Project Basic is a program developed by the Maryland State Department of Education to assure that students attain basic skills in a variety of areas. Two levels of tests are given in grade 7 to monitor progress, and in grades 9 to 12 to determine whether each student has met the state minimum competency level. Students must pass the higher level…

This guide is designed for educators involved in teaching, developing curriculum, or counseling students. It describes six new forms used to report the results of 10th-grade student performance on the Florida State Student Assessment Test, Parts I and II (SSAT-I and -II): (1) Parent Report, SSAT-I; (2) Student Report, SSAT-I; (3) Student Report,…

This document presents more useful statewide testing as a rationale for a revision to the California Assessment Program (CAP). A brief description of the revision procedures, and an illustrative outline of the skills and concepts covered by CAP are included. Approximately 270 districts and counties participated in the test development process to…

This handbook contains suggestions for the use of results from the New Mexico High School Proficiencies Examination (NMHSPE) and describes procedures for developing programs and planning intervention strategies. The information and guidelines will facilitate administrative action for program improvement through integration of the NMHSPE results…

The New Jersey Assembly Education Committee studied the development and administration of the New Jersey Department of Education's skills testing program. A committee meeting received testimony about the program and reviewed correspondence. The committee has found that the academic standards of the state must be raised and that a high school…

Starting with the ninth grade, Hawaiian students are given the opportunity to take the Hawaii State Test of Essential Competencies (HSTEC) to demonstrate mastery of 14 Essential Competencies. These competencies are grouped into those covering the Basic Skills area and those covering the Other Life Skills area (e.g., distinguishing fact from…

These combined proceedings summarize presentations of two conference programs designed to address state-mandated student achievement issues. Dr. Terrel Bell delivered the keynote speech at a teleconference focusing on a broad perspective of competency testing. He discussed testing problems, as well as positive aspects such as comparison, diagnosis…

The Assembly Education Committee of the New Jersey Office of Legislative Services held a hearing pursuant to Assembly Resolution 113, a proposal directing the Committee to investigate the skills testing program developed and administered to New Jersey children by the State Department of Education. The Committee was interested in the eighth-grade…

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…

The Florida Statewide Assessment Program, a result of the Educational Accountability Act of 1971, collects and reports information annually concerning student achievement in the basic skills areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. This publication was prepared for counselors and other school personnel as a resource manual with the following…

The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) battery are administered in New Mexico school districts as part of a state mandated assessment program. The tests are administered to students in grades three, five, and eight to measure achievement in the basic skills areas of reading, language, and mathematics. This report contains various types of…

This digest summarizes the results of the latest annual survey of state teacher testing programs. State directors of teacher testing programs were contacted in the summer of 1989 and asked to update the data compiled by the American Institutes for Research in 1988. Data indicate that: (1) states commonly use admission tests for applicants to…

The impact of testing and promotion standards on students in urban schools was discussed by urban school superintendents from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Pointing to research that suggests that standards alone are not enough to boost achievement, many educators recommend coupling more rigorous standards with appropriate remedial programs, staff…

The Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) legislation in California mandated a full range of employment-related training and supportive services designed to provide welfare program applicants and recipients with the skills needed to acquire unsubsidized employment through education and training. Tests to assess the basic reading, mathematics,…

This practicum report is a structured account of efforts to improve student test scores and maximize the use of available test data in two rural Florida schools. This practicum was designed to evaluate the meaningfulness and use of Florida's State Student Assessment Test (SSAT) to teachers of second and third grade students. The SSAT is required…