In 1989, a study was conducted at the University of West Florida (UWF) to explore the success rate of Associate of Science (AS) and Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree recipients at the college. Although the AS and AAS degrees were originally designed as terminal degrees leading to immediate employment, recipients today are discovering that…

Adults in four North Carolina counties were surveyed to determine public attitudes about the high school minimum competency test (MCT) that determines which students receive a diploma. The interview form consisted of 18 questions with 5-point Likert response scale. Four additional questions requested specific responses. Interviewers were seven…

Four essays and associated introductory text constituting the proceedings of a symposium on dropout research issues are presented. The introduction by Glynn Ligon makes a call for considering what is known about dropouts, what is needed to be known about dropouts, and how these findings can be communicated to educators, the public, and lawmakers.…

A study examined the effect that increased high school graduation requirements are having on Colorado vocational enrollments and explored products and models for educators in school districts to use in minimizing any such adverse effects on enrollment. The study entailed a literature review, a survey of state high school science and mathematics…

The paper explores problems that frequently cause migrant students to become high school dropouts and outlines possible solutions; it chronologically reviews developments to provide continuity in migrant students' secondary education programs; and outlines further needed action. Identified as barriers to completion of high school are the economic…

This is the third of three technical reports that focus on the hiring and evaluation of educational personnel in Illinois. Practices used by colleges and universities to assess prospective educational personnel at the graduate level are presented in this report. A questionnaire was sent to persons responsible for all state-approved educational…

This paper describes the development of the Basic Educational Skills Test (BEST) in the Austin Independent School District. In 1982 future options for the AISD minimum competency program, which requires all students to meet minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics before graduation, were evaluated against legal and local criteria. It…

Presented in both the English and Spanish Language versions is a booklet which describes what parents can do at home and in the school to support and encourage their children's success in school and college. Discussion emphasizes the extent to which parents influence their children's attitudes about learning and school, and points out that parent…

A comparative guide to the systems and main stages of higher education in 145 countries is provided to aid (1) those who evaluate college applicants; (2) the college applicants; and (3) students and researchers of comparative education. Each country profile provides a description of the higher education system, a glossary of the degrees and…

In May 1983, the Georgia Board of Education identified six tasks to be pursued in an attempt to improve education in the public schools: (1) strengthen high school graduation requirements; (2) establish statewide promotion guidelines for at least one grade in elementary school (the 3rd grade was chosen); (3) implement merit or differential pay for…

This booklet provides samples of student writing that exemplify the standards that governed the scoring of student essays on the June 1988 Social Studies 30 Diploma Examination. Copies of the two essay assignments are provided, and five student essays are included for both topics, covering the full range of student writing. Commentaries…

College seniors--129 who were 25 years of age or older, and 734 younger students were administered the objective portion of the American College Testing (ACT) College Outcomes Measures Project (COMP) test. The total COMP scores and subscores were compared for the two groups, as well as their entering ACT scores and grade-point averages using…

As of the fall of 1984, 40 states had by state mandate adopted some form of student minimum competency testing; 19 are or will be using test performance for the award of high school diplomas. In the other 10 states, local initiatives had implemented such testing programs on the school district level. Five states were using competency tests to…

Results of 1983 and 1984 surveys of faculty and students at Drexel University are reviewed to evaluate the effects of the requirement that incoming students must buy a microcomputer. Slightly more than half the faculty were computer-competent (i.e., had considerable experience with at least one class of computer, with using computers in teaching,…

A. Phillip Randolph Campus High School began in 1979 as a cooperative effort among the New York City Board of Education, the School of Education of the City University of New York, and City College of New York. High school students are able to use the educational resources of City College. The effort has been successful, especially as measured by…