The current status of state policy on minimum competency testing in Wisconsin, and the political process that produced that policy, are explored in this report. The document presents the preliminary findings of research conducted for a doctoral dissertation. The research methodology, mentioned only briefly, involved participant observation, in-depth interviews with educators, state administrators, and legislators, as well as documentary research. The study examined the policy-making process by analyzing each of four components of the legislative work flow (articulation, aggregation, allocation, and oversight) in terms of three research paradigms (institutional, process, and behavioral). The bulk of the report consists of an analysis of the issues involved in formulating legislation governing the use of minimum competency testing. The interests of the public, legislators, educators, special interest groups, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and the governor's office in different aspects of the policy are described, and the impact of those interests at different stages in the political history of the legislation up to the present is detailed. (PGD)