The Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS), a criterion-referenced test, was mandated by the Texas legislature in 1984 to be instituted beginning with the school year 1985-86. This is the first report of TEAMS, which replaces the formerly used Texas Assessment of Basic Skills (TABS), by the Austin Independent School District…

This report presents tables summarizing test results statewide for ninth-grade students who took the New Jersey High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) in April, 1987. The HSPT consists of reading, writing, and mathematics sections, and must be passed as one of the requirements for a high school diploma. Data include percent passing, mean score, and…

This report summarizes test results statewide for tenth-grade students who took the New Jersey High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) in April, 1987. The HSPT consists of reading, writing, and mathematics sections, and must be passed as one of the requirements for a high school diploma. The tenth-grade students who were tested consisted of students…

The purpose of this paper is to report on the processes followed and the modifications made to the Alabama state minimum competency testing program for exceptional students, as well as to provide results for exceptional students tested through spring 1985. A committee of lay citizens and professional educators identified basic competencies in…

According to a recent survey, school superintendents in Illinois generally favor the kinds of educational reforms being urged by national commissions on educational excellence. Over 100 superintendents from randomly selected elementary, secondary, and combined school districts in Illinois responded to the 104-item questionnaire. The survey sought…

The academic persistence of undergraduate students at Arizona State University was studied. Demographic and academic profiles were developed, and persistence rates were calculated for the overall population of 3,166 freshmen, and by gender and ethnicity. Additional demographic variables were residency status and age. The academic variables…

The graduation rates of the fall semester freshman classes that entered the Indiana University Bloomington (IU) campus between 1970-1977 (excluding 1973) were examined, and the results of a 1975 survey were extended. In addition, the current analysis examines the graduation rate of each class in relation to student race and sex, and new…

Designed to provide mature adults in an urban setting with an alternative to the high school diploma, the External High School Diploma Program of the District of Columbia is a systematic assessment of an individual's demonstrated competencies in the four generalized life skills areas of health, social/political, consumer/producer, and career…

Despite some initial hesitancy in the first half of the twentieth century to award associate degrees, since the end of World War II, the associate degree has become as widely accepted by two-year colleges as the baccalaureate degree is by four-year colleges. This is evidenced by the steady increase in the number of associate degrees awarded…

Interest in applied performance testing and concern about the quality of the high school diploma are finding a common ground: graduation requirements. A competency is a complex capability applicable in real life situations, and can be used as program objectives in a competency-based, criterion-referenced program. In such a program, applied…

Since 1906, hundreds of thousands of Alberta, Canada secondary school students have taken some form of provincially set and scored examinations. The grade levels of students required to write such examinations have changed several times, and tests have involved formats which included various combinations of essay, short answer, matching, and…

Issues associated with minimum competency testing are discussed: the national, state, and local context for MCT program development; MCT's potential impact; the use and development of MCT programs; and reactions to the testing programs. Presently, the federal role is described as limited to providing information, research support, and technical…

This guide was developed to assist Oregon school districts in meeting revised minimum state standards for planning and assessment. The teacher's role in objectively judging student performance with respect to satisfying graduation requirements is discussed. Guidelines are given for implementing an effective system of using teacher judgments in…

This chapter of "The Best of the Best of ERIC," Volume 2, contains 18 summaries of documents and journals on competency-based education, all of which are indexed in either "Resources in Education" or "Current Index to Journals in Education." The materials included deal with various aspects of the topic, such as…

The nature and implementation of the Convention of Prague, a 1972 agreement signed by ten Socialist countries, are discussed. The agreement concerns the mutual recognition of the equivalence of general and professional secondary school leaving certificates, final higher education degrees, and certificates marking conferment of academic ranks and…