The New Jersey High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) is a "high stakes" test administered as a graduation requirement to all 11th grade students in New Jersey high schools. High school principals have been held increasingly accountable for successful HSPT scores. This study used Leithwood's model of transformational leadership (K.…

The class of 1998 was the first class required by North Carolina State Board of Education policy to meet a higher competency standard in reading and mathematics in order to receive a high school diploma. Data in this report about student performance on this standard were provided by each of the local education agencies in the state. The percentage…

Fashioned after the LaGuardia model, Mission Middle College Program began in the fall of 2001. It is an educational collaboration between the Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD) and Mission Community College in Santa Clara, California. It is a program for students who are highly intellectual and capable but uninspired and outside the high…

This paper provides the framework for the kindergarten through grade 12 study of English Language Arts in Alabama's public schools. Content standards in this document define the minimum requirements. Content standards are aligned with applicable assessments at each grade level including writing assessments, Alabama High School Graduation Exam, and…

Speech delivered at a conference held at Chowan College, Murfreesboro, North Carolina on October 9, 1970. (DS)

The attorney for the plaintiffs in Debra P. v. Turlington discusses the harmful effects and the arbitrary and unfair nature of minimum competency testing. (Author/WD)

The author examines previous efforts to establish certifying examinations for high school students and their effects on curriculum and students, particularly minorities. Also, to introduce readers to the rest of this theme issue on testing, he briefly discusses test validity, cutoff scores, and effects on teachers. (SJL)

Reports the results of the 13th Annual Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes toward the Public Schools sponsored by the National Associations of Elementary and Secondary School Principals, and the Kettering Foundation. A companion poll appears in the September 1981 issue of the "Phi Delta Kappan." (WD)

In December, 1977, the Kalamazoo Public Schools surveyed students (grades 10-12) to ascertain their opinions of a proposed competency-based diploma. Most supported the concept, had opinions about the form of such a program, and thought they could pass the test. Differences between Black and White respondents are noted. (Author/SJL)

In a study of master's degree programs in industrial technology, it was concluded that, in general, the programs are not research oriented and demonstration of research competency, beyond satisfactorily completing a research methods course, is not a major requirement. A more comprehensive monitoring of these programs is recommended. (CT)

The study reported indicates that despite the fact that undergraduate majors in elementary education could demonstrate attainment of a minimum standard on science content knowledge at one time, many were not able to demonstrate competence at the minimum standard at graduation time. (MK)

Although state policy makers have been setting new standards for public school promotion and graduation under the rubric of Competency Based Education (CBE), they have used the concept of CBE in two different ways; one involves focusing school activities and graduation requirements on various competencies, whereas the other specifies how education…

Data from the 1990 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the 1990 High School Transcript Study are used to compare students' course-taking patterns with their NAEP achievement scores and schools' graduation requirements. Relatively few students were affected by these requirements. Results suggest that marginal students could…

Studied whether eighth-grade reading scores on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills predict success on the five subtests of the Georgia High School Graduation Test. Findings for 102 high school seniors show that reading scores are statistically significantly related to all five subtests, with correlations ranging from 0.69 to 0.86. (SLD)

The policies/practices of the New Zealand School Certificate--a summative examination taken by students after three years of secondary school--are reviewed. The examination is likely to be discarded because of the many mechanisms used to buffer scaling effects and equate distributions. New assessment methods may better reflect student achievement.…