The primary purpose of the South Carolina Statewide Testing Program is to assess the achievement of fourth, seventh, and tenth grade public school students. Test results provide educators with information which facilitates the decision-making process. For the second time, Form U of the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills was the instrument used to…

Drawing from information submitted by 60 urban, rural, and suburban institutions, this report documents the progress of California's community colleges in implementing the first phase of a statewide matriculation plan. Introductory material defines matriculation as a process that promotes and sustains the efforts of students to reach their…

This paper outlines some initiatives taken to change and improve senior high school programs and diploma requirements in Alberta, Canada, as originally stated in the June 1985 policy statement, "Secondary Education in Alberta." It is intended to assist educational groups planning to revise a senior high school program. It also presents…

A survey to gather information concerning school district testing programs in Pennsylvania is reviewed. The information concerns the commercially produced norm referenced and criterion referenced achievement tests, as well as locally produced achievement tests used in the state's school districts. The Pennsylvania Division of Educational Testing…

Phase I of the Test Use Project, begun in 1979, was directed at gaining a representative picture of achievement testing in the nation's public schools. The project was designed to examine testing practices, uses, impacts and costs encompassing a wide range of formal and informal assessment measures. Phase II of the Test Use Project explored the…

A joint research project between an office of institutional research and the education department at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) is described. The study focuses on factors that might affect the scores of NCCU students on the National Teacher's Examination (NTE). The project enabled the education department to begin counseling NCCU…

In compliance with Section 1 of the South Carolina 1978 Act 631, the following Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) information is reported: (1) the administration of tests for first grade readiness and grades 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8; (2) the development and field-testing of the 11th grade test; (3) the field-testing of mandated basic skills…

This report summarizes test results for the objective portion of the 1983 New Mexico High School Proficiency Examination (NMHSPE) in the Albuquerque Public School district. The NMHSPE assesses the mastery of skills and knowledge specified in the New Mexico Basic Skills Plan. A basic skill is the ability to apply one of five designated skills…

Points at which state policies can control entry of individuals into the teaching profession were studied. A 50-state survey identified points of policy intervention and types of policies in effect in each state during 1983-84. Four in-depth case studies provided details about the political environment and rationale behind each policy, the extent…

Efficient methods of using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to analyze National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data files are discussed. One error in the NAEP SPSS file is discussed, and another error (which may be system-dependent) is mentioned. In addition, purely mathematical methods are used to address the…

Tests recently acquired by the Educational Testing Service Test Collection are briefly annotated in this quarterly bulletin. The tests are grouped into these categories: (1) achievement, (2) aptitude, (3) personality, interests, attitudes and opinions, (4) sensory-motor and miscellaneous. Entries of particular interest to those working with…

Chapter 4 of a book on school law, this chapter focuses on 1979 cases involving students. The author notes that in 1979 most unresolved legal issues in this area involved handicapped children. He finds disagreement among the holdings in these cases about the limits of a district's responsibility to provide special services to the handicapped. It…

This report describes the results of Connecticut's second statewide assessment of mathematical knowledge, skills and attitudes. The Connecticut Assessment of Educational Progress annually tests a sample of Connecticut students in grades 4, 8, and 11 in one or more subject areas. Students at each grade level were randomly selected to participate in…

To improve Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) participant assessment systems in Virginia, a project identified assessment systems and techniques/tools used by prime sponsors and developed an assessment model. It also identified key personnel of educational institutions in the prime sponsor area. A mail survey was followed by on-site…

This manual contains statistical information on the examinations administered by the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) to measure occupational competencies of experienced craftsmen in twenty-six trade specialties. (More detailed information on the program and on the scope of the examinations is provided in a separate…