Many states have adopted minimal competency testing in reading or writing, assuming that goals of basic education are measurable and that testing for such goals is technologically feasible. It is not clear that such testing comes at a time in history when the quality of education is demonstrably lower than at other times in American education. The competency tests themselves may or may not reflect the ability to use skills in the real world. The evaluation of writing tests especially is open to question when that testing does not require writing and when the results, even when writing is required, are quite mixed. Where there is evidence that the quality of writing has declined, there is indication that basic skills have not declined but that complex skills need attention. A group called together by the College of Education at the University of Illinois in 1977 produced guidelines which suggest what skills should be considered minimum; they also suggest ways of testing for such skills. The cost of producing and scoring tests which follow these suggestions would be high but if students and teachers are going to be evaluated, it should be done in terms of a comprehensive experience with language and not a focus on a narrow band of skills. (TJ)