Yeah....a plan with merit: early graduation for meeting standards...
and already an option. Don’t think there’s any opposition: parental control.
Many kids begin college in their teens. If the college wants the student:
the schools are thrilled to claim the kid’s success.
But allowing a student to graduate to go to work (?):
they will likely withhold a diploma. Too much risk involved for the kid; bad
rep for the school. Kid would have to quit...and get a GED.
So it is already available. And homeschooling is always an option.
It’s true that a student 16 or over can take the GED and leave school. However, younger students cannot. Also, a GED is considered evidence of less education than a high school diploma. A certain level of SAT or ACT score - one that would admit the student, other things being equal, to a mid-level state university, perhaps - would be more “diagnostic” of preparedness for college or work.
I think the issue the OP is trying to address is that in many or most areas, the school board will not issue a diploma without the child having attended a certain number of hours or credits or whatever *in* their classrooms. At least this is what homeschoolers have said, and thus if their kids don’t attend public schools at all the only option is a GED.
The excuse used is that kids need to attend their classrooms to get socialized or something. I suspect it has more to do with headcount that justifies federal aid dollars.