Legislation dealing with competency testing in general falls into the following categories: (1) mandating uniform statewide minimum competency testing, to which high school diplomas and/or grade promotion is related; (2) mandating uniform statewide minimum competency testing to be used for improvement of instruction but not tied to grade promotion…

The issue of minimal competency testing for high school graduation and grade to grade promotion as a method of emphasizing the teaching of basic skills and guaranteeing that the high school diploma will "mean something" has received widespread legislative attention in recent years. In this report, data pertaining to the enforcement of minimal…

Florida legislation has mandated an upgrading in student academic proficiency through functional literacy testing as a prerequisite to the high school diploma and through testing of other minimum competencies. Emphasis on educational assessment has resulted in a recent focus on teacher competence and more vigorous entrance requirements for…

Discussing the established legislation and background behind the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, this document outlines reading test specifications for third and fifth grade. It gives specifications for grades three and five on Reading Passages, Readability, Test Conditions, and Test Forms. Two sections are devoted to details for each grade…

This document lists the objectives for the Texas educational assessment program in mathematics. Eighteen objectives for exit level mathematics are listed, by category: number concepts (4); computation (3); applied computation (5); statistical concepts (3); geometric concepts (2); and algebraic concepts (1). Then general specifications are listed…

Some states are mandating basic skills testing and encouraging comprehensive universities to provide remedial programs for students who do not pass the tests. Texas House Bill 2182 is an example of this trend and is discussed in light of 10 key issues posed by assessment experts. (Author/MLW)

Discussions at the National Consortium on Testing conference are summarized. Updates on recent and upcoming events are given by Jeff Schiller (National Institute of Education), Doug Whitney (American Council on Education), John Maxwell (National Council of Teachers of English), Dorianne Almann (National Science Teachers Association), Eric Gardner…

California's Pupil Proficiency Law requires each local school district to adopt standards of proficiency in the basic skills of reading comprehension, writing, and computation. Students are to be assessed in grades 4-11. Students not making sufficient progress towards meeting the district's standards are to be provided with remedial programs, and…

Eleven mathematics objectives for seventh grade students to attain are listed. After general specifications for test items and the format for the test package are noted, specifications for assessing each objective are given, with enabling skills, a description of test questions, a description of answer choices, and examples of test questions for…

Intended to help Arkansas schools implement its 1980 State Basic Skills Improvement Plan, this booklet identifies basic skills to be measured by the state and makes suggestions for incorporating these skills into the curriculum. The first section explains the Educational Assessment Act of 1979 establishing a statewide basic skills assessment…

Representatives from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas discuss the issues surrounding teacher and student competency and accountability. For each state, they review legislative policies and actions and the programs of the state education department regarding the use of competency and accountability standards. The…

California Assembly Bill 3408 requires school districts to adopt their own standards in basic skills, including reading comprehension, writing, and computation. Students must be tested at least once in grades 7-9 and twice in grades 10-11. After June, 1980, students who do not meet standards will not receive a high school diploma. Assembly Bill…

To comply with official state regulations, public school districts in Massachusetts must establish minimum standards for reading, mathematics and writing by September 1980, and for listening and speaking by September 1981. The standards must apply to three grade levels: early elementary, late elementary, and secondary. Parents, teachers,…

The legislative history and provisions, implementation, and intended use of 12 state-mandated programs are described. Florida's program was mandated in 1971. The other states (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia) initiated programs after 1975; most are in their…

Testing programs enacted by the state legislature are changing and improving Florida's educational system in five areas: (1) setting standards for students; (2) making schools more accountable; (3) creating growth through competiton; (4) evaluating educational programs; and (5) assuring the competency of educators. (BS)