http://www.tasb.org/services/gr/docu...m_gpa_1008.pdf
Here's the information about the House Bill that is in the process of being "tweaked" in order to standardize the Texas grading system. It seems pretty straight forward, but some districts are fighting it tooth and nail!! To me, it seems like a no-brainer issue, but others feel vehemently that it somehow screws up their methods.
Senusret, it is really interesting to look at different schools acceptance rates and yields.
Historically, it can be affected by the economy (ie when times are bad, people are less likely to be able to pay "full freight" so they look to schools with better aid), by a bump in recognition (like Wash U has become much more prestigious and has gained major name recognition over the past decade), even something like success of sports teams can cause applications to rise (UF has seen a dramatic rise in the number of applications since the 4 nat'l championships).