The most recent high school transcript study was in 2000 and was based on a survey conducted as part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The 2000 study involved analysis of transcripts of approximately 21,000 high school graduates from 277 schools. The study collected information such as course lists, graduation requirements, and the definition of units of credit and grades, on a school-level basis.
Similar studies were conducted of coursetaking patterns of 1982, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1994, and 1998. The 1982 data are based on approximately 12,000 transcripts collected by the High School and Beyond (HS&B) survey. The 1987 data are based on approximately 22,799 transcripts from 433 schools obtained as part of the 1987 NAEP High School Transcript Study, a scope comparable to data collected through the NAEP High School Transcript Study surveys conducted in 1990, 1994, and 1998. The 1992 data are based on approximately 7,600 transcripts collected by the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/92).
Because the 1982 HS&B survey used a different method for identifying handicapped students than the 1987 and 1990 transcript studies, and in order to make the statistical summaries as comparable as possible, all the counts and percentages in this report are restricted to students whose records indicate that they had not participated in a special education program. This restriction lowers the number of 1990 graduates represented in the tables to 20,866.
Further information on high school transcript studies may be obtained from:
Jeffrey Owings
Elementary/Secondary and Library Studies Division
National Center for Education Statistics
1990 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
Jeffrey.Owings@ed.gov
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/hst/
NCES Sources