The postsecondary educational plans of black and white high school seniors in the class of 1972 were compared with those in the same racial classification in the class of 1980. Four planning categories were examined: vocational school, community college-vocational, community college-academic, and 4-year college or university. Data were extracted from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS) and the High School and Beyond (HSB) survey. Three aptitude variables were examined: lower quartile, middle two quartiles, and upper quartile. The long-linear model, which was used for the analysis, is described. The regression analog suggested by Knoke and Burke was used to identify the model of best fit for each of the study groups. It was found that larger percentages of more-able students planned to attend 4-year institutions than is the case with the less-able students. A greater percentage of students were choosing 4-year schools in 1980 than in 1972, and the percentage of blacks in the top quartile of the aptitude distribution increased from 4.9 to 8.6 percent. It is concluded that relative to the study groups, blacks seem to have increased in academic aptitude over the 1972-1980 period. However, differences in nonresponse rates for the two surveys (NLS and HSB) and the evidence from aptitude scores from the Scholastic Aptitude Test and the American College Testing program may raise doubt about the occurrence of an absolute increase in the aptitude of blacks. It was also found that over 75 percent of blacks and over 68 percent of whites in the low-aptitude quartile are planning to attend colleges and universities. (SW)