Samples of handicapped and nonhandicapped pupils were compared on the following: initial Minimum Competency Test (MCT) performance, participation in remediation, improvements in subsequent MCT, and eligibility for receiving high school diplomas. Nonhandicapped pupils generally fared better on all measures, although sharp differences were found…

The Maryland State Department of Education issued a request for proposals to develop a score reporting system for the Maryland Functional Testing Program. RMC Research Corporation conducted a literature review of extant literature and developed a national survey of non-norm-referenced test score reporting practices. This comprehensive analysis of…

Project Basic is a program developed by the Maryland State Department of Education to assure that students attain basic skills in a variety of areas. Two levels of tests are given in grade 7 to monitor progress, and in grades 9 to 12 to determine whether each student has met the state minimum competency level. Students must pass the higher level…

Much of the debate on testing over the last two decades has centered on issues of equity. In this review of testing and the minority child, the ways in which schools can test and use test results to help all children learn are explained. (Author)

Using a statewide sample of prospective teachers' results on the National Teacher Examinations (NTE), the investigation probed relationships between NTE Composite Scores, Weighted Common Examination Total (WCET) scores, and WCET subscores with selected predictor variables, specifically, American College Testing (ACT) Composite and Area Scores.…

Statewide minimum competency testing programs have emphasized basic skills in reading, mathematics, and writing. However, continuing concerns are expressed in national reports about the level of achievement, particularly in mathematics and science, and increased testing has been suggested as a means of encouraging curriculum change and evaluating…

This study investigates relationships between teachers' receipt of high-stakes test score results of their students and subsequent changes in instructional and classroom assessment practices the following year. The sample consisted of 722 elementary, middle, and high school teachers. The results indicate that most teachers reported using the…

This booklet is designed to help parents gain a better understanding of testing and its role in the education of their children. Answers to questions concerning the different types of tests given in schools, differences among these tests, how test results are used, what test scores mean and how the scores affect students are provided. Several…

This practicum report is a structured account of efforts to improve student test scores and maximize the use of available test data in two rural Florida schools. This practicum was designed to evaluate the meaningfulness and use of Florida's State Student Assessment Test (SSAT) to teachers of second and third grade students. The SSAT is required…

Intended for use by school administrators, guidance counselors, teachers and proctors, this manual contains general information on the New York State Regents examinations and competency tests, as well as specific regulations and procedures for ordering, administering, and rating these examinations. The competency testing requirements for a local…

Test scores on the Test of Basic Concepts, a school readiness test, were compared with actual performance in school for 186 low-scoring and 133 high-scoring groups of first graders from Spain at the beginning of the school year to explore the issues of competence testing and prediction of performance. The measure of school performance was derived…

This report, mandated by Ohio's 119th General Assembly, examines the fairness and appropriateness of the state's ninth-grade proficiency test. Under the assumption that it is indeed fair and appropriate to have a single, statewide graduation standard for all students, the study focuses on the issue of whether the test, as developed and…

The licensure of public school personnel in Tennessee is a function of the State Department of Education (SDE). Additional requirements for this certification function were added by the Comprehensive Education Reform Act (Senate Bill Number 1) of the 1984 Tennessee General Assembly. The Act mandated that the SDE use tests to assess the competence…