Launched in 2010 by the Gillard Labor Government, the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rankings (ATAR) system is the first national unified system for reporting the educational attainment of successive cohorts of Year 12 school leavers. The system is widely regarded as fit for purpose, being both predictive of academic success and rates of…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) program periodically conducts national-level assessments of student achievement in geography. In July 2019, the National Assessment Governing Board announced a decision to eliminate geography, economics, arts, and foreign language assessments from the NAEP testing schedule through 2029. In…

This essay considers the analysis Jacques Ellul carried out about the devaluation of language. This investigation also explores the consequences of that devaluation (or humiliation as Ellul called it) wrought by our orientation to technology. Our existence in technology transforms language and our use of it, shifting emphasis as well to the visual…

Remedial courses and programs are typically treated in isolation from the core mission of the college or university, an institutional quarantine. The author sees the remedial function as interconnected with foundational concerns: what does it mean to enter higher education in America? What truly is the relationship between the research and…

Purpose is an internal compass that integrates engagement in activities that affect others, self-awareness of one's reasons, and the intention to continue these activities. We argue that purpose represents giftedness in intrapersonal intelligence, which processes information related to self, identity, self-regulation, and one's place in the world.…

In recent years, a concatenation of fears, pressures, and agendas has produced a new round of testing in the form of high school exit examinations. There has not, however, been an accompanying rush to see whether the exams do any good. No state has attempted to validate its test against external criteria: given the hyperbole surrounding the tests…

The Technical Panel on 12th Grade Preparedness Research, convened by the Governing Board, consists of seven members with expertise in a variety of measurement and policy areas related to preparedness. The purpose of the Panel was to assist the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) in planning research and validity studies that will enable the…

By the end of fourth grade, African American and Latino students, are two years behind their wealthier, predominantly white peers in reading and math. By eighth grade, they have slipped three years behind, and by 12th grade, the gap is full four years. These are just two examples of the most alarming figures that threaten the educational equity of…

This article shares the author's personal views about current macroeconomic policy and what ought to be taught at senior high school or freshman college levels. Concludes that Keynesian economics is not dead, but that modern eclectic macroeconomics must focus on basic data about the economy and what is at stake in making decisions based on…

Discusses Janet Emig's experiences with sexism in academe in the 1950s and 1960s and her composing process theory in the 1960s. Addresses pedagogical implications of her composing theory, cognitive development as a factor in composition pedagogy, and publication of the monograph. Discusses criticism of the monograph, and suggests that it…

Describes the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, a residential school for high school juniors and seniors who are gifted in science and mathematics. Includes an interview with three of the students. (JOW)

Discusses controversies concerning the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), in a conversation between National Endowment for the Humanities president, Lynne V. Cheney, and College Board president, Donald Stewart. The discussion centered around (1) the SAT as a predictor of college performance; (2) uses of achievement tests; and (3) education in…

Discusses the benefits of creating a resume in high school. Resume writing can be a sort of kick start into the world of postsecondary endeavors and the world of work. Resumes have been used with college admission applications, scholarship applications, job applications, and any other award or honor opportunity. (JBJ)

A study of grade 12 curricula in Victoria (Australia) secondary schools showed a positive relationship between school size and number of subjects offered, although many small schools did offer a diverse curriculum. Increase in curriculum diversity relative to school size was uneven across fields, and evidence of actual enrollment in the additional…

Examines some findings from linguistically based text analyses for their possible utilization in teaching English in Grades 11-13 and in teaching literature. Notes some elements in text linguistics analogous to elements in present-day communication-oriented foreign language teaching, using James Joyce's short story "Eveline" for illustration.…