A survey of testing practices at two-year colleges was conducted by the American College Testing Program (ACT) and the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges (AACJC) to gather information about the use of tests in admissions, placement, and program completion. A questionnaire was distributed to 1,303 two-year institutions,…

This is the final report of an annual Mississippi study, conducted for the first time in February of 1984, which provides baseline data for measuring improvement of school practices in key arenas. Its primary goals were to identify the extent to which children master one level of course work before being advanced to the next level, to determine…

Cuyahoga Community College (CCC), Western Campus, has developed an admissions/counseling cooperative program to assist underprepared, probationary, or academically dismissed students to effect positive changes in their educational record and personal lives. The program includes the following components: (1) computer monitoring of students' grades…

The decision to create Great Britain's Open University and stages in the preparation of higher education reforms are considered. The current position of the Open University in relation to its original goals is also addressed, and the policy implementation process is examined to determine why the Open University achieved some of its original goals…

Designed as a formal response to the Report of the Task Group on Retention and Transfer (HE 014 825), by Gerald Kissler, which is sharply critical of the community college transfer program, this report examines issues related to the transfer of community college students to the University of California (UC) and the California State Universities…

Our educational establishment is so obviously failing the nation that the time for drastic remedial action is now. The nation needs first-rate scientists and engineers. It also requires a population that has a solid understanding of science grounded in a good general education. Our current ability to achieve these goals will not be used until…

Recommendations for improving educational quality and strengthening public confidence in American higher education are offered, based on the deliberations of the National Commission on Higher Education, which existed for 1 year and held four meetings. Areas of concern include: setting priorities for the institution and strengthening administrative…

The Program Assistance and Approval System (PAAS) is an attempt to fulfill the needs of the 1978 Louisiana Educational Accountability Act regarding improvements in schools and/or educational programs. The system is designed as an onsite review to (1) determine the degree of implementation of program standards, (2) assess areas of need, and (3)…

In 1984 the General Assembly of South Carolina passed the Education Improvement Act of 1984--the "New Approach", a comprehensive educational reform measure. The following action initiatives were mandated: (1) increase academic standards; (2) strengthen student discipline and attendance in the schools; (3) provide more effective use of…

The educational "excellence" movement is hindered by inconsistencies between goals and action and by difficulties in translating national and state goals into local policy; nonetheless, progress has occurred. Examples of "voodoo excellence," in which proposed policies will likely work against their stated objectives, are…

The development of high school accreditation in California and six recommendations for the accrediting process are considered. From 1884 until 1962, high school accreditation was conducted by the University of California. Since 1962, the Accrediting Commission for Schools of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) has been the…

Two California bills (signed into law in fall 1984) designed to improve state standards for approving and authorizing private, nonaccredited colleges and universities are examined, with attention to the background to the bills, the key changes in statute that each bill accomplished, and the current status in their implementation. Senate Bill 2151…

Similar in scope and intent to the National Science Education Standards, the Standards for Technological Literacy were conceptualized as a way to bring more consistency and accountability to the varied technology education K-12 content in the United States (International Technology Education Association, 2000). The organization's goal was to…

The conditions necessary and the standards of quality to be met for programs leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree are described in this policy statement. The doctoral program is defined as being designed to prepare a student for a lifetime of intellectual inquiry that manifests itself in creative scholarship and research often leading to…

The 1976 High School Eligibility Study is the fourth in a continuing series of studies performed to provide data to the University of California and the California State University and Colleges so they can recalibrate their admission standards for first-time freshman students under the guidelines established under the Master Plan for Higher…