Describes the implementation of a minimum competency testing program in North Boone Senior High School in Poplar Grove (Illinois). Includes eight questions to be asked in planning for such a program. (Author/WD)

In this paper the author shares his concerns about minimal competency testing, fearing that the minimum may become the maximum. He discusses this fear based on examples from the English curriculum--Language, Writing, and Literature. (KC)

Stresses the need for examining the minimum competency testing movement in terms of: (1) the relationship between the goals of the curriculum and the content of such tests; (2) the concept of remediation; (3) the issue of discrimination; (4) open v secure (secret) testing: (5) the impact of standardized testing practices on early education. (GC)

Asserts that school systems will have to convert from their traditional methods of organizing and operating if competencies beyond the basic skills are to be taught. (Author/IRT)

Issues raised by teacher competency testing are addressed. How competency can be defined and measured and whether competency assessment makes a positive contribution to teaching are discussed along with legal and ethical concerns. (Author/MT)

The project "Threshold Level," initiated by the Council of Europe in 1976, is compared with "Francais fondamental," comparing their aims and their differences. Offered as an interim statement, the article leaves open the question of whether Francais fondamental should be replaced by the the Threshold Level. (IFS/WGA)

Developers of high stakes criterion-referenced tests are urged to formulate test tasks so that efficient instruction can promote student mastery of the domain. Time-on-task has been promoted by instructional psychologists as preferable to test teaching. (DWH)

Examines the purposes of student evaluation and how they influence the daily life of the classroom. Discusses feedback to students and parents, minimum competencies, classroom observations, formal tests, and self-evaluation. (SS)

Competency testing is only one component of competency-based education (CBE); the others are: educational objectives, instructional process, remedial instruction, and program evaluation/reconceptualization. To implement only competency testing may result in disillusionment with the entire concept of CBE, which seeks to improve programs, not fail…

Evaluation of student minimal competency should be based partly on national concerns, partly on local concerns, and partly on the needs of the learner. Evaluation must be built into all levels. (JMF)

Conflicting definitions reveal the diversity of motives and goals in the back-to-basics movement. Dealing with the problem must include consideration of the impact of television, the realization that basic and nonbasic education are complementary, and the need for coordination of K-12 and postsecondary education. (JMF)

An overview and critique, with special reference to independent schools, of the minimum competency testing movement as a solution to the political and educational furor over declining student achievement. (SJL)

Classroom instruction is aligned with grade level basic objectives and a yearly survey of these skills. Methods and resources that elementary school principals and teachers can use to teach essential skills are being developed. (Author/MLF)

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…

A brief overview of trends in assessment in psychology degrees is presented. Both natural evolutionary changes in education and external, professionally-based forces have exerted considerable influence upon both the psychology curriculum and the methods of assessment to which psychology students have been subjected. (MLW)