This paper describes the California Basic Education Skills Test (CBEST), the educator response to it, and its effect at the district and individual levels. Questions are raised regarding the implications that implementation of present policy have for future students and teachers in California. (MT)

This response to a previous article concerning the use of the CBEST considers the importance of periodic review of testing and scoring procedures, the uses and improvement of these procedures, and the search for alternatives which better suit the intended purposes. (CB)

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)

Examines whether teaching candidates who passed a basic competency screening test also possessed a level of general academic aptitude significantly higher than those who did not pass. Findings from 293 teachers who took the California Basic Educational Skills Test and had Scholastic Aptitude Test scores available show that requiring minimum…