Minimum competency testing will help restore concern for cognitive development to the highest priority, and motivate teachers to teach more purposefully and students to work harder. A discussion of the kinds of tests to be used is included. (Author/IRT)

This study investigated the relationships among scholastic aptitude, achievement, and performance on a state-mandated teacher competency test for secondary school teachers. The sample consisted of 215 secondary teacher candidates who had completed the Oklahoma Curriculum Proficiency Examination between 1982 and 1985. Results are discussed.…

Legal decisions from the past 20 years that have been influential on the direction of the competency-based and teacher certification testing movement are described. Suggestions for test developers are made to guide them in developing tests that are fair and that comply with legal precedents. (JL)

Questions are addressed to the British Secretary of State for Education concerning: conflicts between the national curriculum and testing program and abilities of the disabled, the potential for the increased segregation of emotionally or learning disabled children, and the pattern of special education services 10 years from now. (DB)

The performance of various ethnic groups on teacher competency tests in several states are reported. The data indicate that disproportionate numbers of minority candidates are being screened out of teaching. Implications for the national teaching force are examined. (Author/MT)

The Florida legislature recently mandated several testing programs to improve the quality of teacher education entrants, students, and graduates. These requirements and their impact on teacher education in Florida are discussed. (MT)

Results indicated that high school students (N=30) who had failed the North Carolina Minimal Competency Test (MCT) and were given a 10-week remedial training program consisting of reattribution, success-only training and feedback with an aide, were more likely to pass the MCT and to have higher self esteem scores than control groups. (Author/DB)

Suggests that those who feel the need for competency testing in their program should find or construct a test that reflects the faculty's expectations, locate a coordinator to put the test into the curriculum, and find ways to bring the marginal student up to expectations. (EL)

This essay looks at the background of teacher competency testing and the conditions contributing to dissatisfaction with the educational system. Short-term consequences of testing are described. (MT)

Instructional validity indicates that a district is testing what is taught. Minimum standards of fairness in pursuing educational equity are proposed. The standards include efforts to remediate students who fail competency tests, use instructional validity studies; present an adequate opportunity to learn, make an appropriate use of results, and…

Provides background information on the move toward competency testing in composition and the subsequent implications for college writing instructors. Examines problems inherent to developing a comptency based program at the college level and what composition teachers need to be aware of regarding such testing. (HTH)

Written primarily for litigators, shows how minimum competency tests that are used to deny high school diplomas to disproportionate numbers of minority students can be successfully challenged under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Author/MK)

The issue of minimum competency testing (MCT) was put on a three-day trial conducted by the National Institute of Education. Both pro and con sides agreed that MCT shouldn't be used for teacher evaluation, allocation of educational resources, and retention of nonpassing students. (Author/GK)

To set a standard on the "beardedness" test (see TM 507 062) the probability that a student with a specific score will be judged as bearded must be estimated for each test score. To get an unbiased estimate of that probability, a representative sample of students at each test score level must be chosen. (BW)

Livingston's (TM 507 218) response to Rowley (TM 507 062) is compared with the original Zieky and Livingston formulation of the Contrasting Groups Method of setting standards. (BW)