These papers were presented at the symposium "Using Statewide Basic Skills Tests to Make Promotion Decisions: Political and Psychometric Issues." The development of basic skills testing and the legislative mandate that needed to be implemented for minimum competency testing in Louisiana are discussed by Hugh I. Peck. Rebecca S. Christian…

This document consists of three parts. The first part is a report on a project conducted to develop computer software needed by vocational agriculture teachers in Texas. The report details the process used to assess and develop software, and provides guidelines that can be used by others in evaluating computer software for vocational agriculture…

This document provides an overview of programs and activities in adult and secondary education, along with statistical data about adult education efforts in the United States. The first part of the document presents seven short sections about council functions and programs in adult education. Included in these sections is the following…

On the basis of research reports, a survey of secondary school principals, a public opinion survey, state comparisons, public hearing testimony, and findings from high school visitations, the Michigan Commission on High Schools developed recommendations for improving seven aspects of secondary education in Michigan. First, the commission…

This guide sets forth minimum approval criteria for secretarial training in office occupations education programs in Oregon. The information in the guide is intended for use by district-level curriculum planners, teachers, regional coordinators, or state education department staff involved with new program development or revisions of existing…

This document is a report of the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources on the Vocational Education Act of 1984 (S. 2341). The report is organized in nine sections. The first three sections introduce the bill, provide background information on its intent and on the legislation that it was designed to replace (the Vocational Education…

A technical advisory committee assisted the Alabama State Department of Education in establishing passing scores and equating test forms of the Alabama High School Graduation Examination (AHSGE). The committee examined four methods of setting cutting scores: (1) Jensen's theoretical method--probability theory is used to set standards that are…

Consumer education can be defined as "a study of intelligent and effective methods of buying and using goods and services, competent money management, and the relationship of the consumer to the economy, the workplace, and the home." An important role of government is providing the individual with information so that the individual can…

A study examined the effects of increased academic requirements for graduation on secondary vocational enrollments in Colorado. After identifying 111 of the school districts in Colorado that have recently increased their graduation requirements (representing 61 percent of the 180 school districts in the State), researchers randomly selected five…

This 1983-84 annual report on vocational education in Virginia is organized under four major categories: (1) recommendations for improving the state's vocational education programs, services, and activities; (2) the extent to which previous recommendations have received consideration; (3) review of the vocational education annual program plan…

This document outlines a comprehensive plan developed by the Minnesota State Department of Education for improving school effectiveness throughout the state. The first four sections of the paper present prefatory material, including a general introduction, current comparative statistics on Minnesota schools, need statements (state legislation…

Alternative certification programs continue to increase as school districts, institutions of higher education, and commercial companies share common educational expectations. In Kansas, a state-wide collaborative of eleven partner institutions, governed by an advisory board, designed a conceptual framework, a standards-based program, curriculum,…

Compulsory province-wide grade 12 examinations, administered in Alberta since 1906, were dropped in 1973; teachers were given the responsibility of assigning final grades. To assess the quality of education since then, a 1976 survey examined: (1) current grade 12 evaluation policies and practices; (2) whether or not grading has changed in the past…

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…

This report of the activities of the National Advisory Council on Extension and Continuing Education during 1976 focuses on current information about (1) the nature and extent of the need for federal continuing education programs; (2) the appropriateness of the existing responses in light of the needs identified; and (3) the Council's…