In the face of the deliberations that have been taking place in England for several years now about the merging of two '16+' examinations, the CSE and GCE Ordinary level, author investigated the French system and the examination, the BEPC, taken at 'intermediate' level by 'average' and 'above average' students. (Author/RK)

Compares grades awarded by 5 examination boards for 11 subjects at A levels. Uses data from the A Level Information System (ALIS) project for 1989. Finds discrepancies among boards not statistically significant. Fails to identify grading as consistently severe or lenient. (NL)

Basic life skill items developed by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to measure the achievement of 17-year-olds in the following areas are presented: (1) personal finance and consumer protection skills; (2) health maintenance skills; (3) interpersonal skills; (4) family responsibility skills; and (5) career development…