This article reports recent research into aspects of the differences between Protestant and Catholic schools in Northern Ireland, namely, whether the two systems vary in terms of the balance of subjects in examination passes and the qualifications of leavers. Differences are presented and discussed. (CT)

Instructional validity of the Florida graduation test and the degree to which students were given proper preparation to pass it were studied. The Florida model illustrates procedures are available to demonstrate to the court that required skills are being taught to prepare students for success on competency tests. (DWH)

Alabama's public high school principals support the concept of minimum competency testing for students but are reluctant to allocate time and money to this effort at the expense of other curricular endeavors, according to a recent survey. (PGD)

Results of a study on the status of basic instruction show that physical education remains a viable part of the general education curriculum at the higher education level. Although diminished resources influence selection of course offerings, the curriculum is structured by the need and interests of the community. (DF)

The New Jersey law permitting a period of silence in schools was struck down by a federal court judge who held that the law was intended to circumvent the proscription against government entanglement in religion. The New York Supreme Court has upheld the competency test for obtaining high school diplomas. (MLF)

One district's policies placing greater demands on seniors in terms of graduation requirements, attendance, grading, final exams, time in school, and required courses are recommended as a solution to student boredom; tactics considered counterproductive are listed. (MJL)

The major goal of a study sponsored by the Organization of American Historians and the American Historical Association was to provide information about the state of history education in each of the United States, to be used constructively to appraise and improve school-based history education. This report addresses teacher certification in…

In 1996, the California Community College Board of Governors (BOG) issued a policy statement identifying information competency as a priority. Recognizing information competency as an academic and professional matter, in May 1999 the Chancellor delegated the issue of information competency as a graduation requirement to the Academic Senate for…

This document is designed to assist classroom teachers in preparing students to successfully complete the Alabama High School Graduation Exam (AHSGE). It consists of activities that are correlated with the Alabama Course of Study: Mathematics, Bulletin 1997, No. 4, and Standards and Objectives (Reading Comprehension, Language, Mathematics, and…

This document is a quick look at general information about Alabama schools. The document contains 11 sections: (1) state statistics; (2) Alabama public schools; (3) Alabama board of education members; (4) financial data; (5) school size and enrollment; (6) transportation and school meals; (7) graduation requirements; (8) additional enrollment;…

This description of a computerized graduation verification system developed and implemented at the University of South Carolina at Columbia discusses the "table-driven" feature of the programs and details the implementation of the system, including examples of the Extended Backus Naur Form (EBNF) notation used to represent the system…

Maryland is the first state to require every student to perform service as a condition of receiving a high school diploma. In Baltimore, once electives became mandatory, a new coordinator for service learning was appointed, a service-learning program--the Baltimore Alliance for Student Service--was established, and a revised five-year…

Describes the pitfalls that schools may encounter in requiring community service for high school graduation. In planning service-learning programs, schools should ask "In service of what?" Schools should first define their ideological, political, and social goals; provide teacher training, and incorporate the program into the curriculum. (LMI)

This study examined the perceptions of 58 special education administrators and 204 principals on the effect of requiring a minimum competency graduation examination for students with learning disabilities. Administrators felt the requirement would promote inclusive education but that without additional resources some students would experience…