Discusses ways in which instrumental music teachers can benefit from teaching nonperformance classes and the reasons why these teachers are a natural choice for the job. Examines specific competencies of instrumental music teachers, suggesting ways they can be put to work in nonperformance classes. (GEA)

Describes a college reform effort that includes the development of a college science course for nonscience majors. The main goal of the course is to advocate the interdisciplinary nature of all sciences and to involve the students actively in the discovery process as a way of learning science. (ZWH)

Both legal and psychometric principles suggest that testing accommodations for mental disabilities require additional analyses beyond that previously provided for physical disabilities. Examines legal precedents and psychometric standards. Concentrates on testing-accommodation requests for mental disabilities and concerns about test validity. (173…

This article provides an ethical and legal analysis of a case involving an HIV-positive (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) dental student at the Medical College of Georgia. It is concluded that the college acted appropriately in removing the student from direct patient care while protecting his confidentiality and investigating alternative graduation…

Describes an immersion program for native Spanish-speaking university students from the University of California, Los Angeles, that was created to help them fulfill the language requirement. Reasons for the program, student characteristics, language characteristics, expected goals and outcomes of the program, and program observations are provided.…

The legal parameters concerning how and when to properly graduate special education students are examined, through review of the United States Constitution, the Rehabilitation Act, the Education of All Handicapped Children Act, and subsequent case law. Recommendations on how school districts can properly terminate services are also presented.…

Whatever the school size, the total fees for the International Baccalaureate (IB) are between three and nine times greater than British-style A-level examination fees. There are also indirect administrative, staffing, equipment, and inservice training costs involved. A survey of 18 international schools claims that sound financial management can…

Teachers, principals, school systems, parents, and textbook publishers have been blamed for students' failure to meet tougher standards. Instead, expectations for achieving unreasonable state and Goals 2000 standards should be critically examined. Testing state legislators, school board members, administrators, and teachers might illuminate the…

Reports a study gauging the average oral proficiency as measured by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) of college students (n=20) studying German at the end of their fourth semester. Discussion centers on reasonable expectations for high school graduation and for college language…

Examines the theoretical and practical issues of exit-control testing, and gives some practical suggestions about possible means of implementing such controls. Delineates the complexity of issues involved in implementing exit standard controls and proposes guidelines for implementation. (Author/VWL)

Compared with minimum competency tests, curriculum-based external exit exams provide better measures of students' achievement levels. Analysis of Third Mathematics and Science Study data shows that 13 year-olds from exit-exam countries are ahead of nonparticipating countries. Effects on college enrollment, job success, and test scores are…

From more rigorous courses during the twelfth grade to individual projects and internships, school districts across the country are taking a variety of steps for the purpose of keeping seniors engaged in learning during their senior year of high school. At the same time, they are also warning students about the possibility that students who have…

A major recommendation, or mandate in some cases, handed down to principal preparation programs from accrediting agencies, state certication departments, or other bodies, is to prominently include school districts in the program. This might include Advisory Councils that include public school administrators, involving districts in the selection of…

There is a growing gap between Maine high school graduates' "college intentions" and their actual college enrollment, according to a recent study by the Senator George J. Mitchell Scholarship Research Institute. A follow-up to a similar study the institute conducted five years ago, the new research is based on enrollment data from…

In 1983 "A Nation at Risk" recommended that all students seeking a high-school diploma be required to enroll in the "New Basics," a core curriculum composed of 4 years of English and 3 years each of social studies, science, and mathematics. Although several states have adopted the set of requirements, others have chosen a less restrictive set that…