A test that for a decade has been required of Florida college students before they can become juniors will, in 1996, become only one of four ways for students to demonstrate academic readiness. While some expect the change to reduce remedial enrollments, move students through college faster, and improve collaboration between public schools and…

The 32 tests described in this bibliography cover grades K-12 and are used to assess minimum competency in individual subjects such as mathematics, reading, or writing, or other basic academic areas. Several of the tests are state minimum competency examinations which students must pass in order to graduate. This document is one in a series of…

This manual, accompanying the New York State Regents Examinations and Competency Tests, is intended for use by school administrators, guidance counselors, teachers, and proctors. Regents examinations measure the quality of instruction and learning that has taken place in high schools, and provide information for educational and vocational decision…

To assist low achieving students in the mastery of instructional objectives in major subject areas, the Ministry of Education of Israel published definitions of Minimum Achievement Requirements (MAR) for specific subjects at all grade levels. To examine the feasibility of the MAR approach and to determine whether it contributed to the attainment…

The 1986 Comprehensive Assessment Report on the Pearl River (New York) Public School District describes the district's 1,807-student population (grades K through 12), the community, and its schools. Tables provide data on: (1) students' performance on standardized tests, including the California Achievement/Aptitude Tests; New York State Pupil…

Several of the major considerations involved in implementing a statewide testing program are discussed. The test results provide information which influences the educational enterprise in matters of curriculum, instruction, guidance, and accountability. Tests to be used in an assessment program must be developed by the administering agency when…

There is a great deal to think about in a minimum competency program: What competencies? How to measure? When to measure? One minimum or many? How high the minimum? Minimums for students or for schools? What to do with the incompetent? (Author/IRT)

The purpose of this proficiency legislation is to create a public dialogue regarding high school graduation standards, restore meaning to the high school diploma, and ensure that students who have difficulty with basic skills receive appropriate instruction. (Author/IRT)

This document is part of a series of materials meant to promote understanding of the knowledge and skills students must have and the kinds of work they must produce to be successful on the Graduation Exit Examination for the 21st Century (GEE 21). For GEE 21, student scores are reported at five achievement levels: advanced; mastery; basic;…

Raising the level of academic achievement of all students in New Jersey has been a major goal since 1982. As a part of that effort, the focus has changed from the low expectations of the Minimum Basic Skills program to the more rigorous demands of the High School Proficiency Test. This report includes background information on the effort to…

A study was conducted to assess the role of developmental work in preparing Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) students for the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST). The study sample included all 808 MDCC students who took the CLAST in fall 1984 and had taken the Comparative Guidance and Placement Test (CGP) upon entering the college. Study…

New legislation in 1972 shifted the emphasis of the California Assessment Program (CAP) from traditional every pupil achievement testing to a more efficient multiple-matrix testing design, under which a broad spectrum of skills could be surveyed without undue expenditure of educational resources. Scale score reporting was introduced to the grade 6…

The soundness of the existing system of examination at the high school level in India is assessed with particular reference to the English section. The purposes to be served by the examination are discussed and the shortcomings of the system are described. The test and the passing procedure is found inferior to those systems which utilize…

Explores such myths as competency-based graduation requirements are a repudiation of humanistic concerns, the public won't accept subjective measures of competence, and requiring students to pass proficiency tests before graduation will increase public support for education. Offers suggestions for developing new kinds of graduation requirements.…

A high school district employed multiple matrix sampling to establish cutting scores on reading and mathematics competency tests. Entry-level job holders in the working community were tested with subtests of the intact test. Generalizations were made from the results; performances of the high school and the community groups were compared.…