INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS, AS DO MOST DROPOUT STUDIES, THIS ONE (1) CONSIDERS SPECIFIC INSTITUTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF GRADING PRACTICES, (2) ANALYZES THESE PRACTICES WITHIN A GIVEN TERM INSTEAD OF OVER SEVERAL YEARS, AND (3) BROADENS THE DEFINITION OF ATTRITION TO INCLUDE BOTH FAILURE AND WITHDRAWAL. IT ATTEMPTS TO IDENTIFY THE INSTRUCTIONAL AREAS WHERE THE GREATEST STUDENT LOSS OCCURS AND, BY SO DOING, TO PREDICT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT FROM THE PREDICTION CRITERIA THEMSELVES, RATHER THAN FROM THE STUDENT ATTRIBUTES. AN EXISTING RECORDS SYSTEM FOR ENROLLMENT AND GRADE STUDIES WAS MODIFIED TO PRODUCE SUMMARIES OF GRADE DISTRIBUTION AND ATTRITION RATE BY INSTRUCTOR AND ACADEMIC UNIT. THE SYSTEM PERMITS THE COMBINATION OF ENROLLMENT AND LETTER GRADES DATA FROM TWO CARDS ON ONE SUMMARY CARD AND THE CONVERSION OF THE GRADE DATA INTO PERCENTAGES OF ORIGINAL ENROLLMENT. IT CAN ALSO SHOW PERCENTAGES OF THOSE WITH OTHER GRADES (AUDITS, DROPS, INCOMPLETES, ETC.), AND A STUDENT'S GPA. THE PRINTOUTS INCLUDE AN ALPHABETICAL LISTING BY INSTRUCTOR, A RANK ORDER LISTING OF THE ATTRITION RATE OF HIS STUDENTS, AND LISTINGS IN EACH ORDER BY COURSE, DEPARTMENT, DIVISION, AND FOR THE WHOLE SCHOOL. THE SYSTEM CAN ALSO BE CODED TO GENERATE OTHER LISTINGS FOR VARIOUS SUB-GROUPS. CONCLUSIONS FROM THE ASSEMBLED DATA ARE NOT SHOWN. (HH)