This report examines the ways that credit-based transition programs (CBTPs) may help middle- and low-achieving students enter and succeed in college. It highlights promising practices used by CBTPs to help students who might have been considered noncollege-bound prepare for college credit course work. The report also discusses the challenges that…

This brief describes the Academic Pathways to Access and Student Success (APASS) project, a research initiative that identifies and disseminates information about existing and emerging academic pathways that extend from high school to college. Drawing upon the results of a 50-state survey, an extensive review of literature and consultation with…

This manual is designed to help Idaho school districts establish or improve programs for gifted and talented (G/T) high school students. It describes specific program options and administrative issues relating to gifted education. Chapter 1, "Starting and Administering a G/T High School Program," answers common questions about G/T high…

The Guidance Services and Research and Development Departments of the College Board coordinated an investigation of the results of a national high school survey. This survey, administered in 2000, follows a similar, large-scale survey of high schools in 1993 by the College Board. The current research report is designed to provide the reader with…

The instructional schedule does affect student grades on the four AP Examinations in this study after they have been adjusted for group differences in student ability. The results from this study generally suggest that students, on average, obtain higher AP grades when instruction is given over an entire year rather than in a semesterized block…

Teachers and administrators were surveyed to determine the extent to which AP Vertical Teams for English were implemented in schools. Results indicate that even though the goals of the AP Vertical Teams were only partially realized, there was some positive impact on student exposure to Pre-AP instruction and AP courses and student performance on…

Describes a system where advanced placement courses are offered to rural secondary schools via satellite and microcomputer links with Oklahoma State University. Emphasizes the AP chemistry curriculum and explores testing and laboratory difficulties related to satellite teaching. (ML)

Examines the ways in which school-level policies and procedures influence students' probabilities of being placed in the accelerated track in mathematics in middle school and high school. Data from interviews with 52 school administrators show that substantial variations exist among districts in student opportunities for the accelerated…

Essay and multiple-choice scores from Advanced Placement (AP) examinations in American History, European History, English Language and Composition, and Biology were matched with freshman grades in a sample of 32 colleges. Multiple-choice scores from the American History and Biology examinations were superior to essays for predicting overall grade…

This study sought to discern the extent to which a sample of talented math and science students displayed domain-relevant skills possessed by those expertly trained in history. Subjects' experiences varied in terms of their exposure to primary source materials. The students were presented with five different kinds of documents related to the…

The purpose of this hearing was to examine the status of the Star Schools program, a federal program enacted by Congress in 1987 that enables students to be linked together via satellite or cable TV hookup with teachers in different parts of the country. Star Schools are a network of distance education programs that link remote classes of students…

Performance assessment, constructed-response, and authentic assessment are topics of current interest in educational testing and reform. This workbook presents the following articles on educational assessment to highlight work being done in this area: (1) "Aquarium Problem and Teacher Guidelines: New Standards Project" (University of…

This project was developed as an alternative learning system for Advanced Placement history students. The project is accompanied by interactive text instructions and items of material culture from a culture box. Chapters include: (1) Introduction; (2) "A Rationale for Alternate Learning"; (3) "A Brief History of Experiential Education"; (4)…

This combined report examines the obstacles that Virginia students encounter as they move from high school through college and what colleges and universities might do to facilitate their progress. Part 1 of the report responds to House Joint Resolution No. 211, which asks Virginia's Council of Higher Education to study the transition between high…

By a community effort, an articulated electronics training program for junior high school through community college was developed and implemented in Sacramento, California. The need for such a program became obvious when analysis of job projection statistics revealed that industries in the area would require far more electronics technicians than…