Sweet 16 birthdays just got a little sweeter for some New Hampshire teenagers.

According to a Nov. 7 Time.com article, New Hampshire education officials have announced that students who pass a rigorous state board exam during the 10th grade will then be allowed to skip their last two years of high school and move on to the state’s community or technical colleges.

With the United States falling behind other countries in the educated workforce category, it is a good thing for New Hampshire and other states’ education officials to explore new policies. Socially, Americans are taught they can skate through high school with ease, but these new policies could eventually play a key role in motivating students to do their best so they can get out of high school earlier.

The policy additionally could help out the country immensely if it were taken on nationwide. By having students graduate early from high school and entering community or technical colleges early, they will subsequently enter the work force earlier. As a result, the current economy could be helped out by the money being spent by those working earlier than expected. Plus, the nation would also be helped out by the money it receives from the income tax that will be implemented on the students who take advantage of the new policy.

The changes the policy will create, however, will not be seen overnight. It will take time for America to adjust to the idea that 16-year-olds are ready to function in society, and time will be needed to see the benefits. But by starting on a smaller scale and then increasing it to a national level, what does and doesn’t work with the education policies can be weeded out and ultimately improve the world’s perception of the United States’ educational system.