The history of direct writing assessment and scoring procedures in South Carolina are discussed. The South Carolina Basic Skills Assessment Program Writing Committee developed writing objectives for students. Holistic and analytic scoring procedures were used. Information on instructional improvement and student deficiencies was distributed to…

Some insights into the development of an eleventh grade test of "adult functional competency" are provided. The evolution of the test from its first mention to its translation into a test item pool is traced. An attempt is made to identify some of the instructional, measurement, and legal implications inherent in various decisions which…

This guide is designed for use by superintendents, district directors of instruction, curriculum writers, principals, and teachers in identifying and selecting instructional television (ITV) that will aid their schools in meeting specific instructional requirements of the Defined Minimum Program and continuing objectives of the Basic Skills…

This guide is intended for use by superintendents, district directors of instruction, curriculum writers, principals, and teachers in identifying and selecting instructional television (ITV) and radio resources that will aid their schools in meeting specific instructional requirements of the Defined Minimum Program and continuing objectives of the…

The Fall, 1974 South Carolina Statewide Testing Program was administered to nearly all of South Carolina's fourth and seventh grade students and a sample of ninth and eleventh grade students participated in the testing program. There were 49,068 fourth graders, about 98 percent, and 53,662 seventh graders, about 99 percent, tested. A…

Evaluation of South Carolina's 1987-88 Remedial and Compensatory Program, funded by the state's Education Improvement Act of 1984 (EIA), shows that the program was successful in raising the participants' achievement. The programs include basic skills learning in reading and mathematics in all grades, and writing in grades 6-12, but not all grades…

Following a brief discussion of the development of the "South Carolina Educational Objectives for 1975," needs assessment data are provided. These data provide the criteria, status measure, and discrepancy related to School Dropouts, Instruction in Basic Skills, Program for the Handicapped, State-Wide Kindergarten, First Grade Failures,…

Compliance with South Carolina's Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP), involving test administration and instructional monitoring, was on schedule for the 1983-84 school year. Results of readiness tests given to over 50,000 first graders showed 72.6% "ready" to begin formal instruction. Teachers were given materials for areas in which…

This summary report is intended to provide answers to questions that local school personnel may have concerning the 1980-81 South Carolina Statewide Testing Program. The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, Form S(CTBS/S), which measure reading, language, mathematics, science, social studies, and reference skills, were administered to 134,753…

The primary purpose of the South Carolina Statewide Testing Program is to assess the achievement of fourth, seventh, and tenth grade public school students. Test results provide educators with information which facilitates the decision-making process. For the second time, Form U of the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills was the instrument used to…

The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, Form U, measuring achievement in reading, spelling, language, mathematics, reference skills, science, and social studies, were administered to fourth-, fifth-, seventh-, ninth-, and eleventh-graders from all 92 South Carolina school districts, in Spring, 1986. Results were compared to national norms and to…

This booklet answers frequently asked questions about the Exit Examination that students in South Carolina must pass before they receive a high school diploma. As provided for by the Education Improvement Act of 1984, the State Board of Education adopted the South Carolina Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) objectives in 1985 as the basis for…

The results and methodology of the South Carolina 1977-78 statewide spring testing program for grades 3, 6, and 11 are presented and discussed. The discussion of the results focuses on a comparison of the 1978 results to national norms, a comparison of 1978 to 1977 results, a performance comparison across grade levels, and a comparison of skill…

In accordance with the Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP, Act 631), all local school districts of South Carolina are responsible for providing instruction in the basic skills of mathematics, reading and writing to students that demonstrate deficiencies in one or more of these tests. The BSAP represents a comprehensive approach toward…

Student achievement data from 92 school districts in South Carolina were analyzed to determine which input variables were most likely to affect educational quality. Fourth and seventh grade samples were scrutinized to determine the effects on achievement when the shared variation between achievement and the context variables was removed. The data…