Placement tests are rapidly joining the ranks of high-stakes testing and college freshmen are required to take mathematics placement exams to determine their first mathematics course upon entering college. Unfortunately, these exams tend to place students in a lower-level or remedial course. As a result, additional expenses are incurred, degree…

Discusses practical strategies reading teachers may employ in dealing with state-mandated minimal reading requirements. Includes cautions and suggestions for dealing with test limitations. (TJ)

Developed to provide Texas school districts with information about the scope of the spelling objective on the writing test of the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills, this list includes all spelling words eligible for testing at each specified level. The paper contains lists for students in grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and the exit level of…

Suggests that competency reading programs should be based on a definition of functional reading that applies reading skills to real-life tasks, that materials should be real and timely, and that activities should center on finding meaning. (MKM)

Compares multiple choice testing with free response formats in terms of the cognitive operations each type demands. (HOD)

This document is designed to assist classroom teachers in preparing students to successfully complete the Alabama High School Graduation Exam (AHSGE). It consists of activities that are correlated with the Alabama Course of Study: Mathematics, Bulletin 1997, No. 4, and Standards and Objectives (Reading Comprehension, Language, Mathematics, and…

Argues that content area teachers should assume the major responsibility for preparing students in the areas commonly assessed in minimum competency tests. Sets forth four problems in convincing content area teachers to assume this role and offers techniques for persuading them to do so. (FL)

This document introduces the Alabama Graduation Examination Program (AGEP) which provides learning opportunities for high school students to meet the minimum competency requirements to earn a high school diploma in the state of Alabama. The Alabama High School Graduation Examination (AHSGE) content includes the subject areas of reading…

Suggests ways English teachers can prepare their students to take college entrance exams and state-mandated minimum competency tests. (DD)

This chart prepared by the Maryland State Department of Education describes reading goals for children in each school grade. It prescribes general goals for each grade level and includes specific activities at which students are expected to be competent. The general goals for each grade are: the ability to utilize a variety of reading materials,…

Lists 15 criteria for evaluating the procedures to be used in the assessment of student listening and speaking skills. Prefaces the list with statements concerning predictability and the relationships among the language arts. (RL)

A good applied performance test (APT) concentrates on measurable objectives which are relevant for today's society in general, for the local community, and for the students. APTs should be valid, objective/reliable, straightforward in format, simple to understand, and able to maintain student interest. Scoring procedures should be standardized and…

Discusses seven guidelines for programs to teach functional reading skills and meet minimum competency standards. (AEA)

A problem raised by teacher use of basic skills checklists is the possibility of focusing on listed skills to the exclusion of others, including necessary prerequisite skills. (JMF)

This monograph was developed to assist teachers in identifying more precise ways to select materials to use in promoting basic skills development. It is meant to be used primarily by teachers of third and fifth grade pupils who must achieve the skills measured in the State Assessment Test required by Florida. Examples are provided of test…