Consisting of items from the 1998 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment as well as some items created specifically for the Practice Test, this Practice Test intends to be representative of the type of test and contain items similar to those that appear on actual grade 5 reading tests. These practice tests are not intended to be psychometrically…

Consisting of items from the 1998 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment as well as some items created specifically for the Practice Test, this Practice Test intends to be representative of the type of test and contain items similar to those that appear on actual grade 3 reading tests. These practice tests are not intended to be psychometrically…

This paper discusses a design methodology that would allow schools and colleges to identify the salient and tangible practices and processes that they will use to define their programs, explaining how to make a powerful technology of evaluation part of the design. The paper emphasizes the need to bring greater clarity to the core competencies and…

This report summarizes the outcomes of a National Task Force on Educational Interpreting that was established to examine and clarify roles and responsibilities, training and certification, working conditions, and other issues and needs concerning the involvement of educational interpreters in regular education environments. The task force found:…

Teacher training institutions should assess the competency level of their graduates so that needed changes in teacher education programs can be made. A model for assessing teacher education graduates and the teacher education program is described. (CJ)

The Houston Plan for Excellence in Education aims to achieve quality in staffing and in education by recruiting and rewarding excellent staff, initiating a competency-based selection process for all school personnel, and providing renewal and professional growth opportunities. (SK)

To meet future needs, secondary vocational education must shift from job-specific training and concentrate on producing literate workers with versatile mathematics and language skills. It should be responsive to individual needs, interests, desires, and abilities to ensure that they are addressed with maximum articulation and interface with…

In the past, the absence of performance standards for which teachers and teacher education institutions could be held accountable has helped protect teacher colleges from malpractice charges. As research identifies correlates between teacher behavior and student achievement, however, institutions which fail to teach minimum competencies may become…

Investigated compensatory education teachers' opinions/attitudes toward the Florida minimum competency program. Compensatory education, math, and English teachers from semi-rural (N=67) and urban (N=200) areas were surveyed by questionnaires mailed to their homes. Results focus on value of the approach, program implementation, and unanticipated…

In setting performance standards for schoolchildren, the school system not only announces what students must know; it specifies what it presumes it can teach. Tests of competency should be merely a monitoring device to indicate whether the system is meeting its obligation to students. (Author)

Examines the reasons behind and the effects of standardized and minimum competency tests. The authors conclude that the tests lead towards lower performance expectations for disadvantaged students, and increasingly rigid tracking along class, cultural, and racial lines. (AM)

This study investigated the relationship between the achievement of tenth graders on the Hawaii State Test of Essential Competencies (HSTEC) and such variables as student socioeconomic status, family structure, ethnicity, previous educational experiences, types of schools attended, elementary grades, achievement test scores, and rate of…

This article examines the program planning implications of specific advantages and disadvantages to competency testing which have been cited by lawyers and educators. Part of a theme issue on student assessment. (SJL)

While society rushes into the twenty-first century, educators are pleading to go back--back to the basics and the good old days. Saying we can't afford to go backward, the author urges educators to emphasize thinking and problem solving skills that children will need in the future. (Editor/SJL)

One of the developers of Cabrillo Unified School District's Basic Proficiency Monitoring System outlines basic principles for designing and implementing such a system: believe in the process, concentrate on the fundamentals, keep it simple and inexpensive, and always follow up. (SJL)