, but research has found that the job market outcomes of GED recipients are worse than those of "regular" high school graduates.