The impact on Native Americans, Hispanics, and Caucasians of competency examinations and grade point average requirements for admissions to teacher education programs was investigated. Strategies to lessen this impact are given. (MT)

A structured Delphi procedure was used to secure the informed judgments of three types of adult participants (n=170) on appropriate standards for the North Carolina High School Competency Tests in Reading and Mathematics. The feasibility of the method and the amount of agreement between groups are discussed. (Author/PN)

Oklahoma teachers, asked their opinions about aspects of a new state law to upgrade teacher preparation, supported raising college admission requirements, requiring an entry-year internship for beginning teachers, and participation in staff development activities. The teachers questioned the value of minimum competency testing. (PP)

A study of the 1980 graduating class of teachers at North Texas State University revealed that academic criteria played no significant role in the job-hunting experiences of those students. The author urges school districts to rely on academic competence rather than standardized tests in hiring new teachers. (Author/WD)

The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) polled all state and diocese-level Catholic school officials in the nation on their knowledge of and attitudes toward the competency-based education movement and its application to Catholic schools. Results, plus specific comments from Spokane, Charleston, Cleveland, and Baltimore…

Leaders of the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, and the American School Boards Association predict problems and possible solutions that teachers will face in the future. Subjects include collective bargaining, strikes, relevant inservice and preservice teacher training, teacher competency tests, and cooperation.…

The use by 31 reading specialists, compensatory education teachers, and secondary reading teachers of Angoff and Nedelsky methods for setting cutting scores for a high-school graduation test in reading comprehension was studied. The Angoff method provides a wider variety of information and yields estimates closer to actual p values. (TJH)

Reports a study on minimum competency testing in American high schools. Discusses the effects on students who fail to pass it, and the perceptions of educators and administrators about the value and barrier aspects of these tests. Implications of the findings for research, policy making, and educational practice are explored. (JS)

A Carnegie Foundation survey, conducted in 1988, found that teachers were critical of the education reform movement in general and standardized statewide testing in particular. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the impact of state-mandated testing programs on the work lives of teachers and students. It compares two states'…

Questions about the effectiveness of efforts to increase scores on minimum-competency tests and the appropriateness of their use were answered by teachers, education students, and administrators in Ohio, Georgia, and Texas. The first questionnaire was completed by 59 current teachers and 152 education students, who were asked if 30 listed…

In order to evaluate standard setting procedures, apart from the more commonly applied approach of simply comparing the derived standards or failure rates across various techniques, this study investigated the errors of classification associated with the contrasting groups procedures. Monte Carlo simulations were employed to produce…

Reported in this monograph are the results from a survey of composition teachers in the City University of New York (CUNY). The questionnaire used for the survey sought (1) to obtain quantitative data about teachers' instructional practices and about their perceptions of the impact of the Writing Skills Assessment Test (WSAT) of minimum writing…

Two national surveys on graduation requirements and transition services for students with handicaps are briefly described. The first study, "State Graduation Policies and Program Practices Related to High School Special Education Programs" by Joanne Records Bodner et al., surveyed state special education directors or their designees in 50 states…

A geography skills test was administered to over 3,000 Indiana college students enrolled in introductory geography courses in 1987. The National Council for Geographic Education Competency-Based Geography Test, Secondary Level, Form D, was used to measure geographic ability in the area of map skills, place name location, physical geography, and…

Data collected on the Eastern Kentucky University College of Education by the Office of Educational Research and Evaluation for the 1980-81 academic year are presented. Information is included on: (1) basic skills and personality tests; (2) administration of the National Teachers Examination; (3) competency examinations; (4) establishing validity…