Examines issues of curricular and instructional validity, criticism of diploma-sanctioned tests, teaching the test, and the role of the courts in new solutions. Contends diploma tests may ensure that students are given the opportunity to learn those skills essential to becoming a productive member of society. (209 references) (MLF)

This report stems from the misunderstanding of what general standardized tests and standardized admission tests can and were designed to do, and an uneasiness with certain discoveries concerning biases in the tests. Important issues such as margin of error, predictive value, social and racial bias, and the effects of coaching are the very issues…

The attorney for the plaintiffs in Debra P. v. Turlington discusses the harmful effects and the arbitrary and unfair nature of minimum competency testing. (Author/WD)

Two approaches to setting standards for the professional performance of teachers are contrasted. One involves a coherent professional belief system in which an internal standard is invoked within a conceptual framework. It is exemplified by Sigel's Distancing Model, and involves a theoretical standard for teacher performance and emphasizes the…

Aspects of the new Employee Polygraph Protection Act are discussed, including exemptions, prohibited devices, limitations, exceptions, injury and access requirements, reasonable suspicion, drug industry investigations, procedural requirements, disclosure, basis for discharge, enforcement and remedies, and preemption and existing state laws. (MSE)

An important and widely noticed trend among health professions and occupations in the 1970s has been the increasingly widespread use of credentialing mechanisms. These mechanisms are intended to ensure that health services are provided adequately and with at least a minimum degree of competence. This report is intended to enhance and broaden…

Discusses two cases in which Black schoolchildren challenged the validity and cultural fairness of standardized, individually administered intelligence tests; Larry P. versus Riles and PASE versus Hannon. Describes the diametrically opposed outcomes of the decisions, highlights important similarities, and critically analyzes each court's reasoning…

This letter is an interim response to the October 7, 1991 request from the Committee on Education and Labor and the Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational Education of the House of Representatives asking for a review of the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) achievement levels for the National Assessment of Educational…

Describes the "Golden Rule" test construction technique and its legal history. Focuses on the legal/measurement issues and considers alternative procedures for constructing racially "unbiased" tests. Concludes with an analysis of the probable reaction of the present Supreme Court to a constitutional/statutory challenge of the…

Presents a history and analysis of the Larry P. v Wilson Riles litigation in California which prohibited the use of intelligence tests for determining eligibility of Black children for placement in educable mentally retarded programs. Argues against the court decision, and claims tests are not biased. (APM)

Legal issues of minimum competency testing derive from federal and state constitutional, statutory, and regulatory provisions, and from common law. Constitutional provisions for equal protection, due process, and freedom of belief and privacy, are primarily federal; education provisions are state mandated. Only four court cases have directly…