Wisconsin educators and education policymakers participated significantly in the development of the state's Blueprint for Excellence. The Blueprint's 20 standards are an integrated set of minimal expectations brought together for the purpose of making schools more effective for all students. To help school district decisionmakers review activities…

The first section of this report presents an overview of the national response to the report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education, "A Nation at Risk." Responses from the public are cited in the form of quotations from leading publications and results of polls. Responses from the education profession and its national…

Ninth grade results from the April 1989 administration of the New Jersey High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) are reported. Passing the HSPT, which consists of reading, writing, and mathematics sections, is a high school graduation requirement in New Jersey. In 1989, the HSPT was administered to 67,099 ninth, 6,352 10th, 3,018 11th, and 762 12th…

The 1987 High School Transcript Study was designed to provide educational policymakers with information regarding current course offerings and course taking in the nation's secondary schools. As a part of the study, analysis of course-taking patterns of 1987 graduates were compared with data for 1982 graduates. In the fall of 1987, high school…

This minicourse has been designed for counselors to use with "About High School, Book 4" of the Educational Opportunities in Virginia publications. It consists of a sequential series of six 45-minute classroom guidance sessions to be conducted with seventh grade students. The course focuses on helping students, with parent involvement,…

The University of Pennsylvania's foreign language requirement self-study resulted in re-evaluation of the existing language program. It revealed that most freshmen were not exempted from college second language study by standardized test scores and that the university's required courses were not producing the desired results. These findings…

As more states increase the number of credits required for high school graduation, progressively less time is being left for vocational education. To address this problem, many school districts and states are beginning to formulate policies for granting academic credit for basic skills training provided in vocational classrooms. As of 1985, 11…

Alverno College (Wisconsin) defines a curriculum in which all students demonstrate certain major abilities within their disciplines or professional areas, and it assesses those abilities as its primary graduation requirements. The college-wide assessment center has enabled assessment of complex abilities not easily tested through a single course.…

Published in English and Spanish versions and written for migrant high school students, this brochure outlines practical steps to follow to insure high school graduation and encourages migrant students to assume responsibility for meeting graduation requirements. A checklist of 15 items encourages students to ask teachers and counselors questions…

This report summarizes the 1985-86 results for three New York state examination programs--the elementary school Pupil Evaluation Program (PEP) and the high school Regents and Regents Competency Tests. Results on the PEP showed passing rates improved steadily over the last four years. About one-half of New York State's graduating seniors are…

The present-day German Fachhochschulen were established following an agreement on standardization of the Fachhochschule system throughout the Federal Republic of Germany in October 1968. The primary mission of Fachhochschulen is to provide short-term, more practice-related courses with a scientific or artistic basis, particularly in the fields of…

A qualitative case study involving five educational institutions assessed the use of competency testing as a prerequisite for high school graduation, criterion for admission into college, criterion for teacher certification, and statewide assessment tool. Focus was on persons and processes involved in setting educational standards associated with…

This document describes and evaluates the San Diego Unified School District's basic education program. In each chapter, a background section is followed by an objectives/action plan chart. Charts show accomplishments of the past school year, 1982-83, and objectives for 1983-84. Basic education is defined in Chapter I as the core curriculum of a…

National concerns about teacher education formed the framework for a survey questionnaire submitted to 33 Georgia colleges of education. Responses were received from 23 institutions, which provided information on developing trends in Georgia teacher education for the academic years 1977-82. Major areas covered were: (1) producing the necessary…

A handbook for improving the skills of academic advisors, and specifically advisors at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (UWM), is presented. Attention is directed to four main topics: philosophies, goals, policies and procedures of the university; job-specific knowledge of the school/division; ethical concerns; and advising skills and…