Success in performing the medical calculations required of nurses demands a competency in basic mathematical skills. This competency cannot be assumed of a number of college students and the nursing student is not an exception to this trend. A test was designed to assess basic mathematical competency and administered to two groups of sophomore…

This article discusses the potential for discrimination inherent in competency-based testing and suggests some provisions which might be included in a fair competency-based program. Discussed are: (1) racial discrimination; (2) inadequate phase-in periods; (3) tests which are not reliable or have not been validated; (4) inadequate matching of the…

This report describes a study undertaken to refine the guidelines of the Wisconsin Design for Reading Skill Development and to suggest general procedures for implementing any skill-centered approach to teaching reading. The first part of the report sets forth the purpose and focus of the study, with a literature review to define the nature of…

Intended for federal, state, and local policymakers, the document looks at the actual policies and practices of local and state education agencies in carrying out their minimum competency requirements, with particular emphasis on the mandates of P.L. 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act…

Opinionnaires were sent to one person in each of the 50 states who was knowledgeable about minimum competency testing. Results showed significant differences in opinion, but there was agreement that tests should be used to improve instruction and identify students needing remedial help. (JHZ)

Learning disabled fifth graders in Florida were given modified versions of the Florida State Student Assessment Test. Modifications such as additional examples, smaller subsections, unjustified formats, and grouping of items in order of difficulty facilitated the students' performance. Use of large-print tests made little difference. (Authors/PP)

Cross-section analysis of mean 8th grade NAEP math scores and SAT-I scores found that New York State students (who take Regents exams) were one grade level equivalent ahead than might be expected, given their socioeconomic background, compared to students in other states. Dropout rates were comparable. (Contains 27 references.) (MLH)

In this paper we measure the impacts of tougher graduation requirements on course-taking patterns, college attendance and completion, and post-high school labor market outcomes for vocational concentrators and non-concentrators. Our main goal was to assess whether vocational education students were specifically affected (positively or negatively)…

Purpose: This paper aims to determine the knowledge that staff in day nurseries in Brazil had of basic measures to promote child health which are connected with high child mortality. These measures included breastfeeding, oral rehydration therapy, child growth follow-up, immunization and the identification of signs that indicate that the child…

A basic tenet of information literacy programs is that the skills needed to use computers and the skills needed to find and evaluate information are two separate sets of skills. Outside the library this is not always the view. The claim is sometimes made that information skills are acquired by learning computer skills. All that is needed is a…

This report on competency testing in vocational and technical education is a follow-up to previous reports published in 1988 and 1990. Section 1 summarizes the data. It describes competency testing in the 13 states that currently mandate competency testing and identifies the 11 states in which voluntary testing is occurring, the 9 states either…

Although minimum competency testing is increasingly popular, there is presently a paucity of information on teachers' and principals' use of and attitudes toward these testing programs. Therefore, a study examined the use and perceived impact of standardized reading tests in Puerto Rico and compared these results to the results of a similar study…

This study was conducted using archival data for 300 students of the graduating class of 1980 in a public school system which had a minimum competency testing (MCT) program. Data on normative variables (age, sex, race, and ability test scores) and performance variables (high school course of study, grade point average, absenteeism, and truancy)…

Results of a minimum competency test administered to ninth-grade students were evaluated to compare the performance of 723 students (345 males, 347 females, and 31 unidentified students) on content-specific and process skill questions. Subjects represented a random sample of students taking the Regents Competency Test in Science--a 70-item…

This paper discusses the supply and importance of minority teachers and predicts the effects of admissions and certification exams on the percentage of minorities in the new teacher pool. The analysis is based on the results of tests administered in one state, Texas (a teacher education program admissions test and a certification examination). The…