In response to a legislative mandate, this report assesses the validity of the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) and offers recommendations for increasing the passing rate of students. Section I summarizes the Florida State Legislature's interest and intent in establishing CLAST an achievement test--measuring skills in computation,…

In May 1983 the California State University (CSU) introduced the Entry-Level Mathematics (ELM) examination as part of its basic skills assessment process for first-time freshmen and undergraduate transfers. The exam is intended to provide students and counselors with information on the levels of mathematical competency possessed by entering…

The purpose of this paper is to report on the processes followed and the modifications made to the Alabama state minimum competency testing program for exceptional students, as well as to provide results for exceptional students tested through spring 1985. A committee of lay citizens and professional educators identified basic competencies in…

The Florida Statewide Assessment Program, a result of the Educational Accountability Act of 1971, collects and reports information annually concerning student achievement in the basic skills areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. This publication was prepared for counselors and other school personnel as a resource manual with the following…

This bulletin contains the current specifications from which the questions on the professional education subtest of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination were developed. Information is provided on: (1) competencies and subskills tested by the subtest; (2) generic competencies evaluation strategies; (3) the content base for the professional…

Describes the significant change in Arkansas State public policy on education during the tenure of Governor Bill Clinton. Details the political ups and downs of Clinton's initiatives, particularly teacher competency tests. Offers a postscript on Clinton's initiatives and a side bar on the Home Instructional Program for Preschool Youngsters. (JB)

Describes two state-mandated programs for institutional accountability in New Jersey (i.e., Basic Skills Assessment Program and College Outcomes Evaluation Program), which function through cooperation between the state's higher education agency and its colleges and universities. Highlights research objectives, procedures, responsibilities,…

In 1979, Act 187, known now as the Educator Improvement Act, was mandated by the legislature of the State of South Carolina. One tenet of Act 187 was the establishment of an Educator Improvement Task Force to develop an instrument which could effectively measure minimal teaching competencies. To help in the content and design of the instrument,…

Because historically black institutions have provided the major share of non-white teachers to the nation's schools, this monograph was prepared to illuminate some of the proactive initiatives which have taken place in four of these black colleges' teacher education programs: (1) Bethune-Cookman College in Florida; (2) Norfolk State University in…

This report summarizes the results of two educational policy studies: (1) an analysis of current problems in teacher competency testing; and (2) an exploration of educational testing and evaluation research and development needs. In the first study, information on teacher competency testing was gathered from a literature review and meetings with…

Survey responses from 517 member institutions of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education are reported. The first section depicts the nature of the institutions (public land grant, public non-land grant, independent liberal arts, church-related liberal arts, private university, and predominantly black), and the patterns of…

This paper: (1) reviews the development and implementation of a test designed to assess the competencies of public high school students in Atlanta, Georgia, preceding their graduation; and (2) presents the results of indicator cluster correlations between the new "Basic Skills Tests" and other reading and mathematics basal tests…

Focusing on formal testing programs involving academic achievement, the assessment of student performance in 28 large city school districts is described. In addition to presenting how districts have designed testing programs to meet the variety in the students they serve, this report also discussed test management, work with test publishers, test…

This paper describes the meeting of the Reading and Writing Advisory Committee of the New Jersey Basic Skills Council with selected high school English teachers and administrators. This panel established cut scores for statewide interpretation of the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test (NJCBSPT). The NJCBSPT is administered to all…

The pattern toward an increase in the number of states using some form of competency testing prior to the certification of educators is substantiated in this paper. Competency testing programs are implemented at three distinct levels: (1) before entrance into a teacher education program near the end of the sophomore year in college; (2) at the end…