This paper describes the response of the Chicago school district to an Illinois State board of education directive that local school districts have an ongoing program of assessing student achievement and educational programs. The minimum competency testing program in place before the directive is discussed. The testing program and the nongraded…

Competency testing in New York State began in the nineteenth century, first with a local testing mandate and later with the "preliminary Regents examinations," which were administered at the end of the eighth grade. Optional competency tests were introduced in 1962, and in 1976 the Board of Regents mandated the passing of a series of…

The paper discusses the education of mildly handicapped students who will be able to live and work independently, but who will be unable to profit from a traditional high school program, postsecondary vocational training, or college. Three types of mildly handicapped adolescents are considered--students who lack adequate basic academic skills in…

Addressing the issue of testing and evaluation in English at the university level, this paper focuses on the development and use of the English Placement Test developed by the California State University system. The discussion of this testing program is placed within a framework of four testing principles: testing is an essential part of learning…

The development of the City University of New York's writing assessment test is discussed in this paper. Its relationship to the total freshman skills assessment program, which also involves the assessment of minimal competencies in mathematics and reading, is related. The discussion of the test includes descriptions of the test development…

The Butte College Tech Prep Consortium (TPC), in Oroville, California, is a cooperative effort of secondary and postsecondary schools, local businesses, and community organizations to develop and implement Tech Prep opportunities in the area. The TPC has developed a competency-based, comprehensive tech prep curriculum model that is applicable to…

Components of the Proficiency Testing System (PTS) designed for the Central Valley School District, Washington, are described. Components are: (1) progress assessment, consisting of norm referenced tests, writing samples, diagnostic tests, and ability checklists; (2) user assistance, including an objectives manual, inservice workshop, and a…

Efforts to institutionalize Bloom's Mastery Learning Concept at the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) are described. Information on the City Colleges and the adaptation of mastery learning are presented, and the growth of the project in five phases beginning in 1972 is sketched. The optimal pattern for mastery learning consists of a series of small…