Competency-based testing and credentialing (CBTC) initiatives aim to address inequity in adult education by fundamentally changing how states use GED®, HiSET®, and TASC™ test scores to award and withhold high school equivalency credentials. However, CBTC is inconsistent with how developers intend states to use those scores. Accordingly, it falls…

In this article, the data from a sociological survey serve as the basis for an analysis of the levels of professional training of the graduates of higher educational institutions in the Kuzbass region. The object of this survey consisted of upper-division students in daytime enrollment of colleges and universities in Novokuznetsk, which is not…

Explores the many meanings of the minimal competency testing movement and the more recent mobilization for educational excellence in the schools. Argues that increasing the value of the diploma by setting performance standards on minimal competency tests and by elevating academic graduation standards may strongly conflict with policies encouraging…

Looks at four sources for measuring national student performance: (1) the National Assessment of Educational Progress study of basic skills; (2) competency testing in reading, writing, and arithmetic; (3) college entrance examination scores; and (4) rates of educational attainment by sex, race, ability level, and socioeconomic status. (SK)

Business cares about education standards because the well-being of their companies and every American is at stake. In the international marketplace, says former Lockheed-Martin chief executive officer (CEO) Norman Augustine, the United States is involved in a "battle of the classrooms." As a result, business leaders believe that…

This project studied the impact of Minimum Competency Tests (MCT) on the educational careers of secondary students. The educational experiences of those students passing the MCT were compared with the experiences of those students not passing the MCT. The study compared three categories of students (learning handicapped, educationally marginal,…

Schooling has been overused as a credential, and the way to reduce the credential value of sheer years of schooling is to provide better alternative credentials. Research findings indicate high unemployment among those who have not attained a high school diploma. A productive approach toward reducing this overemphasis on diplomas and years of…

This document, consisting of 7 chapters, 20 figures, and 261 tables, provides large amounts of statistical data on most aspects of United States education, both public and private. The chapters cover (1) all levels of education; (2) elementary and secondary education; (3) postsecondary education, including college and university education and…