The second round of litigation in the case of Debra P. v. Turlington has required the Federal courts to consider the question whether the Florida statute which requires public high school graduates to demonstrate the "ability to successfully apply basic skills to every day life situations" as measured by the State Student Assessment…

The computer-assisted management model described in this manual was implemented by the Counseling and Human Development Department at Prince George's Community College for the purposes of Student Testing, Advisement, Retention, and Tracking (START). As introductory material notes, START is an integrated computerized system which tracks student…

High school reform efforts in the 1980s have negatively affected the access to vocational education of high school students, including those with special needs, as evidenced by a longitudinal study of the course-taking patterns of high school students in one Illinois community (called "Fremont" in the study). The sample was composed of…

Reports on the current status of public education in Utah's public schools called for educational reform dealing with curriculum, instruction, student activities, preparation of teachers, inservicing administrators, and modes for improving teacher pay. A series of meetings held by educators, conferences, and visits throughout the state provided…

The importance of defining the college experience in specific terms in publications for prospective students is discussed. The academic area is the most vital to describe, since college work differs greatly from high school in the emphases on academic diversity, self-initiative, and study outside the classroom. Publications should describe…

A study of admission data for 1,014 medical graduates and 57 dropouts revealed that the best predictor of the graduate vs. dropout hierarchy was a six-variable combination of the quantitative ability subtest of the MCAT, premedical grades, and personality inventory scales for status potential, socialization, communality, and conformist achievement…

Awards Day Address delivered at Scripps College on May 16, 1968.

Some insights into the development of an eleventh grade test of "adult functional competency" are provided. The evolution of the test from its first mention to its translation into a test item pool is traced. An attempt is made to identify some of the instructional, measurement, and legal implications inherent in various decisions which…

Chapter 6 of a book on school law attempts to identify and examine a few of the legal problems raised by minimum competency programs, which make successful performance on a standardized test a condition for receipt of a high school diploma. The three areas where minimum competency tests are most likely to be challenged are the equal protection and…

This two-part paper describes an experiment with an alternative form of evaluation of New Zealand secondary school students' English proficiency. The first part presents a background of the New Zealand secondary education system and a lengthy discussion of the procedures that led to changing from a one-time, three-hour, external examination…

High school graduation requirements at the Delphian School are presented. The program consists of four levels. Level one is intended largely as review and remediation of previous schooling through the sixth grade. Levels two through four take the student through high school graduation. The requirements for each level are listed as well as course…

Arguing that the term "competency based education" (CBE) has been erroneously applied to minimum competency programs, this booklet contends that the problems addressed by the minimum competency movement can be, but probably will not be, resolved by the implementation of true competency based education (CBE). The first section of the booklet…

State and federal policy issues regarding graduation requirements for handicapped students are explored. After a historical review of such issues as school attendance laws and the competency based testing movement, the effect of state and federal legislation is discussed. State action regarding minimum competency testing is charted and four policy…

Proficiency, or competency, testing is a recent attempt to meet the public demand for accountability. But instead of placing the responsibility on the educational organization, competency testing appears to be a sophisticated approach to holding students and teachers accountable. Although some form of student assessment is needed, it is not yet…

This document is a transcription of a radio presentation "Options in Education," from June 20, 1977. It deals with various aspects of high school graduation, and includes interviews with teachers, parents, and a number of graduating students. Among the topics discussed are feelings about graduation, future plans, and attitudes toward the senior…