An excellent resource for data pertaining to high school graduation requirements at the state level is: National Center for Education Statistics. 1995 Digest of Education Statistics. Table 151, pp.144-148. See field 12, entitled "Notes" field. Here are instructions for accessing this resource via the Internet: gopher to gopher.ed.gov choose Educational Research, Improvement & Statistics (OERI & NCES) choose National Center for Educational Statistics choose NCES Publications and Reports choose Major NCES Publications also available via: http://www.ed.gov/ or ftp.ed.gov (logon anonymous) Of course, should you encounter any difficulty in the process of downloading or unzipping the desired file from this NCES database, then you could always use the print version of this resource at your local academic or public library. This publication uses the following phrase to indicate exit examinations as a requirement for graduation: "Minimum competency test is required for graduation" for AL, AZ, CA, DE, FL, GA, LA, MD, MS, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, SC, TN, TX, & VA. NM and WI indicate that "Minimun Competency Test is an option of local districts." If you would like to contact the states named above for more explicit details about their graduation testing programs, then please see the file under "USEFUL RESOURCES" at this site for addresses for state departments of education. ********************************************************************** ERIC CITATIONS FOR MIMIMUM COMPETENCY TESTING, EXIT EXAMINATIONS, & GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS: ED385056 EC304089 High School Graduation Requirements: What's Happening for Students with Disabilities? Synthesis Report 20. Thurlow, Martha L.; And Others May 1995 33p. Available From: NCEO, 350 Elliott Hall, 75 East River Rd., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 ($15). EDRS Price - MF01/PC02 Plus Postage. Document Type: REVIEW LITERATURE (070); EVALUATIVE REPORT (142) Target Audience: Policymakers This study analyzed documentation from 50 state departments of education concerning high school graduation requirements for students in general and for students with disabilities. Preliminary information reviews research on graduation requirements, research on minimum competence tests, and legal issues and implications. Study findings are then presented, including: (1) 44 states use Carnegie course unit requirements ranging from 10.25 to 24.00 credits; (2) 17 states have requirements for either a minimum competency test or exit exam; (3) local education agencies in several states have the option of establishing more stringent requirements than called for in state guidelines; and (4) exit documents that are awarded to students with disabilities vary from state to state (e.g., standard diplomas, modified diplomas, certificates of attendance), with similar requirements sometimes earning different types of exit documents in different states. Tables and figures provide state-by-state data on: Carnegie course units required for graduation; graduation requirements in curricular areas; states requiring exit exams or minimum competency tests; exit document options for students with disabilities; and standard diploma, modified diploma, and certificate requirements for students with disabilities. An appendix presents all graduation requirements for each state. (Contains 22 references.) (DB) Descriptors: *Academic Standards; Credits; *Disabilities; *Graduation Requirements; High Schools; Minimum Competency Testing; National Surveys; Required Courses; *State Standards ED384990 EA026891 Issues To Consider in Moving beyond a Minimal Competency High School Graduation Test. Jul 1995 60p. Available From: NEFEC/SERVE, Route 1, Box 8500, 3841 Reid Street, Palatka, FL 32177 (Item No. RDMCT; free). EDRS Price - MF01/PC03 Plus Postage. Document Type: EVALUATIVE REPORT (142); RESEARCH REPORT (143) This report offers advice on the issues to be considered and the steps to be taken when implementing a high school graduation test. The research was conducted, specifically, to address problems with Mississippi's high school exit test. An external panel, developed by Southeastern Regional Vision for Education (SERVE), reviewed data obtained through a site visit, interviews, and document analysis. Chapter 1 presents introductory information, chapter 2 provides an overview of the Mississippi context, chapter 3 contains an executive summary, and the final chapter contains the full report. The following issues are addressed: curriculum/test specification issues; additional curriculum and instructional considerations; psychometric testing and scoring; education issues; legal issues; policy/administrative issues; and human and financial resource issues. Suggestions are also offered for the sequencing of tasks and using test scores for accreditation purposes. The report contains 65 recommendations, including these: (1) it is legally inappropriate to hold students accountable for passing an assessment that covers materials they have not been taught; (2) multiple-choice items can measure higher order thinking skills and procedures; (3) any "off-the- shelf" test would probably be an unacceptable high school exit test for Mississippi students; (4) requiring any national norm-referencing component of the exit exam poses problems for maintaining curricular validity; (5) the various assessment programs should be closely articulated; and (6) the use of various tests in a performance-based accreditation model requires careful consideration of how to set the performance level and what metric to use. Information for ordering SERVE products is included. (LMI) Descriptors: Academic Standards; High Schools; Minimum Competencies; *Minimum Competency Testing; Performance; *State Standards; Student Certification; *Student Evaluation; *Testing Problems Identifiers: *Mississippi; *United States (Southeast) ED338675 TM017484 A Reform Cooled-Out: Competency Tests Required for High School Graduation. Catterall, James S. Nov 1990 18p. EDRS Price - MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: