Alverno College (Wisconsin) defines a curriculum in which all students demonstrate certain major abilities within their disciplines or professional areas, and it assesses those abilities as its primary graduation requirements. The college-wide assessment center has enabled assessment of complex abilities not easily tested through a single course.…

Reports from Graded Objectives in Modern Languages (GOML) groups throughout Great Britain are included in this annual newsletter on second language learning. It also contains two special reports: (1) report of the 9th annual GOML in-service training course in "Graded Objectives in Modern Languages: Taking Stock" (draft proposals),…

The high school minimal competency examination described in this document is part one of a three-part program that requires that all students satisfactorily complete tests in reading, language arts, and mathematics prior to receiving a high school diploma. The document outlines the test development and assessment program and describes the plan for…

This handbook contains suggestions for the use of results from the New Mexico High School Proficiencies Examination (NMHSPE) and describes procedures for developing programs and planning intervention strategies. The information and guidelines will facilitate administrative action for program improvement through integration of the NMHSPE results…

This is the second of six monographs on procedures developed to help local educators use and report Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test results. Because it annually provides student performance information on 10 essential skills in grades 3, 4 and 9, the MEAP test results can be an important aid to teachers in assessing individual…

The Continuous Uniform Evaluation System (CUES) provides the means for Arizona school districts to demonstrate accountability for achieving the goal of assisting all public school students in Arizona to develop the basic skills of reading, writing, and computation. These suggested guidelines for the development and implementation of a continuous…

This booklet has been written to help persons interested in assessment of education and training programs in general and competency-based vocational education programs in particular. The following topics are covered in the individual sections: the meaning of the term "assessment"; the importance of assessment; curriculum models; percentages and…

At Virginia Union University, an historically black institution in Richmond, Virginia, assessment, testing, and faculty development are connected in a systematic approach designed to determine what students need to know, demonstrate how much students know, and decide what needs to be done to enhance student learning through teaching effectiveness.…

A general overview of the Cooperative Assessment of Experiential Learning's Operational Models project is presented. The information is intended to aid other institutions in developing a similar model. Three papers are included: Developing an Operational Model for Assessing Experiential Learning by Warren W. Willingham and Kurt F. Geisinger,…

A variety of viewpoints were represented in this symposium for chief state school officials and senior staff of state departments of education. Russell Vlaanderen, Education Commission of the States, opened with a national overview: "The Policy Implications of Minimum Competency Testing: The Case of the Standardized Student." Attorney…

The first part of this report is a question-and-answer survey of minimum competency legislation, testing programs, and remedial programs. It includes the questions of both the educator and the lay person. Topics include: minimum competency tests, the debate over minimum competency programs, what happens after testing, and what citizens should look…

Minimim standards and basic skills assessment activities at the federal, state, and local school district level, as of September 1977, are summarized, indicating the broad range and variety that exists nationwide. Minimal competency testing is mandated by law in eleven states: California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New…