For more than a century, American educators and education policymakers have chosen sides in a great debate about the nature and function of American high schools. The origins of this long-running argument can be traced to 1893, when the influential Committee of Ten, a bluechip panel of educators, issued a report proposing that all public…

This policy digest reviews the current status of state level graduation policies and the inclusion of students with disabilities in more rigorous student accountability measures. The results of two surveys conducted by the Council of Chief State School Officers on the inclusion of students with disabilities in state level graduation requirements…

This paper is designed to assist school district personnel in implementing revised Florida regulations concerning student performance standards and graduation requirements for Special Diplomas for certain exceptional students. The revised regulations call for provision of a diploma option based upon demonstrated employment and community…

In "A Nation at Risk," the National Commission on Excellence in Education published a recommended high school curriculum based on higher standards for student achievement. This document examines the graduation requirements of private schools, using data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 1990-91 Schools and Staffing Survey…

The result of a move in the State of New Jersey to establish a common core of knowledge and skills in specified high school courses, this paper presents the core course proficiencies for English courses students take to meet high school graduation requirements in English (Language Arts). The paper first briefly discusses the background, purpose,…

In February 1990, the nation's governors adopted a set of goals designed to shape education reform efforts for the 1990s. The six goals address such pressing national education issues as early childhood education; school completion; student achievement and citizenship; math and science; literacy and lifelong learning; and safe, disciplined, and…

The paper reports findings of a California committee on the need for differential graduation standards for students with learning disabilities and/or other educational handicaps. The committee proposes minimum levels of proficiency in career education, vocational education, work experience, and independent living skills to help students gain…

Describes a five-step plan for reducing the number of Ph.D. graduates in English over the next ten years. (RB)

During the last decade many school systems began to define minimum levels of competency for their students and to construct tests to measure whether students had achieved these minimums. Many states have passed laws which require high school students to pass minimum competency tests in order to graduate. This digest overviews four areas of…

At the request of the Multiple Curriculum Committee of the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the current status of high school graduation requirements and related curricula offerings nationwide was studied. Reviews of current educational literature and working papers of the committee and telephone interviews with State…

The paper describes the development and implications of Chapter 688 in Massachusetts which which provides for a 2-year transitional process to plan for habilitative services for severely disabled young adults who will lose their entitlement to special education upon graduating or reaching the age of 22. The law requires an individualized…

Perhaps the most dramatic hallmark of the so-called back-to-basics movement is the growth in many communities across the country of the basic alternative elementary school. Another example of the back-to-basics movement is the current interest in writing proficiency standards into the high school diploma. Another aspect of this movement is the…

The new crisis in freshman English is reflected in recent resolutions by the Modern Language Association and by individual colleges and universities to reinstate composition requirements. Too many composition programs, however, are a waste of money and time which traps the composition teacher into accountability for students' success or failure.…

DATA ON ENROLLMENT AND PERFORMANCE IN COURSES TAKEN ON A PASS-FAIL BASIS WERE ANALYZED TO ASSESS THE EFFORT OF CHANGES IN GRADE ACCOUNTING ON COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS. FINDINGS INDICATED THAT (1) ENROLLMENT IN PASS-FAIL COURSES FOR 1966-67 INCREASED 55.5 PERCENT OVER 1965-66, (2) A STUDENT'S GRADE INDEX WAS LIKELY TO INCREASE DIRECTLY WITH THE…

THE ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM OF THE LOS ANGELES CITY SCHOOLS, CONDUCTED IN 28 ADULT SCHOOLS, HAD AN ENROLLMENT OF 190,000 AND A TEACHING STAFF OF 2,200 DURING 1965-66. INSTRUCTION IS PROVIDED IN RESPONSE TO PUBLIC DEMAND EXPRESSED BY ORGANIZATIONS AND ADVISORY COMMITTEES IN 10 AREAS--ACADEMIC, BUSINESS, CIVIC, ELEMENTARY AND CITIZENSHIP, FINE ARTS…