RESEARCH REPORT (143) Since the mid-1970s, at least 20 states have instituted standardized tests that must be passed before students can receive a high school diploma. This paper draws on data collected in four states to explore some of the lasting effects of competency test legislation. Of particular interest is student awareness of these tests. A survey of 733 students and interviews with nearly 60 educators and administrators provide information about test impact. The states studied were two with the lowest reported graduation rates (California and New York) and two with the highest reported graduation rates (Virginia and Utah). One urban, one rural, and one suburban school district were chosen from each state, with a focus on students in grades 9 and 11. Over half the sample was in a college preparatory track. Blacks comprised 16%, Hispanic Americans comprised 12%, and Asians comprised 8% of the sample. Student awareness of competency testing policy was low, at about 50%. Black, Hispanic American, and Asian students were somewhat more aware of the requirement, with about 70% knowing they faced a graduation test. Parents almost completely ignored the graduation test. It is suggested that such a test will not contribute to student performance through motivation or diagnostic mechanisms if students are not aware of it, or do not care about it. An appendix contains five tables of survey data. A 15-item list of references is included. (SLD) Descriptors: Administrator Attitudes; Asian Americans; Black Students; *Educational Change; *Graduation Requirements; High Schools; *High School Students; Hispanic Americans; Interviews; *Minimum Competency Testing; School Surveys; Standardized Tests; *State Programs; Student Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes; Test Coaching; *Testing Problems; Testing Programs; Test Use; White Students Identifiers: California; New York; Utah; Virginia ED328616 TM016155 The Exit Exam. Perspectives on South Carolina Educational Reform, v1 n1 Sep 1990 Sep 1990 6p. EDRS Price - MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: SERIAL (022); EVALUATIVE REPORT (142) A major provision of the South Carolina Education Improvement Act of 1984 established the requirement for a high school exit examination (HSEE) for all 10th-grade students. Passage of the HSEE is a condition for the receipt of a state high school diploma. The HSEE is an outgrowth of the South Carolina Basic Skills Assessment Program, which mandated a state testing program to assess student mastery of mathematics, reading, and writing skills. The HSEE, which consists of three subtests (reading, writing, and mathematics), was pilot tested twice between 1985 and 1987. Tenth, 11th, and 12th graders and adult education students are administered the HSEE in the spring of each year. It is also administered each fall to all 12th graders and adult education students who have not passed one or more sections of the exam. Currently, 10th-grade students who fail any subtest must retake the subtest during the 11th grade and, if necessary, twice during the 12th grade. Students are allowed four attempts to pass all three subtests. For the class of 1990, 63% of the 40,399 10th graders who took the HSEE passed all three portions on their first attempt. By the end of the fourth administration, 1,999 students had still not passed the HSEE. In addition to other non-diploma options, remedial education is offered to those students who do not pass the exam. The cumulative passing rate of 94.5% for the class of 1990 exceeded the estimated cumulative passing rate for the pilot-test class of 1989, which was 85.9%. Surveys of students and the public indicate that students are properly informed of the testing requirements, and students and the public generally agree that the such an exam is appropriate. (TJH) Descriptors: Grade 10; Grade 11; Grade 12; *Graduation Requirements; High Schools; *High School Students; Mastery Tests; Mathematics Tests; Minimum Competency Testing; Pilot Projects; Public Opinion; Reading Tests; *Standardized Tests; *State Programs; Student Attitudes; *Testing Programs; Writing Tests Identifiers: *Exit Examinations; Retesting; *South Carolina Basic Skills Assessment Program EJ397948 HE525979 Mandating Pre-Graduation Competence among College and University Undergraduates. Farmer, Laurelyn Irving Innovative Higher Education, v14 n1 p25-33 Fall-Win 1989 Available From: UMI Document Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE (080); PROJECT DESCRIPTION (141); LEGAL MATERIAL (090) Some states are mandating basic skills testing and encouraging comprehensive universities to provide remedial programs for students who do not pass the tests. Texas House Bill 2182 is an example of this trend and is discussed in light of 10 key issues posed by assessment experts. (Author/MLW) Descriptors: *Academic Standards; *Basic Skills; College Students; Competence; Educational Assessment; Educational Quality; *Graduation Requirements; Higher Education; Institutional Autonomy; *Minimum Competency Testing; *State Legislation; State Standards; *Undergraduate Students Identifiers: *Texas ED343921 TM018062 The Nevada Proficiency Examination Program. [1989 6p. EDRS Price - MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: PROJECT DESCRIPTION (141) The Nevada Proficiency Examination Program was established by the Nevada State Legislature in 1977 to identify students who might require additional assistance to maintain normal academic progress through school and to serve as a minimum competency examination, insuring that each student who receives a high school diploma has met certain minimum requirements in basic skills. All students in the public schools are administered standardized tests in reading and mathematics at grades 3, 6, and 9. These tests measure each student's standing relative to a representative national sample. In 1989, the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, Fourth Edition, (CTBS) was chosen for this purpose. Knowledge of language is also assessed in grades 3 and 6 using the CTBS, and writing is assessed at