The Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) test was administered to pupils in grade 1 for the first time, at state level, in April 1986. Students with certain disabilities and those with limited English proficiency were exempted from this testing cycle. This 84-item test measured 21 objectives: 8 for mathematics, 9 for reading, and…

These combined proceedings summarize presentations of two conference programs designed to address state-mandated student achievement issues. Dr. Terrel Bell delivered the keynote speech at a teleconference focusing on a broad perspective of competency testing. He discussed testing problems, as well as positive aspects such as comparison, diagnosis…

One in a series of publications on Illinois' State Goals for Learning, this report identifies what students are expected to know in the biological and physical sciences by the time they complete their elementary and secondary education. A sample set of learning objectives is provided to assist districts in the development of their own objectives.…

A study was conducted to assess the reliability of the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) for the major ethnic groups in Florida; and to develop a standard error of measurement for the critical group that fell close to the cut score on each test. The October 1983 and March 1984 administrations of the CLAST were analyzed to determine…

The Learning Assessment Retention Consortium of the California Community Colleges distributed two questionnaires to all 108 California community colleges to determine practices related to academic standards and matriculation. Study findings, based on responses from 68 colleges to the academic standards survey and 70 colleges to the matriculation…

This volume serves as a supplement to the Texas Education Agency's "Rules for Curriculum," implemented in 1984, which requires all Texas schools to teach the same essential elements to all students in kindergarten through grade 8. This manual is intended for modification of that curriculum for hearing impaired students with severe…

Use of nationally standardized tests to determine teacher competency continues to be a subject for review in state and federal courts. School district policies have promoted minimum score requirements as a basis for employment decisions concerning certification, hiring, renewal, promotion, and merit pay. Legal challenges to these policies focus…

This paper examined some of the issues surrounding the Arizona Teacher Proficiency Examination (ATPE), including the rationale for teacher testing, the Arizona approach to testing, and selected student outcomes. Arizona moved from Legislative directive in April 1980, to the implementation of the Arizona Teacher Proficiency Examination in June…

In 1984 the Louisiana State Superintendent of Education directed the Bureau of Evaluation to conduct a study of alternative testing strategies for the State, keeping in mind the possibility that retaining the current testing program was an alternative to be considered. The Bureau designed a study calling for the involvement of four distinct…

The effects of feedback about the ratings of other judges on subsequent ratings using the Nedelsky method and the ability of judges to retain or eliminate options in a manner consistent with the judgments of minimally competent examinees were studied using data from a basic algebra examination administered to 227 college students in 1987. The…

The New Mexico High School Proficiency Examination (NMHSPE) assesses the extent to which New Mexico students have mastered the skills and knowledge specified on the New Mexico Basic Skills Plan. The test includes an objective portion and a writing assessment. A student passing both sections receives a diploma endorsement from the State Department…

The North Carolina Competency Testing Program in reading, mathematics, and writing has been administered in all public schools in the state to students in grade 10 and those in grades 11 and 12 who had not previously passed this test. A total of 72,324 and 72,393 sophomores took the reading and mathematics tests, respectively, in 1988. The reading…

The Georgia Teacher Certification Tests were developed and validated to be job-related and to reflect the minimum content knowledge that is necessary to teach in each certification area in Georgia classrooms. Three assessment instruments are used in evaluating the performance of preservice students and beginning teachers. The Teacher Performance…

This journal issue addresses the topic of mastery learning at both the elementary and secondary school levels. The first article, "The Theory and Practice of Mastery Learning" (Guskey), gives a definition of and information about the development, operation, and application of mastery learning, based on the theories of Benjamin Bloom. In…

This report deals with ways to report basic skills test data which would facilitate the identification of student weaknesses. Under study are the technical aspects and methods associated with the reporting of objective-referenced data. An exploration is then made into the use of patterns of errors in responding to basic skills test items to…