The Texas Examination of Current Administrators and Teachers is a basic literacy test that was administered to 202,000 practicing educators in March 1986. An in-depth case study was undertaken to examine the effects of the test as an instrument of educational reform and policy making. The two-year study involved 10 separate data-collection phases that included interviews with key legislators and aids; interviews with random samples of educators; personnel directors and state citizens; a compilation of Select Committee and legislative records; analyses of test results by categories of teachers; content analysis of newspaper stories; a survey of study materials; participant observation at test-preparation workshops; and cost analyses. Results of the study provide insights into the massive teacher preparation effort that preceded test administration, the high rate of successful completion of the test on the initial attempt, the test's effects on teacher morale and public confidence in state teachers, and the test's cost-effectiveness. Interview protocols used in the study are appended. (TJH)