Asserts that competency based education provides a means for achieving, verifying, and communicating effectiveness to various publics. Proposes a transitional phase emphasizing the assessment component, rather than the total design. (Author/WD)

Reviews the history of college entrance requirements. The Carnegie Foundation was the first organization to develop definite educational standards, to define a high school, and to separate high school from college curricula. (WD)

Indicates that there has been an increase in the standard of reading for meaning for fifth grade pupils in Australia between 1946 and 1971. (TJ)

Five approaches to grading student tests are described and their advantages and limitations are examined. It is suggested that the fifth approach, which takes into account the general ability level of the class and applies predetermined percentages to determine the number of students receiving each grade, is the most rational approach. (JMD)

A nonrandomized minimax solution is presented for passing scores on mastery tests using the binomial error model. The computation does not require prior knowledge regarding an individual examinee or group test data for a population of examinees. A scheme which allows for correction for guessing is also described. (Author/JKS)

A high school writing teacher provides insights about her grading procedures by "writing letters" to typical students in various grade categories. (RL)

This article discusses the nature and value of accreditation, organization of accreditation agencies, costs, and general accreditation procedures. (JMF)

A critic of innovation, change, and experimentation in higher education discusses nontraditional delivery systems and the pitfalls of being a critic. Quality and standards of education are discussed along with the accrediting process and abuses in nontraditional delivery systems. (MLW)

The relationships of specific NTE tests to the teacher education curriculum in Louisiana are described. (JD)

Contends that the imposition of competence standards might compensate for the climate of permissiveness that allowed students to graduate from high school without having developed high school level skills in the basics. (DD)

The liberal arts college is felt to have made higher education impersonal, its organizational structure defeating the educational aims it purportedly serves. Higher education is seen as bureaucratization of the individual, with standardizing effects and narrowing of intellectual vision and social insight. (Article originally published in 1949.)…

Summarizes the development of conditions for scholarly publishing in Canada from 1976 to the present. Discussed are the need for constant communication among scholars, concerns of publishing companies, performance standards, and economics, as well as national studies undertaken to determine the extent and effectiveness of scholarly publishing. (SW)

Examines the political influences on minimum competency testing in Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, and California. (IRT)

Outlines a method for constructing minimum competency tests that are legitimate, answerable, and useful. At the heart of such tests is an item bank that is open to all to view. (Author/IRT)

In criticizing the report of the National Academy of Education Panel on Testing and Basic Skills, "Improving Educational Achievement," the author addresses the same eight policy-related questions the panel examined. (IRT)