Background Information Recently a growing number of states in the Us are requiring students to pass a competency test before receiving a high school diploma; if one fails the test, one receives a high school certificate which amounts to little more than a statement that one attended schoolBackground Information Recently a growing number of states in the US are requiring students to pass a competency test before receiving a high school diploma; if one fails the test, one receives a high school certificate which amounts to little more than a statement that one attended school