A comparison of the French language proficiency of high school students taking the Advanced Placement (AP) Examination for French against college students in their sixth semester of French study found that the college students did slightly less well than the high school students. AP grading standards were more stringent than those used by college…

A survey of 58 higher education institutions revealed that 74 percent had a foreign language admissions or graduation requirement, and 75 percent used placement examinations for incoming students. Schools cited problems of students with previous study enrolling in beginning classes, and of a lack of placement options for students with prior…

Encourages a symbiotic relationship between secondary school library media specialists and teachers to promote the goals of Advanced Placement programs. Advanced Placement courses are explained, and recommended materials and support needed from the library media program are described for the curriculum areas of English, history, and mathematics.…

This article traces the origin and development of special educational opportunities offered to students who are exceptionally able in mathematics, focusing on the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth at Johns Hopkins University and the Center for the Advancement of Academically Talented Youth. (Author/JDD)

Lubbock (Texas) High School, a successful magnet and neighborhood school, discovered the benefits of flexible scheduling over 15 years ago. The unique schedule and other organizational structures have sustained a successful magnet program, created a diversity-enhancing culture, and revitalized a school near closure in 1978. (MLH)

A journalist looks at the qualities of elite public high schools, examining how they promote academic rigor and high achievement and how these variables can be measured. The role of advanced placement programs in setting high standards and motivating students is highlighted. (MSE)

Increasingly, high school students are earning college credits while still in high school, through dual enrollment or advanced placement, which enable some to earn bachelor's degrees in three years or with 12-credit semesters. The trend can reduce student costs, but has sparked debate among professors about whether students are unwisely skipping…

Arizona Minority Education Policy Analysis Center (AMEPAC) is a policy center of the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education. AMEPAC's mission is to stimulate, through studies, statewide discussion, and debate, constructive improvement of Arizona minority students' early awareness, access, and achievement throughout all sectors of…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Year of Math and Science?: Flurry of Congressional Hearings on Economic Competitiveness Focus on High Schools and…

This report describes three exploratory studies of the performance of males and females on the multiple-choice and constructed-response sections of four Advanced Placement Examinations: United States History, Biology, Chemistry, and English Language and Composition. Analyses were carried out for each racial or ethnic group with a sample size of at…

Establishing and refining a framework for performance assessment is especially difficult in large-scale settings that can involve hundreds of judges and thousands of students. This presentation advocates the interactive use of two complementary analytic perspectives and illustrates the approach in the context of the College Entrance Examination…

This theme issue of a newsletter for academically talented youth focuses on getting the best precollege education. It encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning by becoming aware of all the options their school offers; making use of them; supplementing and enriching the basic school curriculum; and participating in…

The International Baccalaureate (IB) program, in which students in the last 2 years of high school can earn a diploma recognized for university admission throughout the world and for course credit at colleges and universities in Canada and the United States, is described. Information about the program is provided in the following areas: (1)…

This paper reports on the status of desegregation of students, teachers, administrators, and central office personnel in the Jefferson County Public Schools (Kentucky) for the 1987-88 school year. The report indicates that although all schools were brought within the student enrollment guidelines for the 1987-88 school year, many problems remain…

A one-year follow-up study of a 1988 report on Wisconsin's internal "brain drain" indicates that the state's historic educational advantage is shrinking. Assessment of performance on the American College Testing Program (ACT), the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) reveals that scores are…