Tests that require high school students to demonstrate minimum skills for graduation are challenged, tough campaigns are being started to check student violence, profit-making schools are growing in popularity, and new efforts are made to halt the continuing decline in the study of foreign languages. (Editor/RK)

The Springfield Project was developed to insure that students leaving the school system with a high school diploma have adequate mastery of basic skills. Describes the development of the project, a summary report on mathematics competencies as well as reading, language arts, and English competencies and evaluates the current status of the project.…

The key elements to this plan for special education students are keeping a check on student achievement throughout all the grades, communicating with parents about student deficiencies, and requiring competency tests of all high school students. (Author/IRT)

The interview with the social studies coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Education discusses development of a competence-based graduation test, definitions of "selected educational learner outcomes" (SELOs), relationship of Minnesota's SELOs to national standards, and problems of testing skills and attitudes. (AV)

The final (high school graduation) examination in French is uniform throughout West Germany, but the states have autonomy in building their course plans. A comparison of curricula reveals many differences, resulting in a difference in the proficiency of graduates. Their final examination scores are not comparable. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Focus is on two areas: (1) the factors available to the selection committee when students apply for admission into graduate programs, and (2) those factors emerging after admission, resulting from students' meeting program-imposed requirements for graduation. Program variables are shown to be more important than admission variables. (Author/LBH)

Describes the results of a December 1986 telephone survey disclosing 19 states with mandated or recommended minimum high school course requirements for admission to public colleges and universities. An additional eight states are reported by the Educational Testing Service as having such requirements. Included are a table of mandated requirements…

The Philadelphia Business Academy is a vocational work-study program based on a public education/private industry partnership. The program is undergoing modifications in response to new state requirements for school promotions. The moderations are detrimental to the unique features of this program and may affect its future success. (VM)

To process graduation information and provide graduating students with a timely diploma and transcript, a new concept involving computer-assisted posting of undergraduate degree information was developed and implemented at Brigham Young. The graduation evaluation process and the computer assistance used to monitor, compile, evaluate, and report…

Summarizes information on learning disabilities and foreign language learning and details the University of Pennsylvania's policy on exempting learning disabled students from foreign language requirements. The policy for exemption involves the review of students' case histories, evidence of effort made, and satisfactory performance in other…

Describes Newfoundland's method of identifying discrepancies among high school graduation marks and the consequences for students of adjustments made to reduce the differences. Notes effect of size of school, random error, and influence of school or teacher on differences. Considers three sets of assumptions necessary for the analysis. (SB)

Presents findings from a national survey measuring the public's response to academic reform in secondary schools. Results show the public supports improvement of academic standards but also wants the existing structure and organization of schools to be maintained. Includes four tables. (MD)

Outlining procedures involved in arriving at a newly adopted curriculum for the Oak Park, Illinois, high school of which he is the associate principal in charge of instruction, the author argues the importance of developing a comprehensive vision of educational priorities before considering specific curricular components. (JBM)

Criticizes the acceptance of the error quotient in evaluating linguistic achievement in the current "uniform" graduation examination in English. Offers examples of the unsuitability of this requirement and calls for a new, more balanced solution. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

For the past twenty years, federal and state education departments and school districts have been engaged in efforts that have touched every phase of public education. People have seen the emergence of the standards movement, "high-stake" testing, and an emphasis on school accountability. Requirements for those entering the teaching…