A study was conducted at Harford Community College (HCC) to assess the effects of a recently implemented set of more stringent academic standards. The new policies included placing students on academic restriction (i.e., restricting the number of units they may take) if their quality point index fell below a certain level. The study sought…

The Alberta Essay Scales were developed to assist teachers in the grading of essays. They represent a standard based on written compositions at the 12th grade level in 1964 to be compared with current composition writing achievement. A scale for mechanics in English and one for writing style and content are defined through model essays and…

A study of how principals in effective schools set norms for teacher behavior, student achievement, and educational goals used data from six elementary schools in Tennessee that achieved scores on standardized reading tests substantially higher than scores predicted on the basis of the students' socioeconomic levels. Four primary norm-setting…

The idea of assessment as learning is discussed, along with the practical history of assessment, and how student assessments should be conducted. Background information covers the use of assessment in business and government, as well as in education and psychology. It is proposed that assessment include: multidimensional sampling of students'…

This paper presents a brief history of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), defining it as a national effort of voluntary accreditation. Distinctions are drawn between national voluntary accreditation and regional accreditation, with these distinctions being placed in a perspective of state licensure and program…

This handbook, issued in conjunction with the Governor's "Agenda for Excellence in Pennsylvania Public Schools," provides recommendations for revising promotion policies and practices in Pennsylvania schools. After a brief introduction, the results of a survey of promotion and retention practices are presented in summary form, followed…

The concept of access is central to any discussion of issues confronting the community college. The search for creative and effective ways of pursuing access involves examining institutional practices and state policies to define access in a way that will satisfy the need for acceptable standards and quality. Issues to be addressed in searching…

Competency based education (CBE) programs can increase pupil motivation, provide the opportunity to individualized instruction, and enable the school to communicate better to the pupil and the public what pupils are learning in school, according to the author. But he lists eight traps that lie hidden in the CBE movement, including further…

This book analyzes the effects of the Open Admissions Program at the City University of New York (CUNY) during its first year. The project undertook three tasks: (a) to clarify the issues surrounding the concept of open admissions in higher education; (b) to describe the curricula and programs developed by the various colleges of CUNY in response…

Unless educators engage in thorough planning, in making the most efficient use of economic resources, and in interpreting to the public why education deserves high priority, public education is in for a long period of gradual decline. The central thrust of the current administrative era is the management of decline, or decremental planning. The…

The purpose of a project at the University of Oregon was to explore principles and procedures for experiential learning programs. Experiential learning in this instance refers to both prior learning and field experience. Considerable attention is paid to the Lila Acheson Wallace School of Community Service and Public Affairs within the university.…

This study was conducted to establish the existence of grade inflation and show that the ability of college students has remained constant. The second purpose was to examine the effect of grade inflation on the validity of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Two types of analyses were performed to gather data. A longitudinal analysis of selected…

The opinions of 514 college faculty concerning their grading philosophies, grading patterns, and their knowledge of how grades vary among fields were surveyed and classified according to demographic characteristics of the faculty. Approximately half of the respondents expressed the opinion that there is great variation in the meaning of a letter…

A study was made of Phase 1 of the long-term standards program for agricultural occupations programs for Illinois community colleges. The unique feature of this project was the procedure used to maximize the input of community college teachers in the validation and revision of the national standards. Survey instruments were sent to community…

This article on grading practices in colleges considers the following issues: the more extensive utilization of nontraditional grades by many institutions, the practices of some institutions of not giving or not recording D and/or F grades, the policy of permitting unlimited repeating of courses with the last or highest grade received used in…