The President of Miami University of Ohio explains why he has proposed a test of basic reading and writing skills as a graduation requirement at his institution. (SJL)

Reviewing the current justifications for minimum competency testing (MCT) programs, the author finds them inadequate. He asks whether reading, writing, and computation skills can be proven necessary for a successful life and whether MCT programs can be demonstrated to be the best means of promoting students' living skills. (SJL)

Six goals are essential to basic skills mastery. Goal one is the identification of specific competencies and performance indicators which are necessary for students to master to become a coping adult. The appendix lists 17 competencies modeled after the Adult Performance Level Project (APL). Competencies are organized into five knowledge areas:…

Citing experience with declining ability in Navy personnel, Admiral Rickover calls for a redirection of the schools toward intellectual development, with improved academic standards and objective measures of student performance. He advocates a federal panel to establish model standards and tests in the basic skills. (SJL)

The most important aspect of competency-based education is clearly linked to Bloom's mastery learning model: the establishment of behaviors which ought to be learned and adequately performed by public school students. The main components of competency based education are: (1) establishment of student standards; (2) student testing; and (3)…

The concern that minimum competency testing programs allow minimum performance levels to be accepted as the maximum was investigated, using reading and mathematics achievement test data in one state. State and local school district standards were defined as the number of students falling below each standard, thus needing remediation. Test results…

Schools are legally responsible for delivering to all children what the state and school boards mandate in a prescribed curriculum, while teachers are held accountable for its delivery. A major part of this responsibility relates to the teaching of the basic skills of reading, writing, and computation. A current trend to assure the teaching of…

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…

Concerns and objections regarding minimum competency testing (MCT) are raised. The tests are criticized for their tendencies to: (1) deny variability in growth, development, and intelligence; (2) expose rather than constructively examine underachievers; (3) divert scarce personnel and financial resources to test administration; (4) ignore…

The Florida Cabinet has decided to accept a significant decrease in the number of individuals completing college degrees, as long as those who do graduate are able to pass the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) at a considerably higher level than is presently required. Under the new standards, only 48% of the first-time CLAST examinees are…

American education is not as inadequate as public opinion indicates. The literacy and skill of American youth are higher today than forty years ago because of our high achievement standards and commitment to equal educational opportunity. These opposing principles have been reconciled by the diversity encouraged in institutions, teachers, and…

This newsletter reports on the activities of Equipped for the Future (EFF), which is a National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) initiative that develops content standards to ensure that every adult can gain the knowledge and skills needed to fulfill real-world responsibilities as workers, parents, and citizens. A message from the NIFL…