This report was developed in the Test Use Project at the Center for the Study of Evaluation. The general goal of the project is to examine and describe the features and applications of tests and other assessment methods that contribute to the improvement of instruction. It is, therefore, examining the nature of current assessment practice, the…

Produced in response to a school board's directive to develop a plan for implementing a standardized curriculum in the basic subjects on a district-wide basis, this resource guide is intended to provide teachers with ideas and materials that will assist them in teaching a course in functional basic English skills for eleventh grade students.…

This guide outlines a model for competency-based education (CBE) as well as procedures for administration of CBE programs. The model includes the following elements--publicly determined and displayed student learning outcomes, curricular changes, life role related outcomes, integrated learning experiences, and individualized instruction.…

The Associates Program of the Institute for Educational Leadership is a network of educational policy-makers in over 30 states. Each state's Associate conducts several seminars each year for the benefit of the state's key policy-makers. In 1977 these Associates (then numbering 23) and the participants in their seminars responded to questionnaires…

Thirteen alternatives to using competency based tests should be considered when diagnosing student competency in writing: teacher-made or departmental tests, teacher-student conferences, contractual grade agreements between student and teacher, student self-evaluation, individualized goal setting, keeping files or portfolios of student work,…

Guidelines are presented to assist school divisions in implementing the accreditation requirement of the Virginia Board of Education for minimum competency assessment in citizenship for all high school graduates. It is assumed that local schools or divisions have established goals and objectives for social studies programs which may serve as a…

This chart summarizes the following categories of information about various states' minimum competency testing activities: (1) name of state; (2) legislation or ruling which requires testing; (3) name of organization which sets standards; (4) grade levels assessed; (5) skill areas assessed; (6) use of standards and of test results; and (7) other…

A project was conducted to develop an interagency consortium for Alaska for the purpose of annually identifying and updating the preservice training needs for Alaska vocational educational personnel and to prepare a report on the recommendations from the consortium to be issued to institutions of higher education offering one or more preservice…

In order to establish competency based entrance requirements for freshman composition, a midwestern university sampled six freshman composition and four basic writing classes for errors in their essay writing. ACT English and social studies scores and several reading scores were also gathered. All this data was computer analyzed by the multiple…

Three basic areas of definition, measurement, and research, voiced as concerns by members of the National Council of Measurement in Education (NCME) to its Task Force on Measurement Problems in Competency-Based Programs, are used as an organizer for a sponsored symposia and the papers in this monograph. The problem of the definition of competency…

How the reference point for the Reading Test for New York State Elementary Schools was set is described. A sampling plan was used to define de facto reading standards in grades 5 and 6. Textbooks in English-Language Arts, science, social studies, health, and safety most used in those grades were determined by mailing a questionnaire to the…

Most state legislatures have either passed or taken under consideration for passage some minimum competency testing program. However, it is not clear that these legislative efforts will result in implementation programs that fulfill legislative intent. Throughout the United States legal challenges from students adversely affected by testing…

Implementation of the Proficiency Testing Program, adopted by the Idaho State Board of Education, is explained in the districts coordinator's manual. The tests are described as administered on a district optional basis to ninth grade students in the basic skills areas of reading, writing, spelling, and mathematics. Criterion referenced tests are…

There is currently a conflict between educational accountability and the distrust of standardized testing. Concern for the quality of education is based on evidence of students' academic dificiencies, the decline in test scores, and increasing education costs and school taxes. As a result of criticism, states have mandated, or are considering,…

A research project was developed for New York City public schools to improve student achievement based on analysis of school performance and subsequent development of corrective action evaluated within a framework of accountability. The program was composed of: (1) participation in the decision making process by various special interest groups;…