There exists a controversy as to whether or not minimal competency testing in the area is a sound educational practice. A review of reading research in three areas, developmental reading, functional reading and recreational reading was conducted to provide data relevant to the controversy. (RD)

The Board of Education of the School District of the City of Saginaw requested the Department of Evaluation Services to review the literature relative to competency testing, especially for the elementary grades. This review on competency testing programs and competency based education (CBE) covers several areas. The emphasis on educational…

The controversy over minimum competency testing (MCT) is multi-faceted and it is the Local Education Agency (LEA) which will bear the burden of the MCT movement. Among the concerns of the LEAs are the means of assessment, the content of tests, and the curricular implications of MCT. (RLV)

This review of literature from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database is the second volume on the topic of testing and assessment for the counseling professional; the first volume was published in 1979. The sections on minimum competency tests identify issues of current interest, e.g., the basic issue of definition; the…

About half the states in the U.S., either by legislative or administrative action, have moved toward the imposition of statewide performance standards in their elementary and secondary schools. Typically these standards pertain to the basic skills--reading, mathematical computation, and written and oral expression. Almost all of these programs…