In view of recent public demands for the establishment of minimum competency standards in a number of areas, including oral communication skills, and in view of classroom teachers' frequently inadequate training in speech communication, speech communication teachers have the responsibility of organizing and implementing oral communication…

The Regents Competency Testing Program has been designed to assure that all students develop adequate skills in reading comprehension, writing, and mathematics before graduation from high school in New York. This bulletin provides information on two of the program's three basic elements that contribute to the accomplishment of this goal. First,…

Sample test questions are given for the Proficiency Testing Program adopted by the Idaho State Department of Education. Except for the writing skills test item, which requires a writing sample, all questions are objective, multiple choice items. Sample questions are given for reading, spelling, and mathematics. (MH)

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…

Seven guidelines for setting minimum competency standards for high school graduation are presented: (1) Competency standards for the diploma should be developed by a process that gives major attention to the needs of students yet recognizes an institutions's responsibility to societal needs. (2) Competency standards should be developed using good…

This document is a summary of two years of activity of the Maine Teacher Corps presented in outline form. Throughout, several questions are asked (What was done? What was learned? What was expected? What was found?) followed by recommendations for other programs. Section I is an introductory essay entitled, "Maine Teacher Corps, A Viable…

Reviews historic approaches to grade retention, what research does and does not show about retention, and some factors to weigh when considering retention. Focuses on models developed by H. Wayne Light and Laurence Lieberman. Includes a sample elementary school promotion policy and a sample retention referral form. (IW)

Describes statewide results on minimum competency testing (MCT) programs newly implemented in Texas, and discusses initial efforts to predict the impact of a specific statewide MCT program on retention and graduation in Houston. Suggests that the new MCT requirements, by discouraging high risk students who previously might have stayed in school,…

Asserts that currently accepted teacher competency tests are not valid and reliable measures of those qualities essential to effective teaching. Presents criteria that should be met by a valid assessment approach and, beyond competency assessment, stresses the need to improve the environment in which teachers function and students attempt to…

The National Education Association (NEA) asserts that precertification testing should be an important filter for guaranteeing that only competent candidates are certified to teach. However, NEA also stresses that all teacher education students must have equal opportunity and access to the resources required to produce quality teachers and is…

Traces the political history and the future political role of teacher competency testing nationwide. Focuses on the role of testing in the allocation of educational and employment opportunity. (GC)

Rising state standards and competency testing of entering teachers is resulting in a numerical decline in Black candidates who are ill equipped due to weak programs in the secondary schools. A comprehensive program at the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff to provide both educational equity and educational improvement is described. (BS)

Minimum reading comprehension of prospective teachers and average readability of required undergraduate textbooks are contrasted. The Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) test, which represents student test scores, and textbook readability measurements on the same scale was used. Teacher education program applicants in Kentucky participated. (Author/MLW)

The use of competency-based transcripts is favored over differentiated diplomas to designate differences in student performance. Issues discussed surrounding the use of differentiated diplomas for high school graduation include the actual importance of functional literacy level for job success, the failure of prospective employers to verify…

This study investigates relationships between teachers' receipt of high-stakes test score results of their students and subsequent changes in instructional and classroom assessment practices the following year. The sample consisted of 722 elementary, middle, and high school teachers. The results indicate that most teachers reported using the…