This paper provides information about New Mexico High School Competency Examination (NMHSCE), a minimum competency test. Its purpose is to meet a state mandate. It will be replaced by the Grade 11 Standards Based Assessment/High School Graduation Assessment (SBA/HSGA) in spring 2011 as the state's high school exit exam. The NMHSCE was administered…

Project Basic is a program developed by the Maryland State Department of Education to assure that students attain basic skills in a variety of areas. Two levels of tests are given in grade 7 to monitor progress, and in grades 9 to 12 to determine whether each student has met the state minimum competency level. Students must pass the higher level…

This bulletin presents a description of the general education subtests of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination. Information is provided on: (1) competencies and skills tested in the reading subtest; (2) general subtest and item specifications of the writing tests--methods used in evaluating writing ability and rating rationales for…

The Reading Skills Committee of the New Jersey Department of Education determined that the Eleventh-Grade High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) reading test should be based on contemporary theories defining reading as a process and that requisite reading skills could best be identified in terms of text and tasks. The purpose of the test is to assess…

In 1972, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia instituted the Regents' Testing Program (RTP) to provide systemwide information on the status of student competence in reading and writing and to provide a uniform means of identifying those students who fail to attain minimum levels of competence in these areas. Since 1972, some…

This article describes procedures used at Pennsylvania State University to assess basic skills of applicants to the secondary school teacher education program. Tests given prior to student teaching assignments measure reading, writing, and speaking competencies. Test development and validation activities are explained. (PP)

Northern Kentucky University has implemented a proficiency testing program to screen candidates for admission to the teacher education program. When students are at the sophomore level, four tests are administered: (1) reading proficiency, measured by the Iowa Silent Reading Test; (2) writing proficiency; (3) speech and listening proficiency; and…

To provide information for decision making related to competency testing in reading, the Cleveland School District developed a working paper for staff discussion. This paper presents information about the varied aspects of a competency testing program which will use locally developed test questions and be implemented in response to a Board of…

The North Carolina Competency Testing Program in reading, mathematics, and writing has been administered in all public schools in the state to students in grade 10 and those in grades 11 and 12 who had not previously passed this test. A total of 72,324 and 72,393 sophomores took the reading and mathematics tests, respectively, in 1988. The reading…

This report provides a record of student achievement for the State of New York in the 1984-85 school year. It brings together a variety of achievement indicators with a clear focus on knowledge and higher-order skills. Three types of achievement data are presented. One consists of scores obtained on New York State (NYS) tests. These scores may be…

This paper describes the characteristics of the Minimum Skills Diagnostic Tests (MSDTs) components of the statewide testing program in North Carolina. The MSDTs' validity, method for deriving test scores, reliability and other statistics, test content, and test norms are discussed. These tests--given in grades 3, 6, and 8--assess an individual's…

The Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST) of reading, mathematics, and writing are three separate tests designed to measure basic proficiency in these areas. In response to a mandate from the State Legislature, the Minnesota Board of Teaching adopted these tests, developed by the Educational Testing Service. An evaluation of the 3 years of…

The Nevada Proficiency Examination Program was established by the Nevada State Legislature in 1977 to identify students who might require additional assistance to maintain normal academic progress through school and to serve as a minimum competency examination, insuring that each student who receives a high school diploma has met certain minimum…

This report describes the development, operation, maintenance, and future prospects of the item banks pioneered by the Portland (Oregon) School District. At the time of this report, there were 3,500 mathematics, 2,200 reading, and 2,300 language usage items calibrated under the fixed parameter model of item response theory (IRT) for Grades 3-8.…

The Florida Teacher Certification Examination (FTCE) is based upon selected competencies that have been identified as minimal entry-level skills for prospective teachers. A description is given of the four subtests which make up the FTCE: (1) writing--essay on general topics; (2) reading--multiple choice "cloze" procedure on general…