Describes how the business computing science department at Texas A. & M. University devised a computerized information system about students for the university's new medical school. Discusses the roles of faculty members and administrators in the project and the design, implementation, and evaluation of the project. (Author/RW)

The Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College in Portland (Oregon) has a microcomputer installation that now carries student data from the application process through to a student's admission to the school. Phase two will carry student data through graduation, and phase three will track the graduate's career and alumni activities.…

Implementation of a developmental transcript potentially involves a number of complex issues and a variety of persons. An extensive survey of students and a sampling of parental responses to key issues indicate that there is strong support for the basic concept but differing viewpoints on implementation procedures. (Author)

Drafting courses at the Beverly Hills High School, California, are taught with the aid of checksheets providing step-by-step instructions of how to proceed through the course, with student work and grade records for each step. The drafting laboratory, courses, and the checksheet system are described. (MF)

This article attempts to introduce parents of gifted students to the basics of performance-based assessment, authentic assessment, and portfolio assessment. A list of suggested questions is provided for parents to ask educators in the areas of alternative assessment measures, evaluation criteria, grading guidelines, and other problematic issues.…

Reviews the case law that has developed in litigating the rights of parents and students who have either been denied access to student records or whose records have been released in violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Considers some implications under FERPA for educational institutions involving issues of both…

A National Collegiate Athletic Association study has found that the average athlete on a top college football or men's basketball team enters college in the bottom quarter of his class. Critics say the pursuit of success in athletics is corrupting higher education. Some attribute this pattern to racial bias in testing that skews athletes' test…

Results from a study of students from two high schools indicate that by using data from students' permanent records, dropouts could be differentiated with 66 percent accuracy in third grade and with 85 percent accuracy by ninth grade. School-attending nongraduates could be identified with 77 percent accuracy by ninth grade. (IAH)

Boston College's student public-access record-keeping system provides students access to their own academic, account, and financial aid information. The system was first made available on computer terminals and then on a Consumer Transaction Terminal. (MSE)

The College Information Management System (CIMS), a comprehensive, integrated office automation and student data system in the College Office of the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, is described. The system has revitalized the advising process by supporting better tracking of student progress. (Author/MLW)

This article reviews literature on the use and effectiveness of video assessment of young children with disabilities. It describes how the Videoshare model utilizes video records to provide graphic descriptions that can supplement traditional assessment measures. The results of surveys evaluating families', teachers', and other Child Study Team…

Explores the growing body of theory supporting the use of portfolios in student evaluations, including a review of the method's theoretical underpinnings and an account of additional supporting evidence. Suggests that portfolios provide students with a sense of ownership over their writing and creates an introspective classroom community. (18…

Reviews the legislative history, purpose, and principal provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, and calls attention to reported decisions on issues including a private right of action, the release of education records through discovery or by judicial order, and the release of students' names and addresses. (98…

For $800 Muscovites buy blank diplomas from established universities, bearing official stamps, with desired major and date of graduation; another $50 buys blank transcripts. Professors often require students to take courses outside the core curriculum in order to pass exams for which they demand cash payments or goods. Admission is often based…

A public university developed a comprehensive data file with specifically selected information from students' records in the admissions, registrar's, and student financial aid offices. Data analysis revealed some enrollment trends of first-year, direct-from-high-school applicants related to financial aid variables. (EV)