Provides background information on the move toward competency testing in composition and the subsequent implications for college writing instructors. Examines problems inherent to developing a comptency based program at the college level and what composition teachers need to be aware of regarding such testing. (HTH)

Competency assessment is used for diagnostic purposes at the City University of New York (CUNY) Queens College. CUNY had decided that all students admitted after 1987 be tested. In addition, minimum competencies were required after the completion of 60 credits. Queens College chose to use the tests for entering freshmen for placement decisions,…

Since 1984, passing scores on the Preprofessional Skills Tests (PPST) have been required for entry into teacher education programs at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). College of education faculty, concerned because the majority of their population has traditionally been older, Hispanic students, developed a pre-PPST screening and…

The teacher education profession must develop a program to assess essential elements of professional knowledge comprising a teacher education curricula so that institutions can prepare teachers who can demonstrate that they have gained an acceptable mastery of cognitive and affective learning. (Author/CB)

Discusses the design and scoring of the writing proficiency exam conducted at San Francisco State University. Explains the program's counseling system for those students who do not pass the proficiency exam. (HTH)

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…

To assure that students graduating from the institutions of higher education in Georgia possess basic academic literacy, an essay test was devised to provide system-wide information on the status of student competence in the areas of reading and writing and to identify those students who do not attain the expected levels of competence. The…

The faculties of the postsecondary institutions in Florida, using the authority of the State Board of Education, have implemented a testing program that increases the assurance that all students who complete their sophomore year in college have achieved the communication and computation skills expected of them. (Author/MLW)

In 1972, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia instituted the Regents' Testing Program (RTP) to provide systemwide information on the status of student competence in reading and writing and to provide a uniform means of identifying those students who fail to attain minimum levels of competence in these areas. Since 1972, some…

The system of competency tests used by the University of Georgia System is examined. Arguments for and against the tests developed by the state board of regents are presented, and the issue of racial discrimination is also addressed. (JMF)

Standard-setting practices in states using the National Teachers Examination (NTE) were examined. Passing score-setting procedures, recommended study scores, passing scores established by the states, and the implications of the passing scores were studied. States have typically adopted standards lower than cut scores recommended by advisory…

Focusing on the experiences of five southern states using teacher testing policies, this survey provides evidence of shared experiences and lessons learned despite the existence of five different sets of certification requirements. The first section of the report concentrates on the national context for the movement toward teacher testing.…

Florida's Commissioner of Education recently appointed a task force to review current standards for the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) and the effect of raising the levels of passing scores that are proposed for 1989. There is now a sufficient history of the CLAST to provide an understanding of the program's benefits and liabilities.…

Addressing the issue of testing and evaluation in English at the university level, this paper focuses on the development and use of the English Placement Test developed by the California State University system. The discussion of this testing program is placed within a framework of four testing principles: testing is an essential part of learning…

Based on a survey of teacher competency testing practices in all the states, the authors provide an analysis of what areas are covered in teacher tests, which tests are used, and how the tests are used in both current and planned state teacher testing programs. (Author/BS)