Concerns and objections regarding minimum competency testing (MCT) are raised. The tests are criticized for their tendencies to: (1) deny variability in growth, development, and intelligence; (2) expose rather than constructively examine underachievers; (3) divert scarce personnel and financial resources to test administration; (4) ignore…

These essays deal explicitly with the future of the public schools and implicitly with the problem of making responsible predictions. Following an introduction by Herman Kahn, the first two essays deal with the social and social policy context of the schools. B. Bruce-Briggs contrasts alternative long-term and current cultural trends. Jane Newitt,…

Focusing on the basic skills of reading and mathematics, identified as major problems by a fall 1973 needs assessment of the Minneapolis Public Schools, more than 600 Title I supported staff worked to improve the achievement of these children in 43 public and parochial schools. Attempts to measure impact were made, and a number of individual…

The fifth report of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program contains education profiles for State school districts, schools and pupils. The profiles deal with: (1) human resources--such as pupil/teacher ratio and percent of teachers with master's degree; (2) school financial resources--such as local revenue per pupil and State school aid per…

California providers of instructional services under Section 321 of the Adult Education Act collected learner data in Fall 1991. From the total population of 130,000 adult basic education (ABE) learners, a sample of local agencies and all state agencies collected demographic and pre/posttest data for 87,934 adult learners in programs of ABE and…

In response to a request from the 1992 Florida State Legislature, Miami-Dade Community College (M-DCC) participated in a longitudinal study of college preparatory instruction. M-DCC student testing and outcomes data were collected for four cohorts of first-time-in-college students enrolling in fall terms 1986 through 1989. Highlighted findings…

An evaluation of the nurse education program at Middlesex County College (MCC) was conducted in response to an increasing dropout rate and a decline in the passing rate of program graduates on the Licensing Board Examination (LBE). The study focused on the relationship between student background and performance and between student performance in…

To comply with state law, the results of the South Carolina Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) are reported for the 1989-90 school year. Accomplishments included: (1) administering the readiness test--the Cognitive Skills Assessment Battery (CSAB)--to all first graders; (2) administering criterion-referenced basic skills tests to all students…

A study examined current research on the proficiency of vocational students in basic skill areas and explored current practices for improving the basic skills of vocational students at the secondary and postsecondary levels. Based on current research, vocational students, on an average, seemed to be less proficient in basic skills than were their…

The Individualized Study Program (ISP) at the University of California, Davis, which is designed to enhance retention of students with academic skill deficiencies, was evaluated. The target group was disadvantaged students who had not met the university's entrance requirements. Attention was focused on two aspects of the program: allowing students…

Begun in 1980 with 358 students, the Yakima (Washington) Public Schools' Basic Education for Limited English Proficient Students (BELEPS) Program served 1,250 grade K-12 students (94% Hispanic) in 1985. Its four programs were based on the degree of the students' English proficiency, and taught (1) reading only in Spanish, (2) reading in Spanish…

The guide consists of behaviorally stated, developmentally sequenced curriculum objectives for mentally retarded students from preprimary through high school levels. Five major sections present detailed skill objectives in the following areas: (1) basic academic skills (motor development, perceptual development, language development, reading,…

This report presents the results of a New Jersey school district field test of a comprehensive administrator training program. The program's main objectives were to develop a knowledge-utilization approach to the improvement of instruction and student achievement in basic skills, and to develop and test strategies for installing and disseminating…

The New Jersey Basic Skills Council seventh annual report to the Board of Higher Education looks at the status of the reading, writing, and mathematical skills of incoming freshmen and of the effectiveness of remedial programs in its public colleges and universities. A comparison is presented of students who needed and completed remediation;…

Florida's Statewide Assessment Program of the State Department of Education has been involved in a major effort to develop adequate strategies for releasing and publishing assessment scores for schools. One dimension of this effort has been the development of predicted or "adjusted" scores. These scores compare a school to other similar…