Recommending goals and standards to improve mathematics education at the two-year college and lower-division levels, this report focuses on core content themes for developmental mathematics, associate in applied science, and baccalaureate intending programs. Following introductory sections, chapter 2 describes the CORE, or common content themes…

In 1988-89 the Connecticut Vocational-Technical School System initiated a program for the ongoing review and upgrading of all trade and academic curricula used in the system's 17 schools to insure that each curriculum is consistent with current standards. Every 3 years the Curriculum Steering Committee for the trade or academic subject conducts a…

In an effort to help developmentally delayed or disabled children succeed in an integrated or regular early childhood classroom setting, the Rural Area Model Preschool Project staff developed an ecological inventory to identify the behaviors and skills expected of preschoolers in classroom settings. The inventory was used for 2 months in eight…

Competency testing often refers to a system devised to assure successful performance on a specific test, in addition to other mandated criteria as a requisite to obtaining a high school diploma. Minimum competency testing is usually defined in one of two ways: as the acquisition of basic skills or as the demonstrated ability to apply basic skills…

This booklet discusses changes taking place in the four major processes involved in preparing and certifying teachers: national accreditation, state program approval, state certification, and teacher preparation. Some of the major issues affecting these processes, such as teacher competency testing and teaching internships, are discussed, and the…

The problem of setting standards has always been an issue in the educational community. This paper offers an outline of one state's procedure for setting a passing score for a competency-based test in mathematics. The Maryland Functional Mathematics Test (MFMT) becomes a graduation prerequisite for the graduating class of 1987. The procedures used…

When children start school it is not just a transition to a new physical context, but also an entry point to a new "culture" where aspects of teaching, learning and assessment are different, and hence what it means to be a learner is constructed differently. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in making links between…

Assembly Bill (AB) 1725 provides for the hiring of faculty who do not meet the precise letter of the minimum qualifications, provided that the governing board of an institution determines that an applicant possesses qualifications that are at least equivalent. In order to make these determinations, each district must have and use an equivalency…

The Writing Skills Committee of the New Jersey Department of Education determined that the Eleventh-Grade High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) writing test should be based on contemporary discourse theory that is process oriented and is firmly rooted in real world application of students' skill and knowledge as writers. The committee identified two…

Along with its companion teacher's guide, this student study text teaches writing skills needed to pass the New York Regents Competency Test (RCT) in Writing, using the computer as an instrument of instruction. The guide is arranged in three sections that match the tasks required on the RCT Writing Test: (1) The Business Letter; (2) The Report;…

Wisconsin has a local options competency-testing policy for public schools: participating districts receive state assistance, but are subject to regulations on test development and use. This paper examines influences on school district program adoption, focusing on local support for any testing program and superintendents' attitudes toward state…

Oregon's common curriculum goals for music education, an area of study that addresses the components of valuing music, developing music literacy, performing music, and creating music are presented. An overall goal for each one of these four strands is established, and then the content specific knowledge and skills that students should possess by…

A new teacher certification law, enacted by the Maine Legislature in 1984, included a chapter which delineated standards and procedures for creating and operating support systems for candidates seeking a higher level certificate, a transitional endorsement, and/or renewal of the master's level certificate. This chapter requires that all teachers…

Four major types of approaches to learner assessment are standardized testing, materials-based, competency-based, and participatory assessment. Standardized tests are easy and inexpensive to administer. Objections are their intrinsic defects and misuse. Materials-based assessment, the practice of evaluating learners on the basis of tests following…

Item specifications developed by the Arkansas Department of Education as part of the Minimum Performance Testing Program (MPT) appear in this document. Specifically, the social studies materials given to eighth-grade students on the MPT are reviewed. The purpose of an item specification is to provide an overview of the general content and format…