Describes a study of the effectiveness of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), high school graduation class percentile, and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), as predictors of short- and long-term academic achievement among a sample of 58 high-risk college freshmen who participated in 1-year special studies program. (PAA)

A comprehensive review of educational choice literature and selected programs compose part 1 of this report. "Educational choice" is a catchall term encompassing a variety of strategies to grant parents the freedom to select schools, educational programs, or sets of courses based on the specific interests and needs of their children.…

Results of a survey of college admission standards in the United States are presented. In addition to providing information on current and proposed admission standards by state, the status of current and proposed admission standards of state governing/coordinating agencies is covered. Such agencies are classified into four categories: those that…

A three-year case study of education at "Oakwood Community College," an anonymous urban institution with an open access admissions policy, is described. What is happening to the students at open-access institutions, their learning styles, their objectives, their behavior, and whether these students are serviced or taught is discussed.…

In 1970, the City University of New York (CUNY) adopted an open-admissions policy, under which any student with a high school degree has the right of access to CUNY community colleges. Subsequently, CUNY was faced with large numbers of students in need of basic skills instruction. By the end of the 1970's, the Freshman Skills Assessment Program…

Controlled choice is a method of desegregation that is voluntary, empowers parents and school staff, and leads to new and exciting school organization and curriculum. To move in the direction of controlled choice, substantial changes in present school organization and operation must be made. This planning guide, based upon the actual experiences…

In view of federal and state legislation requiring community colleges to meet the individual needs of physically or developmentally handicapped students, a three-part study was conducted at the College of Alameda to examine the feasibility of instituting a policy that would mandate assessment tests for all incoming students as a means of…

The Comprehensive Reading Program at Brooklyn College, designed for open-admissions students with poor reading skills will attempt to help students develop the sophisticated reading skills necessary to deal with the college curriculum. This preliminary report of the program, written in preparation for its pilot semester, includes course outlines…

Developing a model for predicting demand for freshmen requirement courses (from freshmen enrollees and from returned enrollees who failed to complete the course in their previous quarters) is the objective of the Freshmen Requirement Study, now partially completed by Federal City College. Work done so far has essentially validated an initial…

Because the nursing department at Delaware Technical and Community College receives applications from more potential students than it can accommodate, it can no longer accept all applicants. The class which began in September 1975 was selected by a random selection process; this gave rise to numerous objections from rejected students, parents,…

Finds that open admissions at City University of New York in the early 1970s resulted in a dramatic increase in degree attainment by Blacks and Hispanics. Concludes that more flexible aid programs, improved high school curricula, and stronger preparation in two-year colleges can increase future attainments and narrow educational inequalities. (DM)

As part of an effort to improve the image of Mercer County Community College, in New Jersey, a faculty member conducted interviews of 15 colleagues and 4 students to determine their perceptions of the college. Participants were asked about their present attitudes towards the college, their views when they first began, what the college does best,…

Proper placement of students into either remedial writing or Composition I can be crucial to their success in higher education. Using a database of nearly 6,000 students who entered an open admissions community college in Texas, the researchers attempted to discover the best predictor of student success in Composition I. For students who took a…

This document presents findings of a study that identified patterns of use among a broad array of open-enrollment options available to elementary and secondary students in Minnesota. During the period 1985-91, the Minnesota legislature passed several pieces of new legislation designed to: (1) increase the educational choices available to students,…

Persistence and graduation rates of University of California, Davis, special action students admitted in any fall quarter from 1975 to 1985 were studied. Special action students show academic potential but do not meet admission requirements of completed course work and academic achievement. The number of special action students during this 10-year…