This report presents a profile of students at Utah State University who are considering becoming secondary school teachers. Data were obtained from two questionnaires: one administered upon the student's entry to the first required course in the secondary education program and the other when the student exited from the course. A summary is given…

A sequence of selective/retention steps are described which are used to reduce the number of student teacher "wash outs" in the Wright State University (Ohio) school of education. (1) A 2.25 grade point average (out of 4.0 points) is required for admission to the school, and an entry level grammar/composition test, which identifies at…

This May 2004 issue of "Outlook," a monthly publication published by the Council for American Private Education (CAPE), describes the findings of the 2000 High School Transcript Study (HSTS), which examined the transcripts of 19,747 public school students and 1,184 private school students in order to provide a comprehensive look at the high school…

Describes a pilot program designed to teach algebra to Texas migrant students via audioconferencing. Discussion includes course development, design, and delivery and indicates audioconferencing to be a feasible alternative to on-site instruction, noting high class grade averages and students' increased mathematical ability. Author/AEF)

This paper examines a model used to predict success in a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program that relies more on performance in key first-year courses than the usual high school credentials, thereby, making more accurate predictions of success. The model also suggests strategies for enhancing student success. (GLR)

It is time for high school and college educators alike to come to grips with the fact that high school and college are not nearly as well aligned as they need to be. As a result, many high school students who have set attending college as a goal never get there, and many who do make it struggle to succeed once they arrive. Merely taking…

An optional 1-credit recitation course was developed to supplement a traditionally taught 4-credit lecture-plus-laboratory course in soil science at Oregon State University. Popular, competitive games that would be familiar to students were revised to be "soils-based" and were employed in the recitation class. These games were seen as a…

With the advent of the microcomputer has come an increase in the use of educational simulations. Distinct from software used for drill and practice, tutorials, or problem-solving, simulation software recreates events, devices, or phenomena and can provide the student with a scientific experience which might otherwise be too expensive, dangerous,…

The four reports collected in this document describe the characteristics and academic outcomes of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipients attending California's Los Rios Community College District as of the end of fall 1996. The first report describes the characteristics of AFDC recipients and legal immigrant AFDC recipients…

The University of California's grading/credit policy for advanced placement (AP) courses taken by high school students is discussed. The university traditionally has encouraged high school students to take AP courses if they are prepared and mature enough to benefit from them. The university grants credit for scores of 3, 4, or 5 earned on AP…

A description is given of the efforts taken by the elementary education department at a medium-sized mid-western state university to create and implement a restrictive admissions process. An unpredicted influx of students attempting to register for the three pre-professional courses required for program admission brought into focus the necessity…

The current official policy of the California community colleges on grading prohibits the use of plus and minus symbols to modify a standard letter grade. Plus and minus grades may influence a student's grade point average (GPA) either through statistical effects or psychological effects on teachers and students. At its fall 1985 session, and…

Drawing upon a number of previous institutional research reports, Miami-Dade Community College conducted a study to determine the characteristics of its traditional, i.e., full-time, first-time-in-college, students. The study sought to develop a composite profile of these students at three stages of academic development: entry level,…

Changes were analyzed using both Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores and grade point average. Modest gains were shown: in the men and women applicants' scores on the MCAT biology, chemistry, physics, and science problems subtests; in all age categories except over 32; and for all ethnic or racial groups except blacks. (Author/LB)

ACT Information Brief 2004-1 showed that retention and cumulative first-year college GPA are related to ACT Composite scores. Overall achievement, as measured by cumulative first-year college GPA, is strongly related to high school preparation, as measured by ACT Composite score, for students who return for a second year of college. This brief…