The essential meaninglessness of the phrase "Minimum Competency" is discussed and it is placed in the larger context of "The Basics." It is argued that "The Basics" as taught in preparation for minimum competency tests (MCT) are not basic either in the sense of being essential skills or enabling skills. Using research findings and common sense,…

A review of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which originated 20 years ago, is presented; and the original political, ideological and social science assumptions for the design of NAEP are examined. The report criticizes the founding principle as hampering NAEP's maximum utility and exploratory power. In examining the form of…

Getting assessment results used is no easy task. This paper examines the findings of a recent study on the uses of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and suggests implications for increasing use of state and local assessment results. The NAEP study, conducted at Northwestern University, generated evidence that assessment results…

The Basic Skills Assessment Act (631) is a law passed by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1978 which established the Basic Skills Assessment Program. This law requires the establishment of statewide educational objectives for reading, writing, and mathematics for each grade level, kindergarten through grade 12. The law also requires that a…

This booklet provides a brief overview of the Connecticut ninth-grade proficiency test by listing the skills to be assessed on the test. Sample questions exemplifying each skill are also included. Areas assessed include: (1) basic writing skills in the language arts (mechanics of written expression, composing and organizing skills, and library…

Alternative educational programs can meet the needs of students for whom traditional educational methods are inadequate at less than it would cost to modify the standard educational programs to accommodate all student types. Although such programs have grown more visible in the United States in recent years, alternatives have been available since…

The Seattle Public Schools' effort to define and establish effective schools is described in this paper, a transcript of four coordinated presentations. Ellen Roe, the first presenter, recounts the design of the project. Planning, she states, was begun in late 1981 by a decision seminar (comprised of teachers, administrators, a community…

During the 1982-83 school year, the California Achievement Test (CAT) was administered to students attending Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS) in grades 3,5,8 and 11. This report describes and displays the county-wide and school test results which are further broken down by racial/ethnic group and sex. An analysis of the data…

Noting that use of the reading-related components of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) by state education agencies has ranged from extensive to moderate to limited, this paper presents case studies of the ways in which states have used the NAEP models. The first half of the paper describes extensive use by Minnesota and…

Beginning in fall 1982 the Aurora West Public Schools (Illinois) conducted a multi-year study to identify the nature of their instructional programs and to establish a set of position statements that would serve as guides for program review and change. A significant element of the process was the involvement of the entire staff in development of…

A study examines the effectiveness of two major types of instructional technology used in a majority of federally supported bilingual education programs, computer assisted instruction, and video instruction. The videotape technologies examined were bidirectional or interactive television and videotape. The variations of computer technology…

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…

This article reports on a research project in which a digitally based assessment model is being developed for the Pacesetter Program. This program, established by the College Board to prepare culturally diverse students for higher education, is built around a curriculum that reflects not only the world that these students come from but also the…

A discussion of ongoing efforts to identify and analyze city schools which were instructionally effective for poor and/or minority children is presented. The "Search For Effective Schools" project attempted to answer the question: Are there schools that are instructionally effective for poor children? Two thousand five hundred pupils in…

The purpose of this effort was to investigate individualized and self-paced instruction systems throughout the country and to develop a detailed document showing how to plan, implement, and operate a self-paced individualized instruction system as an option to a conventional system on the college level. Benefits of such a system are that it can be…