Reports a study that measured the perceptions of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-A presidents, athletic directors, and head football coaches regarding the use of student athlete graduation rates as a criterion in head football coaches' evaluations. (GLR)

To ensure scientific literacy at graduation, teachers at Littleton (Colorado) High School created Direction 2000, a two-year Integrated Science course to introduce students to the life sciences, physical sciences, and earth science. Graduation is based on demonstrations of what students actually know and can do, rather than on accumulated credits.…

Presents two educators' views on elective courses. Argues that single-subject high school English courses teach the same skills that are taught in traditional English courses, offer students the opportunity to choose, can meet students' particular interest or needs, and should fulfill an English requirement. Offers a perspective on the history of…

Examines special issues surrounding foreign language (FL) requirements for students classified as learning disabled (LD). Focuses on why students experience FL learning problems, the problems with the definition of and diagnosis of LD, whether research supports traditional assumptions about LD and FL learning, whether students classified as LD…

Examines effect of high-, medium-, and low-stakes testing on student achievement (internationally and within the U.S.); discusses similarities and differences between curriculum-based exit exams and minimum competency tests; finds curriculum-based exit exams raise achievement. Discusses effects of minimum competency testing on student achievement…

Argues that the goal of technology education is to produce technologically educated persons who can function effectively and contribute to society. Urges technology educators to accept the challenges implicit in the mandate for technological literacy. (SK)

Investigates whether state course graduation requirements affect high-school dropout decisions, using aggregate data on dropout rates, individual data from two time periods, and aggregate data on high-school completion rates over 15 years. Results strongly suggest that state-mandated minimum course requirements cause students to drop out.…

A coalition of small high schools in New York state is challenging the notion that using standardized tests and curricula is the best way to prepare all students for college-level work. The New York Performance Standards Consortium is a network of 40 schools that have agreed to use common performance assessments as a requirement for graduation,…

Analyzed a 4-year data set from the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, the state's required high school test, using effect size as the measure of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Findings show that meeting AYP will be a problem of defining the standard as yearly score fluctuations occur. (SLD)

This article reports on a student option to earn a high school diploma from a Maine private school. Frustrated in their attempts to pass the state graduation test and receive high school diplomas, some Florida students are securing the prized credentials by a different route: a private school in Lewiston, Maine. For many of those students,…

An authentic assessment embedded in a course becomes a teaching tool integral to the aims of the course, not simply a mandated test. The following are appended: (1) Our Initial Rubric for SUNY GE Assessment: Critical Thinking; and (2) Our Revised Rubric for SUNY GE Assessment: Critical Thinking. (Contains 4 notes.)

This survey updates the efforts of all 50 states to align their high school standards, graduation requirements, assessments, and accountability systems with the demands of college and work, and finds that at least 48 states are now actively engaged in reform efforts of some kind. There is more momentum in the states now than at any time since…

The "Saf" (threshold) exam is the entry exam taken by approximately 40% of the students enrolled in teacher training colleges in Israel. Students with learning disabilities may apply and be granted testing accommodations on this exam. This study examines the percentage of students with testing accommodations among the testees and those…

The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) is a cross-curricular literacy test issued to all secondary school students in the province of Ontario. The test consists of a reading and a writing component, both of which must be successfully completed for secondary school graduation in Ontario. This study elicited 16 first language and second…

This proceedings document provides a synthesis of the presentations on the historical and research background of graduation requirements for students with disabilities and of a panel discussion based on implementation of the various requirements. Based on the presentations and discussions, the forum participants described and refined 14 issues…