The area of rhetorical criticism has rarely been perceived as having a valid or useful role in the high school speech curriculum. However, a rationale for the inclusion of rhetorical criticism in high school speech instruction may be found in the accepted goals of speech instruction, because the failure to teach students the skills of rhetorical criticism and a failure to give them the opportunity to exercise those skills will result in a lack of fully developed speech competencies. The current emphasis on courses in media and interpersonal communication may have given rise to the notion that the formal study of "rhetoric" was no longer relevant to modern students. However, the four minimal competencies in speaking and listening put forth by the Speech Communication Association are best met through the use of rhetorical criticism activities, in which students are asked to identify certain qualities or characteristics of a communication act, to establish and exercise criteria for a particular judgment, and to reach a reasoned judgment on the effectiveness of the communication. Learning theories indicate that the use of models is essential to sound instruction, and research from the discipline of speech indicates that the analytical skills of rhetorical criticism are essential to the achievement of communication competencies. (An instructional lesson plan and the objectives of the Speech Communication Association are appended.) (HTH)