This review critiques the highly-praised and influential 2001 study, "Getting Tough? The Impact of High School Graduation Exams," which concluded that "minimum competency," or high school "graduation exams," had no effect on student achievement. The review compares the test classifications of "Getting…

This document is part of a series of materials meant to promote understanding of the knowledge and skills students must have and the kinds of work they must produce to be successful on the Graduation Exit Examination for the 21st Century (GEE 21). For GEE 21, student scores are reported at five achievement levels: advanced; mastery; basic;…

Nations other than the U.S. elicit better performance from their students through the use of high-stakes graduation exams. Along these same lines, Michigan now links college scholarships to high school test results. Michigan has rejected the use of minimum-competency exams, largely because it wanted the state's high-school test to reflect more…

Nearly all high school students in the Choctaw School System (Mississippi), which operates without a curriculum or a comprehensive evaluation program, function below grade level. Minimum competency evaluation revealed that as many as 50 percent of those entering high school need remedial instruction. There are implications for educational change.…

The New Mexico High School Proficiency Examination (NMHSPE) assesses the extent to which New Mexico students have mastered the skills and knowledge specified on the New Mexico Basic Skills Plan. The test includes an objective portion and a writing assessment. A student passing both sections receives a diploma endorsement from the State Department…

This booklet answers frequently asked questions about the Exit Examination that students in South Carolina must pass before they receive a high school diploma. As provided for by the Education Improvement Act of 1984, the State Board of Education adopted the South Carolina Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) objectives in 1985 as the basis for…

There is no current evidence that Minimum Competency Testing (MCT) used to deny high school diplomas has enhanced equal educational opportunities for minority students. Test results, largely indicate that MCT requirements impact disproportionately on black students. Black students' scores may reflect a long history of racial discrimination in the…

This report summarizes the 1985-86 results for three New York state examination programs--the elementary school Pupil Evaluation Program (PEP) and the high school Regents and Regents Competency Tests. Results on the PEP showed passing rates improved steadily over the last four years. About one-half of New York State's graduating seniors are…

Mathematics achievement test scores of high school students in the Austin Independent School District who graduated before implementation of minimum competency testing were compared to the scores of students who were more recently enrolled in mathematics tutorial classes in order to meet minimum competency requirements. The percentages of…

The substance and impact of state-level reforms related to student standards are presented by: (1) providing information on the currrent state of educational reforms aimed at raising student standards; (2) summarizing research designed to identify linkages between higher standards and student outcomes; (3) exploring the strength of relationships…

This report of the High School and Beyond (HS&B) study (a national longitudinal study of over 30,000 sophomores and 28,000 seniors enrolled in 1,015 public and private schools) contains nine graphs and 28 tables summarizing data on students' high school experiences, activities outside school, values and attitudes, plans for college, and plans…