Traditional summer remedial programs to help students salvage academic credit have limited success. At-risk students at one Missouri high school contract to earn academic credit for core courses failed during the previous school year. Students must log at least 30 attendance hours over a 6-week period at their own convenience. The program's…

Reports a study that measured the perceptions of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-A presidents, athletic directors, and head football coaches regarding the use of student athlete graduation rates as a criterion in head football coaches' evaluations. (GLR)

To ensure scientific literacy at graduation, teachers at Littleton (Colorado) High School created Direction 2000, a two-year Integrated Science course to introduce students to the life sciences, physical sciences, and earth science. Graduation is based on demonstrations of what students actually know and can do, rather than on accumulated credits.…

Presents two educators' views on elective courses. Argues that single-subject high school English courses teach the same skills that are taught in traditional English courses, offer students the opportunity to choose, can meet students' particular interest or needs, and should fulfill an English requirement. Offers a perspective on the history of…

Examines special issues surrounding foreign language (FL) requirements for students classified as learning disabled (LD). Focuses on why students experience FL learning problems, the problems with the definition of and diagnosis of LD, whether research supports traditional assumptions about LD and FL learning, whether students classified as LD…

Examines effect of high-, medium-, and low-stakes testing on student achievement (internationally and within the U.S.); discusses similarities and differences between curriculum-based exit exams and minimum competency tests; finds curriculum-based exit exams raise achievement. Discusses effects of minimum competency testing on student achievement…

Argues that the goal of technology education is to produce technologically educated persons who can function effectively and contribute to society. Urges technology educators to accept the challenges implicit in the mandate for technological literacy. (SK)

Investigates whether state course graduation requirements affect high-school dropout decisions, using aggregate data on dropout rates, individual data from two time periods, and aggregate data on high-school completion rates over 15 years. Results strongly suggest that state-mandated minimum course requirements cause students to drop out.…

Analyzed a 4-year data set from the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, the state's required high school test, using effect size as the measure of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Findings show that meeting AYP will be a problem of defining the standard as yearly score fluctuations occur. (SLD)

This article reports on a student option to earn a high school diploma from a Maine private school. Frustrated in their attempts to pass the state graduation test and receive high school diplomas, some Florida students are securing the prized credentials by a different route: a private school in Lewiston, Maine. For many of those students,…

In a continuing effort to improve student-learning opportunities in mathematics, state departments of education have focused on articulating standards or learning goals at all levels, including high school mathematics. A review of K-8 mathematics curriculum standards (many of which have been published since 2002) compiled by staff from the Center…

Within the context of increasing numbers of second language (L2) learners in Canadian schools and expanding standards-driven testing frameworks, a passing score on the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) is a recently imposed secondary school graduation requirement in Ontario. There is evidence, however, that tests designed on the basis…

To give states the information they need to sustain hard-fought education reform effectively, Achieve conducted research on state education reforms that have been sustained successfully for over a decade or more. Funded by the GE Foundation, Achieve hopes this work will help other state leaders, wherever they may be on their road to reform,…

To give states the information they need to sustain hard-fought education reform policy changes effectively, Achieve conducted research on state education reforms that have been sustained successfully for over a decade or more. Funded by the GE Foundation, Achieve hopes this work will help other state leaders, wherever they may be on their road to…

The Key State Education Policies on PK-12 Education is intended to inform policymakers and educators about the current status of key education policies that define and shape elementary and secondary education in public schools across the 50 states. The report is part of a continuing series by the Council's State Education Indicators program.…