This booklet outlines competencies for consumer education courses in grades seven through 12 in the Philadelphia school system. Consumer education is seen to develop students' abilities to cope with situations encountered daily in their roles in our economic system. It puts into practice the basic skills of reading, writing, speaking, listening,…

Factors influencing the performance of handicapped students on the North Carolina Minimum Competency Test (Fall, 1978 administration) were analyzed. Educably mentally handicapped (EMH) and learning disabled (LD) students represented 83% of the 3,043 handicapped students who took the Fall, 1978 test. A questionnaire was designed to collect the…

To permit local districts to exercise their option to use standardized tests for state-mandated evaluations, a test rating form was developed. A key concern was the percentage of state approved reading and mathematics skills measured by a test, rather than the test's value for other uses. Other content concerns were readability and cultural and…

The concern that minimum competency testing programs allow minimum performance levels to be accepted as the maximum was investigated, using reading and mathematics achievement test data in one state. State and local school district standards were defined as the number of students falling below each standard, thus needing remediation. Test results…

The College Outcome Measures Project (COMP) was organized to design, develop, validate, and disseminate assessment instruments and procedures to measure and evaluate the knowledge and skills that undergraduate students are expected to acquire as a result of general or liberal education programs, as well as those important to effective functioning…

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act is praiseworthy for the special attention it gives to improved learning for children who have been ignored or left behind in the past. The emphasis on closing the achievement gap is certainly commendable, as is the encouragement given to states to adopt ambitious subject matter standards and enhance teacher…

Georgia's Quality Core Curriculum (QCC) originated in 1984 with a recommendation for review every 5 years. In 1996, teachers, administrators, parents, and business leaders throughout Georgia reviewed and analyzed the existing QCC in an effort to update the curriculum, reflect technological advances, and create a more effective base for teaching.…

Georgia's Quality Core Curriculum (QCC) originated in 1984 with a recommendation for review every 5 years. In 1996, teachers, administrators, parents, and business leaders throughout Georgia reviewed and analyzed the existing QCC in an effort to update the curriculum, reflect technological advances, and create a more effective base for teaching.…

This bulletin is one of a series reporting on the nation-wide study, "Qualification and Preparation of Teachers of Exceptional Children," which since 1952 has been one of the major projects of the Office of Education. Reported herein are the findings from the study which have bearing on the professional competence of directors and supervisors of…

Examines Papua New Guinea's Basic Skills Program to promote teacher competency, particularly in English and mathematics. A study explored 53 teacher college lecturers' perceptions of the national examinations. The lecturers considered that the examinations were neither valid nor reliable, disrupted college life, and were based on political…

As the world economy continues to evolve, businesses and industries must adopt new practices and processes in order to survive. Quality and cost control, work teams and participatory management, and an infusion of technology are transforming the way people work and do business. Employees are now expected to read, write, and communicate…

This paper compares descriptive information based on analyses of the pilot and live administrations of the Alabama High School Graduation Examination (AHSGE). The AHSGE, a product of decisions made in 1977 and 1984 by the Alabama State Board of Education, is composed of subject tests in reading, mathematics, and language. The pass score for each…

Six item bias detection techniques (distractor analysis, the Mantel-Haenszel procedure, Angoff's delta plot, Angoff's modified delta plot, Stricker's partial correlation index, and direct comparison of item difficulties) were compared for their ability to identify biased items at three stages of test development. The techniques were applied to…

Developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, this skills inventory addresses skill development for service coordinators in two major areas: technical skills development related to the service coordination duties as defined by state and federal statues and policies, and personal skill development related to attitudes and knowledge…

The mandated minimum competency programs of two states--Pennsylvania and Maryland--are examined, and some of the effects on school districts of raising the testing stakes are reviewed. In a survey conducted during the winter of 1986-87 in Pennsylvania and Maryland, one teacher, one principal, and one central office staff member each from 277…