College Admissions Requirements and Student Achievement in High School.

A review of college admissions standards and practices during the past 25 years illustrates the degree to which higher education has influenced curriculum characteristics at the secondary school level. The cooperative relationships that existed between the two sectors in earlier years gave way to campus pressures in the mid l960s. College enrollments expanded, and priorities shifted from high school/college articulation matters to student restlessness, impatience, and activism. By the early 1970s, campus activists had gained a strong influence on college curriculum and grading systems. Higher education became more stable in the mid-1970s, while high schools became more flexible by incorporating less demanding curricula. College and high school pendulums were thus out of synchronization. In the late l970s and today, college academic demands are frequently too severe for the quality of students admitted. At this point, local initiatives guided by flexible models, visible incentives, and standardized displays of results should be encouraged so that students and educators are motivated to exceed rather than conform to minimum standards. (BJD)