Describes the tenets of the back to basics movement, especially as it applies to minimum competency testing, and points out that it creates an environment which impedes consequential learning. (DD)

At present 27 states have responded to the demand for basic education by mandating a new emphasis on accountability for their educators toward minimal competencies, usually in the three R's. Here is an examination of what is being requested, whether this is consistent with our own concept of education, and what basic skills students should have.…

The implementation of a program for testing and teaching minimum mathematical skills in a California school district is described. (JT)

Argues for the necessity of evaluation and analysis of attempts at education reform. Uses data gathered on minimum competency testing and career ladders to illustrate ways in which policy intervention may affect teachers' academic success with students and their sense of teaching efficacy and commitment. (PS)

Several continuing competency programs, such as mandatory education and periodic review of licensing, and recent experiments in selective performance evaluation are reviewed. A review of the literature and an Ontario experiment provide data concerning program efficacy and the use of a positive reinforcement independent peer review process. (TJH)

Proposals for a British national curriculum and national assessment procedures are discussed in terms of a timetable for implementation, the foundation subjects, relevance of subjects to children's lives, attainment targets and testing, and children with special educational needs. (DB)

Reports on a study to determine whether placement in a remedial English class is more effective than placement in a regular English class for enabling students who are beyond the acquisition phase of reading development to pass district minimal competency tests. Data support placement in the regular English class. (NH)

A syllabus that shows the diversity of cultures should be the "core curriculum." A linear narrative of American history, a selection of significant periods and then a discussion of what was happening simultaneously in many places, and an attempt to dramatize the future are all suggested for a core curriculum. (MLW)

Four assumptions of the current reform movement in teacher education are critiqued: (1) that teacher education should be at the graduate level; (2) that teacher education should be more relevant; (3) that higher admission standards and increased testing are good; and (4) that higher standards will be mean higher salaries. (MT)

The Minimum Requirement Program (MRP) was introduced in Israel in the 1960s but was discontinued. The Parenthesis Program, a 1962 revision of the original program, restricted objectives in the syllabus which were deemed too difficult. Achievement gaps between population subgroups existed in the 1980s when a new MRP was developed. (GDC)

This article discusses the range of validation studies conducted in Kansas in examining the validity of the National Teachers' Examination as a certification test for that state. It is argued that the validation of certification tests calls for a wider range of studies than typically are undertaken. (JAZ)

By themselves, standardized teacher competency tests only aggravate the impending shortage of qualified teachers. A more comprehensive approach is needed to make teaching the kind of appealing profession that can both sustain higher standards of admission and attract greater numbers of candidates able to qualify under those higher standards.…

A study examining political and economic issues of the teacher certification movement, focusing on how it affects teacher shortages, presents data regarding the impact of the California Basic Education Skills Test on instructional programs at racially isolated schools. (Author/CB)

Three different competency-based vocational programs were analyzed to investigate how competencies are determined, how the programs are organized, and how students are evaluated. Results show that there is no set method for producing a high quality competency-based program. (CH)

Testing for admission to a teacher education program, testing subject matter knowledge, testing competence, and testing a teacher's understanding of children are all discussed. The value of a continuing program of evaluation of prospective teachers is stressed. (Author/MT)