The National Institute of Education's hearings on minimum competency testing sought to educate the public about both sides of the issue. This article summarizes the ground rules for the hearings and the five points of inquiry debated. (WD)

Examines each of the four arguments aginst the North Carolina competency testing program: that the test will result in denial of equal protection of the law, in a violation of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and in a denial of both procedural and substantive due process. (Author/IRT)

Proficiency, or competency, testing is a recent attempt to meet the public demand for accountability. But instead of placing the responsibility on the educational organization, competency testing appears to be a sophisticated approach to holding students and teachers accountable. Although some form of student assessment is needed, it is not yet…

Legal issues of minimum competency testing derive from federal and state constitutional, statutory, and regulatory provisions, and from common law. Constitutional provisions for equal protection, due process, and freedom of belief and privacy, are primarily federal; education provisions are state mandated. Only four court cases have directly…