The Maryland Functional Mathematics Test, Level II (MFMT-II) assesses Maryland students' mastery of functional mathematics skills that are described in the Declared Competencies Index published in 1980 by the Maryland State Department of Education. The test is also used to certify students for graduation from high school and to identify students…

The Maryland Functional Mathematics Test, Level II (MFMT-II) assesses Maryland students' mastery of functional mathematics skills that are described in the Declared Competencies Index published in 1980 by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). The test is also used to certify students for graduation from high school and to identify…

The Maryland Functional Reading Test, Level II (MFRT-II) assesses Maryland students' mastery of functional reading skills that are described in the Declared Competencies Index published by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) in 1980. The test is also used to certify students for graduation from high school and to identify those who…

The Maryland Functional Reading Test, Level II (MFRT-II) assesses Maryland students' mastery of functional reading skills that are described in the Declared Competencies Index published by the Maryland State Department of Education in 1980. The test is used to certify students for high school graduation and to identify those in need of assistance…

The effect of student mobility on achievement on the High School Proficiency Test (HSPT), a state-mandated graduation test in New Jersey, was studied. Students in a small urban district in metropolitan New York City frequently transfer into and out of the district or between schools within the district. The research was conducted in an urban high…

A questionnaire was developed to assess high school principals' attitudes regarding the Tennessee Proficiency Test. The questionnaires were distributed statewide to the 147 public high school principals; 121 principals responded. Questionnaire items dealt with issues such as policy statements, remedial activities, graduation requirements, and…

The necessity of controlling the order in which trained essay raters for a statewide writing assessment program receive student essays was studied. The underlying theoretical question concerns possible rater bias caused by raters reading long strings of essays of homogeneous quality; this problem is usually referred to as context effect or…

The Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) required that all students who graduated in 1985-86 and previous years have skills in reading and mathematics equivalent to ninth-grade level or above. Special education students who could not be validly tested were exempted from the requirements. Students who had not met the requirements could…

Information regarding state minimum competency testing programs was requested from the 50 state departments of education in the United States in the spring of 1979. The following questions were asked: (1) Do you have a testing program? (2) If you do, what tests are being used? (3) Do you have a testing program in the planning stages? (4) Are there…

The California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), established in 1999, requires all high school students beginning with the class of 2004 to pass the CAHSEE to earn a high school diploma. A study was conducted in a large urban school district in central California of the first year of implementation of CAHSEE. The study gathered evidence about…

This paper describes New Jersey's High School Proficiency Test (HPST) in reading, one of three tests given to all 11th graders as a state graduation requirement. Each reading passage represents one of four test types (narrative, informational, persuasive/argumentative, and workplace). Each passage is followed by multiple-choice items and at least…

Demonstrates the role the guarantee of due process can play in ensuring that vital interests in public education not be lost through erroneous assessments of a student's proficiency in basic skills, and describes the limits constitutional and statutory guarantees of equal educational opportunity place on the use of competency testing. (Author/IRT)

This practice test for the Ohio Ninth-grade Proficiency Tests consists of items similar to those that appear on the proficiency test. The writing section contains a prompt that asks the student to write about a hero or heroine. The reading test contains questions based on four reading selections and other reading skill questions not based on a…

This brochure describes the state of Washington's efforts to improve its educational program and to ensure that the state's young people are receiving the knowledge and skills they will need in the 21st century. In 1993, Washington established a Commission on Student Learning to work toward four educational goals. These goals call for students to:…

Starting with the ninth grade, Hawaiian students are given the opportunity to take the Hawaii State Test of Essential Competencies (HSTEC) to demonstrate mastery of 14 Essential Competencies. These competencies are grouped into those covering the Basic Skills area and those covering the Other Life Skills area (e.g., distinguishing fact from…