This research concerned two problems: (1) the development of economical procedures that any English department could use to examine the emphases on each area of English; (2) when the procedures were used to collect data in two schools, determining from the findings whether the criticism of elective programs was warranted. The methodology used was to have teachers examine the emphases in literature, language, writing, and speech courses, and in courses of different difficulty (phase) levels. The findings--which pertained to the Anchorage, Alaska, schools--showed that the intentions of the English departments to stress certain components in certain groups of courses were also the intentions of teachers in the classroom. The main emphasis in the programs was on literature; language and writing were the least emphasized according to teachers' objectives. Literature was also stressed more than any other component in courses of most difficulty levels; writing was neglected in courses designed for students of low ability. Teachers indicated that they did not prefer to teach concepts of writing. It was concluded that while the findings gave some support to the critics of elective programs, English departments need not eliminate the programs. (Author/RB)