This article identifies several reasons for demands for teacher and student accountability. Minimum competency testing of students and teachers is discussed within the context of the accountability movement, and the implications of such testing as an evaluation tool are considered. (IAH)

This article reviews the research related to minimum competency testing (MCT) as a requirement for high school graduation for students with learning disabilities. It examines whether inclusive MCT requirements lead to positive educational outcomes, raises issues of accommodations and alternative diplomas, possible increased dropout rates, and…

The Chancellor of the New York City Board of Education was required to set minimum standards of performance and establish the accountability plan for all schools in the city's decentralized school system. The system includes 32 community school districts. A 29-member commission, which held periodic one-day meetings, developed the standards for the…

Minimal competency testing of students can be an effective tool for improving educational quality if applied appropriately with adequate safeguards. The failure of academic standards through grade inflation, a policy of social promotion rather than academic promotion, and weak curricula has reduced public confidence in education and encouraged…

Minimum competency testing, in which passing a uniform test is necessary (but not sufficient) for promotion or graduation, has been carried out in a number of colleges, including the City University of New York (CUNY). Competency programs usually have three basic components: placement testing, remedial instruction, and exit testing. Competency…

The use of competency-based transcripts is favored over differentiated diplomas to designate differences in student performance. Issues discussed surrounding the use of differentiated diplomas for high school graduation include the actual importance of functional literacy level for job success, the failure of prospective employers to verify…

Demonstrates the role the guarantee of due process can play in ensuring that vital interests in public education not be lost through erroneous assessments of a student's proficiency in basic skills, and describes the limits constitutional and statutory guarantees of equal educational opportunity place on the use of competency testing. (Author/IRT)

This article comparing the educational systems of various countries contends that, while most countries have clearly articulated educational goals and educators know how to achieve the goals, there is little information on the extent to which students with disabilities are achieving such goals because most accountability assessment efforts do not…

Although the use of test results to demonstrate educational shortcomings is important, tests and assessments are also expected to be an instrument of reform. In fact, they are often expected to provide the primary means of creating educational reform. The minimum competency testing movement and the expansion of the use of test results for…

This technical report details the testing results and analyses supporting the evaluation findings related to the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) minimum competency graduation requirements. The graduation competency status of all AISD students in grades 8 to 12 are documented. The report provides additional information on the data…

The Associates Program of the Institute for Educational Leadership is a network of educational policy-makers in over 30 states. Each state's Associate conducts several seminars each year for the benefit of the state's key policy-makers. In 1977 these Associates (then numbering 23) and the participants in their seminars responded to questionnaires…

Most state legislatures have either passed or taken under consideration for passage some minimum competency testing program. However, it is not clear that these legislative efforts will result in implementation programs that fulfill legislative intent. Throughout the United States legal challenges from students adversely affected by testing…

There is currently a conflict between educational accountability and the distrust of standardized testing. Concern for the quality of education is based on evidence of students' academic dificiencies, the decline in test scores, and increasing education costs and school taxes. As a result of criticism, states have mandated, or are considering,…

A research project was developed for New York City public schools to improve student achievement based on analysis of school performance and subsequent development of corrective action evaluated within a framework of accountability. The program was composed of: (1) participation in the decision making process by various special interest groups;…

Provides an overview of state-mandated minimum competency testing programs. Describes the potential impact of competency testing on the school counselor. Proposes actions counselors might take to protect student well-being and counselor functions from misdirected regulation. (RC)