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…

Developed as part of the Arkansas Minimum Performance Testing Program (MPT), these item specifications relate to the eighth grade reading minimum performance test. There is one item specification for each instructional objective included in the MPT. Item specifications are intended to provide an overview of the general content and format of test…

A study was designed to assess the effects of the introduction of a state-mandated minimum competency test (MCT) on students' acquisition of basic and high-level mathematics skills. Subjects of the study were ninth-grade students, all of whom attended the same schools in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District, and took the same form of the…

The reading objectives and measurement specifications in this paper are provided for teachers and other educators responsible for pupil instruction and for test development specialists involved with the preparation of the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills. Following lists of objectives and general specifications, the paper outlines a…

Item specifications developed by the Arkansas Department of Education as part of the Minimum Performance Testing Program (MPT) appear in this document. Specifically, the social studies materials given to eighth-grade students on the MPT are reviewed. The purpose of an item specification is to provide an overview of the general content and format…

Data from the National Education Longitudinal Survey (NELS) are used to examine the relationship between minimum competency testing and dropout rates. Proponents of such testing have argued that minimum competency tests provide incentives for schools and students, but opponents have argued that such tests lead to a low-level basic skills…

Designed to be a tool for curriculum and instructional development consistent with assessment of the state objectives in reading, this teaching and testing guide provides a summary of the skills that should be considered instructionally and how each objective is tested. Information is included on state objectives for reading teachers for grades 7…

The learning objectives for writing skills contained in this volume are congruent with Texas law. These objectives and the measurement specifications are provided for teachers and test developers involved with the preparation of the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) tests. Beginning with the 1985-86 school year, the TEAMS…

Four item bias methods were studied. The methods compared include the Mantel-Haenszel statistic, the plot method, the route mean squared difference method, and the total area method; the latter two methods are based on item response theory. The test consisted of item responses of 451 male and 486 female ninth graders to 75 test items on the 1985…

Beginning with the 1985-86 school year, the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) tests have been based on the objectives provided in this publication for teachers and test development specialists. Reading skills objectives for grade 7 include the ability to: (1) identify the main idea; (2) use context to understand the meaning of…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a congressionally mandated statistical survey of educational achievement of U.S. students in a variety of curriculum areas and of changes in that achievement over time. The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) established new standards for reporting the results that resulted in three…

Developed as part of the Arkansas Minimum Performance Testing Program (MPT), these item specifications relate to the eighth grade language arts minimum performance test. There is one item specification for each instructional objective included in the MPT. Item specifications are intended to provide an overview of the general content and format of…

The proliferation of minimum competency testing in recent years has not resulted in a critical analysis of the construct validity of such tests. The present study examined the dimensionality and construct validity of an urban life skills competency test (the 1987 eighth-grade Chicago Minimum Proficiency Skills Test (MPST) via linear analysis. The…

Eleven mathematics objectives for seventh grade students to attain are listed. After general specifications for test items and the format for the test package are noted, specifications for assessing each objective are given, with enabling skills, a description of test questions, a description of answer choices, and examples of test questions for…

Designed to be a tool for curriculum and instructional development consistent with assessment of the state objectives in mathematics, this teaching and testing guide provides a summary of the skills that should be considered instructionally and how each objective is tested. Information is included on state objectives for mathematics teachers for…