This transcript reproduces a Department of Education/College Board-sponsored discussion on ways to expand advanced-placement (AP) opportunities in high schools. The deliberations opened with a presentation by Terry Peterson, Senior Advisor to Education Secretary Richard Riley, in which he focused on the importance of AP courses for minority and…

This monograph reports on a study evaluating senior seminars and capstone courses offered at American colleges and universities. A survey was responded to by 707 institutions of which 549 reported they offered at least one senior seminar or capstone course. The major finding of the survey was that these courses are generally designed to leave…

Proposes that foreign language teaching can operate as a factor in the formation of interlanguage-specific rules either (1) by presenting the learner with foreign language material which deviates from target norms, or (2) indirectly by triggering off psycholinguistic processes, which in turn lead to interlanguage-specific rule formation. (EKN)

Discusses the course "Weimar Culture" as a means of encouraging further German study and as an alternative to a literature course. Outlines the course readings and viewings, the major problems and areas of concentration, and the focal point of each unit. (EKN)

A survey of the teaching of constitutional law used questionnaires sent to the dean of every law school approved by the Association of American Law Schools or the American Bar Association. Responses describe the basic course, advanced courses and seminars, teachers, goals, and examinations. (MLW)

A mother reviews the radical acceleration of her high school daughter who will enter college at the age of 14. She recounts both positive and negative experiences during elementary and middle school, the encouragement of individual educators, flexible scheduling to allow taking advanced courses at other institutions, and barriers of school system…

Two studies at Haifa University examined the effects on oral reading comprehension scores of these factors: (1) anxiety under varying test situations, (2) student gender, (3) students' native language, (4) individual vs. group testing, and (5) the relative difficulty of the English language texts. (MSE)

An advanced college-level composition course highlighting differences in writing intended for different cultural groups was designed to teach American students how to communicate thoughts and feelings effectively to various international audiences. (MSE)

A study involving 38 junior-high students and their matched controls found that use of Scholastic Aptitude Test cutoff levels was valid for determining entrance into fast-paced summer classes which were teacher-paced (in this case, literature), but not necessarily valid for motivated students in self-paced classes (in this case, algebra).…

Demonstrates with concrete examples from the texts of a German class for advanced learners how aspects of East German culture can be realized in vocabulary, in lectures, and in the development of listening comprehension and speaking skills. Texts are appended. (DJD)

This report details results of providing gifted and talented middle school and early high school students with computer-based advanced placement courses in mathematics and physics. Three such groups in the Education Program for Gifted Youth at Stanford University (California) were followed. Results support acceleration for such students and the…

A college advanced speaking course designed with the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines is described. Students prepared and performed many communicative tasks, including narrating, describing, hypothesizing, supporting an opinion, debating, and interviewing for a job. Other components include pair and small-group work, audio and videotaping, and pre-…

A teacher of an advanced placement English class of over-stressed, over-busy, and rebellious gifted seniors describes how she used Kafka's "Metamorphosis" to help them adjust to this transitional period in their lives while keeping all reading and assignments within the class period. (DB)

Argues that a mandate of four years of advanced high school mathematics and science for students of average or above-average ability is a sound idea of great benefit to the student, the nation, and society as a whole. (DDR)

Most distance-education programs involve getting students in small, rural schools, or schools with limited resources, hooked up with teachers in large districts or in community colleges and universities. Schools need to keep a close eye on possible implementation problems and document results. Sidebars list six suggestions for distance teachers…