Since literacy tests determine instruction, they should be designed to match well-defined instructional goals. They should be evaluated and implemented by those who teach literacy in consultation with other interested parties and should function to improve teaching as well as to evaluate students. Writing abilities should be measured directly or…

The forces or pressures that have produced a concern for fundamental skills of literacy are briefly considered, and a number of related questions are raised about willingness and capabilities for dealing with the issues in a deliberative, systematic manner. A major premise is the belief that the back-to-basics movement can be understood best in…

Details the problems involved in accurately evaluating students' skill levels and suggests a program of fundamental literacy rather than a "back to basics" movement. (KS)

The objective of this study was to assess the degree to which the mode of administration of the computer-based Academic Skills Assessments of the "Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers" contributes to performance differences among test takers. Inexperienced or anxious computer users (Praxis pilot sample of 446…