Varying Curriculum.

The U.S. Department of Education has completed a national study regarding policies and practices schools use to structure their curricula.

The study examined the curricular differentiation at a representative sample of 912 public secondary schools.

Among the findings:

* most schools (86 percent) offered courses that are differentiated in terms of content, quantity of work, or expectations, but only 15 percent described themselves as having tracking policies;

* nearly 60 percent of the schools said state agencies and district offices greatly influenced their curricular practices;

* more than half (57 percent) had modified their curricular practices within the last five years;

* the same students are enrolled in the highest-ability English and math courses whether or not schools assign students based on ability.

Copies of the study, "Curricular Differentiation in Public High Schools," is available from the Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop SSOP, Washington, D.C. 20402-9328.