Just Get Me Out Of Here

It seems that Florida has a reverse drop-out problem. It's smarter students have figured out that the best way to get out of high school and move on with one's life is to drop-out early and just pass a GED exam to get a diploma.

Not a bad idea considering the NCLB dumbing down of curriculum. But Florida isn't going to let their hostages off this easy. The Shawshank Redemption schemes will be ended soon (from Fla.to Stop Giving Diplomas for GED Students by AP):

Florida is changing its policy on youths who opt for a GED to finish high school in less than four years.

Until now, those looking for a shortcut could earn the same diploma as others. But Education Commissioner Eric Smith says that's not fair, or necessarily legal. Department of Education lawyers researching another issue could find no state law authorizing it.

So Smith has notified school districts that all who take the General Educational Development test must now receive a high school equivalency diploma, just like dropouts who later go through the GED process.

The GED exit option started in 1988.