The report assesses the ability of the 44 Appalachia Educational Laboratory's Employer-Based Career Education (AEL/EBCE) students to maintain their expected academic competence as measured by a nationally normed achievement test, the Iowa Tests of Educational Development, administered at different times during the 1972-73 program year. The students comprised two groups: those entering in September 1972 and those entering in January 1973. The former were tested in September 1972 and in February and May 1973; the latter were tested in February and May 1973. Test results indicated that: students registered much greater competence in mathematics than in reading, language arts, social studies, science, and the use of sources; during the year the students' growth rate exceeded the expected growth rate, even in mathematics, in all areas except use of sources; there were no significant test score differences between the group which participated for the entire academic year and the group which participated for only half of the year; and whether students took courses for credit or non-credit had little apparent effect on performance in science, social studies, and mathematics. Three appendixes provide variance tables for growth score comparisons, post-test raw score comparisons, and subtest scores according to sex and credit/non-credit differences. (Author/JR)