As secondary school leaders consider a shift toward standards-based grading (SBG) practices, they are no doubt weighing the odds of a successful implementation process. This research followed up on a study from 2014 to identify the challenges secondary school leaders experience when changing the currency of the classroom from points to learning.…

A 1985 Hawaii regulation requires that students participating in athletics must have a 2.0 grade point average and pass all courses required for graduation at the end of each grading period. The PASS program at Kahuku High School was developed to keep student athletes from being academically disqualified and to help underachievers regain their…

Summarizes a report published by the NASSP Study of the Restructuring of the American High School. Outlines nine educational goals and recommendations on renewal priorities for curriculum, instructional strategies, school environment, technology, organization and time, assessment and accountability, professional development, diversity, governance,…

Combining standards with a differentiated curriculum for highly able learners accomplishes two goals: it provides rich, rigorous curricula for these students and meets state standards. This process can have a ripple effect by improving curricula for the entire school and by benefiting all students' learning. (MLH)

Reviews the history of college entrance requirements. The Carnegie Foundation was the first organization to develop definite educational standards, to define a high school, and to separate high school from college curricula. (WD)

Discusses the dilemma posed by critics who want public secondary schools to forego specialization, fragmentation, and individualization and institute higher standards, better behavior, a narrower definition of what constitutes an education, and a heavy emphasis on communality. (Author/WD)

The "one-size-fits-all" approach to teaching and program delivery is indefensible. Minnesota has enacted a law specifying standards of knowledge and skills that high school students must demonstrate to qualify for a diploma via multiple pathways. All pathway programs (classical, postsecondary, interactive-technology evening school,…

Virginia's high schools are restructuring the state school system. Using the 4 x 4 schedule, four high schools are offering all students up to a year of postsecondary study beyond the full high school program. Postsecondary scholarships will make this world-class education available to all well-disciplined students who attend regularly and learn…

The authors review the background of competency-based education (CBE), discuss its merits and drawbacks, and cite recommendations from the National Association of Secondary School Principals. (DS)

Every year, a Vermont high school teacher uses laws of physics to teach students how to design, field test, and calibrate a weapon that fires tennis balls to 100-yard distances. This article explains how the "physics war" grew to accommodate the new Vermont curriculum standards at various organizational levels. (22 references) (MLH)

To bring students up to internationally benchmarked standards, high schools must abandon the ineffective general curriculum and focus resources on a narrower, academic curriculum. Professional and vocational education should be provided in postsecondary settings after students receive certificates of initial mastery. A 12-point school redesign…

A 1993 National Study of High School Restructuring surveyed principals of 3,380 high schools concerning restructuring elements being used. Although 10-15% of U.S. schools are being restructured, few are simultaneously employing key elements (performance standards, authentic assessment, interdisciplinary curriculum, school-based decision making,…

Maine's gubernatorially appointed Commission on Secondary Education produced eight overarching observations and six core principles governing learning climate, teacher expectations, differentiated instruction, assessment, democratic engagement, and program coherency. This new vision challenges schools and communities to rethink how they assess,…