Should Kids Be Able to Graduate After 10th Grade?

High school sophomores should be ready for college by age 16. That's the message from New Hampshire education officials, who announced plans Oct. 30 for a new rigorous state board of exams to be given to 10th graders. Students who pass will be prepared to move on to the state's community or technical colleges, skipping the last two years of high school

Once implemented, the new battery of tests is expected to guarantee higher competency in core school subjects, lower dropout rates and free up millions of education dollars

Students may take the exams - which are modeled on existing AP or International Baccalaureate tests - as many times as they need to pass

those who want to go to a prestigious university may stay and finish the final two years, taking a second, more difficult set of exams senior year

whether test results, at age 16, are really valid enough to indicate if a child should go to university or instead head to a technical school