Many educators think that the end result of minimum competency programs has been the lowering of the quality of learning by most students. It appears that once minimum competencies are held up as the expected level of attainment for all students, there is a tendency to aim all instruction toward those competencies to the exclusion of a wider range…

This chart prepared by the Maryland State Department of Education describes reading goals for children in each school grade. It prescribes general goals for each grade level and includes specific activities at which students are expected to be competent. The general goals for each grade are: the ability to utilize a variety of reading materials,…

In preparation for the mandatory administration of the New Jersey High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) that was to begin with ninth graders in 1986, a pilot program was conducted with ninth graders who had done poorly on the HSPT during its second, nonmandatory administration in 1985. Approximately 125 students were selected (25 in each of five…