The extent to which log-linear smoothing could improve the accuracy of common-item equating by the chained equipercentile method in small samples of examinees was investigated with responses from a 100-item test and 93,283 examinees. Smoothing reduced the sample size required for a given degree of accuracy. (SLD)

This final panel interview from the Indiana University Summer Arts Institute attempts to summarize findings of previous sessions. For inclusion in the Indiana University and Israel programs, it is decided, students must evidence not only artistic talent and skill, but also interest in plural areas of study. (Author/PB)

In this article, the author discusses the trends of advanced placement classes in American high schools. At Sharpstown High School, advanced placement classes have long been reserved for the academically well-to-do. Other students, a majority of them poor and members of racial or ethnic minorities, never considered the rigorous, college-level…

The Challenge Index ranks high schools according to how many students take AP and IB exams, not on how well they do or how many pass. This index is published in Newsweek and the magazine calls it "America's Best High Schools." In this article, the author, also the creator of this index, answers some frequently asked questions about the index and…

This article outlines a study conducted in Finland and Portugal into the reasons why International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) students choose particular Experimental Science (Group 4) subjects. Its findings suggest that interest, enjoyment, university course and career requirements have most influence on students' choices.…

In the year 2000, the Texas Education Agency and the Texas A&M University System teamed up to create an initiative called the University Faculty Fellows Program. Spearheaded by Texas A&M International University in Laredo, the program paired up faculty from the university with area Advanced Placement (AP) teachers in a variety of…

Findings of a follow-up study that examined the experiences of 1991 high school graduates of the Center for the Arts and Sciences (CAS) program in Saginaw, Michigan, are presented in this paper. A survey mailed to 33 graduates received 16 responses. Findings indicate that all respondents were enrolled in a school, college, or training program. The…

In a study to ascertain the readiness of undergraduate social work majors to enter graduate schools of social work at advanced levels, selected seniors from an accredited school had significantly higher scores on the Chapin Test of Social Insight than those from non-accredited schools. Implications for further research are noted. (JT)

Procedures for granting freshmen advanced standing in English at eight Iowa colleges and universities are briefly described. At Central College, Drake University, Mason City Junior College, State College of Iowa, University of Iowa, and Wartburg College, students who have participated in the high school Advanced Standing Program are automatically…

There are numerous signs that the focus in high school is widening to give seniors more freedom in selecting the academic components of their final secondary school year. This issue describes the ways in which 10 schools, in cooperation with colleges and universities, are making college courses and college credit available to hign school seniors.…

Describes how advanced placement students at Gunn High School (Palo Alto) achieve a higher than average pass rate on the advanced placement final exam required in California. Attributes their success to the focus on expository writing and provides examples of both good and bad essays. (JDH)

Describes an adaptation of the Guided Reading Procedure which was used both to help bridge the gap between students' abilities in Spanish and the reading material contained in their content textbooks and to prepare them for taking the Advanced Placement Spanish Language Examination. (SED)

Compared performance of Project Advance biology students (N=60) with Advanced Placement (AP) candidates (N=15,947) nationally on College Entrance Examination Board AP biology test. The research, conducted to determine comparability of the program as valid measures of academic achievement, determined that Project Advance students scored above the…

Presents the complete 1974 Advanced Placement Physics B Examination and an answer key to the multiple-choice section. (MLH)