A faculty member in a predominately black institution in the University System of Georgia critiqued the basic skills examination used as a placement and exit examination for the remedial program. He found that the local committee that developed the test had not defined what "basic skills" are, set priorities, nor specified degrees of…

Introduces the University of Wisconsin-Parkside's Collegiate Skills Program which requires that students exhibit competencies in reading, writing, mathematics, library skills, and the research paper before the end of their sophomore year. Details placement procedures, course sequences, competency testing, and indicators of the program's success.…

Suggests that mandatory placement of underprepared students in developmental courses may actually provide the key to opening the door to true academic, vocational, or community success, despite criticism by some that it excludes students and restricts their freedoms. Discusses ethical balances between access, student success and academic…

Described in this paper is a proposal concerning the responsibility of the California community colleges in providing remediation services and programs. The first part of the paper concerns the proposal itself. After a brief statement of the major issues under consideration, the conditions under which student success can be ensured in open access…

This report represents the first attempt by the Council of the Great City Schools to assess the states of minimal competency testing in its twenty-eight member cities. This report does not focus on the results of the tests, but on the general characteristics of each competency testing program. Few cities use the same tests or collaborate in…

A remediation approach developed by the Vilonia public schools (Arkansas) to remediate content/skill deficiencies in middle level students resulted from three conditions: state laws and regulations regarding minimum competency testing; more awareness of problems with at-risk students; and recognition of the need to reach students academically…

Many states are turning to minimum-competency testing at the secondary school level. Although at least 17 states have enacted legislation that sets minimum-competency standards for graduation from public high schools, the basic skills testing movement at the postsecondary level is still in its infancy. (MLW)

This report describes the evaluation of the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) which provides assessment and academic support for students entering Texas public institutions of higher education. The report includes a trend analysis of year-end TASP Test results and a cohort analysis of academic performance for 431,737 students tested for the…

Proceedings of three regional conferences on the quality of American higher education are presented. Sponsored by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, these conferences consisted of round-table discussions concerning recommendations from the national report "Involvement in Learning," as well as strategies needed to…

Connecticut's Basic Skills Proficiency Test, administered for the sixth time in October 1985, measures reading, language arts, mathematics, and writing skills. The test was intended to identify students who require further diagnosis and remediation in order to participate successfully in ninth grade classes. Results indicated that over 90 percent…

The work performed by New Jersey's Minimum Basic Skills Advisory Committee in studying the state's remedial programs is described. The committee's findings are summarized, as are its recommendations for enhancing program effectiveness. Descriptions of data collection activities involve interviews with representative school districts, major…

Students failing to master minimum competency tests are categorized as dropouts in this description of the results of and remediation efforts for the statewide Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) Testing Program. TEAMS assesses minimum competency in basic skills at grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11-12 exit level. The first…

Pennsylvania's "Testing for Essential Learning and Literacy Skills" (TELLS) program was instituted during the 1984-85 school year, to identify reading and mathematics problems early in a student's school career. This document describes the intent and legislation behind TELLS, the implementation of the test, population tested, properties…

This document presents required summaries of detailed student assessment reports submitted by the following Oklahoma institutions: University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, University of Central Oklahoma, East Central University, Northeastern State University, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Southeastern Oklahoma State University,…