Since 1984, passing scores on the Preprofessional Skills Tests (PPST) have been required for entry into teacher education programs at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). College of education faculty, concerned because the majority of their population has traditionally been older, Hispanic students, developed a pre-PPST screening and…

This document, the last volume of a four-part publication, describes the programs in basic skills in mathematics at the nine senior colleges and eight community colleges of the City University of New York (CUNY), updating surveys made in 1976. These programs are for students who do not meet CUNY's standard for minimum competency in mathematics, or…

Three studies assessed the psychometric characteristics of the Direct Standard Setting Method (DSSM). The Angoff technique was also used in each study. The DSSM requires judges to consider an examination 10 items at a time and determine the minimum items in that set a candidate should answer correctly to receive the credential. Nine judges set a…

This manual specifies the skills and abilities possessed by the graduates of programs offered by the Terry Campus of Delaware Technical and Community College. First, introductory material discusses the college's competency-based philosophy and the efforts by faculty and administrators to criterion reference the competencies perceived by faculty to…

Discrepancies among the standards produced by different criterion-referenced standard-setting techniques may be the result of a failure to adequately define the minimally competent candidate. Current research in this area is reviewed in terms of three categories: studies in which no formal assistance in conceptualization is given to judges,…

During the fall 1986 administration of the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST), 980 Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) students took the exam for the first time. Of this group, 71.6% passed, and 28.4% failed one or more CLAST subtests. A study was conducted of the group of students who were required to retake one or more subtests in order…

This guide contains information helpful in developing curricula for grades K through 12 and provides the following: (1) rationale for developing school curricula; (2) a glossary of related educational terms, such as "competencies,""learning domains," and "needs assessment"; (3) a reference to the availability of the…

The following papers that reflect on problems facing teacher education are included in this monograph: (1) "Toward a New Model of Teacher Education" (Henry J. Hermanowicz); (2) "Recent Research on the Beliefs of Teachers and its Importance for Teacher Education" (Robert H. Mayer); (3) "The Dialogue of Democracy: Its Form, Content, and Implications…

A critical analysis of reports and empirical literature on the quality of candidates in teacher education programs is presented and the results of a nation-wide survey of basic skills competencies required of such candidates are described. While standardized test scores for education majors have been declining, many states in the survey did not…

The results of a follow-up study on local school district development and implementation of minimal competency testing (MCT) programs are reported. Critical questions regarding: (1) motivation and purposes; (2) selection of tests, procedures, and standards; and (3) impact, follow-up, and change are examined. The follow-up study investigated…

Written in a question-answer format, this report describes the impact of the Austin Independent School District graduation requirement on students. (1) What are the minimum competency requirements (MCR) for graduation? Students must demonstrate reading and mathematics competencies at the 9.0 grade equivalent. (2) How many 1984-85 graduates have…

Many educators think that the end result of minimum competency programs has been the lowering of the quality of learning by most students. It appears that once minimum competencies are held up as the expected level of attainment for all students, there is a tendency to aim all instruction toward those competencies to the exclusion of a wider range…

A stratified random sample of educators from the 1,827 schools in Florida with one or more full-time media specialists was surveyed in order to determine which of the 62 competencies for media specialists proposed by the Florida Department of Education Council on Teacher Education were considered essential. Respondents were sent an initial…

Minimum competency testing programs present educational decision makers with a new opportunity to reconsider some fundamental issues in American public education. First, what is the goal of our elementary and secondary educational system? In particular, one must consider the role that minimum competency testing plays in the struggle for equality…

Establishment of the new Law and Education Center (LEC) at the Education Commission of the States is announced in this document. It notes that the LEC offers preventive legal assistance to state educational programs and that it will focus on a limited number of specific legal issues. The central topic of this initial newsletter is competency…