Project Advancement Based on Competency (ABC) was a 5-year study funded jointly by the Alberta Department of Education and the Calgary Board of Education for the sum of $999,950. The study extended from 1982 to 1987, exploring alternatives to the Carnegie Unit in three senior high schools in Calgary. The Unit was established in 1907 to regulate the distribution of college pension funds, but quickly came to standardize the quality of high schools. Project ABC provided the three schools with the opportunity to remove the fixed time-credit relationship and to replace it with continuous progress based on individual competency. This study assessed student achievement, curriculum adherence, removal of time as a credit requirement, competency as the basis for awarding credit, considerations for provincial applications, and budget considerations. Three independent models evolved from the project: (1) the Department-based Model; (2) the Parallel Core Program Model; and (3) the School-wide Model. Student achievement overall was generally comparable to non-project student achievement within the Calgary Board of Education and the Province of Alberta. Few significant differences were identified. Provincial curriculum was adhered to in individualized instruction and continuous progress formats, and in some cases, it was found to be superior. Results suggest that the criterion of time can be removed and replaced by the criterion of demonstrated competency and that competency is an appropriate basis for advancement at both unit and course levels. Results of a 1932-40 study in the United States, analyzed during a literature review, indicated that personalized instruction and continuous progress are viable educational alternatives and should no longer be considered experimental. (TJH)