grade 9 using a test developed by the Nevada Department of Education. Examinations in reading, writing, and mathematics comprise the Nevada High School Proficiency Examination that is administered as a graduation requirement in the 11th grade, with additional opportunities in grade 12 for those who do not pass on the first attempt. The content of the high school examinations is defined in the Nevada Administrative Code. Local school districts bear most of the costs involved in the testing programs. It is estimated that in the 1989-90 school year, approximately 43,500 students will be tested, at a cost of about $340,000. (SLD) Descriptors: *Achievement Tests; Elementary Secondary Education; Grade 3; Grade 6; Grade 9; Grade 11; *Graduation Requirements; High School Students; Mathematics Tests; *Minimum Competency Testing; Norm Referenced Tests; Reading Tests; Standardized Tests; State Legislation; *State Programs; *Testing Programs; Writing Tests Identifiers: Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills; Nevada High School Proficiency Examinations; *Nevada Proficiency Examination Program ED314455 TM014318 South Carolina Exit Examination: Questions and Answers. A Basic Skills Assessment Publication. 1989 33p. EDRS Price - MF01/PC02 Plus Postage. Document Type: INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL (051) Target Audience: Students 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 Exit Examination. The Exit Examination consists of three subtests: (1) writing; (2) reading; and (3) mathematics. The examination is administered in the spring of each year to students in grades 10, 11, and 12 in public school and to Adult Education students. It is also administered each fall to all 12th-grade public and Adult Education students. A score of 700 or above is required to pass the reading and mathematics subtests; a score of 3 is required to pass the writing subtest. A student must pass all three subtests in order to pass the Exit Examination. This guide contains information on preparing for and taking the Exit Examination as well as a description of the ways in which skills are tested in the examination. Sample questions with answers are given for each of the subtests. (SLD) Descriptors: Academic Achievement; Adult Education; *Basic Skills; *Graduation Requirements; High Schools; *High School Students; Minimum Competency Testing; Public Schools; *State Programs; Study Guides; *Test Coaching; Testing Programs; Test Use Identifiers: *Exit Examinations; *South Carolina; South Carolina Basic Skills Assessment Program ED294892 TM011522 Local Assessment Responses to a State-Mandated Minimum-Competency Testing Program: Benefits and Drawbacks. Ferrara, Steven; And Others 31 Mar 1988 31p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Council on Measurement in Education (New Orleans, LA, April 6-8, 1988). EDRS Price - MF01/PC02 Plus Postage. Document Type: RESEARCH REPORT (143); CONFERENCE PAPER (150) A study was undertaken to describe assessment activities of four school districts in Maryland (Washington, Cecil, Montgomery, and Charles Counties) designed to parallel a state-mandated competency- testing program required for high school graduation and to report uses of scores and positive and negative impacts from assessment activities. The context of the study was the Maryland Functional Testing Program, which covers reading, writing, citizenship skills, and mathematics. The Montgomery County school system also administered a computerized adaptive functional mathematics assessment test via microcomputer. Data were collected via telephone surveys of testing directors and impact analysis of students who took the tests. Results indicate that: (1) teachers were enthusiastic about participating in item development and essay scoring; (2) increased emphasis on basic skills objectives, to the detriment of other learning outcomes, was exacerbated by parallel assessments; and (3) further consideration should be given to state involvement in the development and administration of competency tests. Five tables are included. (TJH) Descriptors: Citizenship Education; Computer Assisted Testing; Educational Assessment; *Graduation Requirements; High Schools; Mathematics Tests; Microcomputers; *Minimum Competency Testing; Reading Tests; School Districts; *State Programs; *Student Attitudes; *Teacher Attitudes; Writing Evaluation Identifiers: *Maryland Functional Testing Program ED287894 TM870671 The TEAMS Report, 1987. The Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills in the Austin Independent School District. Mangino, Evangelina 1987 42p.; For the 1986 Report, see TM 870 669. EDRS Price - MF01/PC02 Plus Postage. Document Type: STATISTICAL MATERIAL (110); EVALUATIVE REPORT (142) The Texas Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) is a mandated criterion-referenced test administered to students in grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 in Texas public schools. This report by the Austin Independent School District (AISD) contains an executive summary of TEAMS results, an analysis of performance, and attachments. Among the major findings are: (1) students in the AISD scored higher on the 1987 TEAMS than on the 1986 TEAMS; (2) the gains made by AISD students were not as large as the gains made by students in other Texas urban districts; (3) the largest gains on TEAMS were by low- achieving students; (4) AISD Hispanic students mastered the Spanish TEAMS at rates higher than students in other urban districts; and (5) virtually all (99.4%) of potential graduates passed both areas (mathematics and language arts) of the exit-level TEAMS. The text of the report is presented in a question and answer format and describes and evaluates student performance, district efforts to prepare students for exit-level TEAMS, remediation services, and reactions of students and teachers. Attachments to the report include: information on TEAMS mastery criteria; and data on TEAMS results by ethnicity, and rankings by school. (MDE) Descriptors: Academic Achievement; Black Students; Criterion Referenced Tests; Educational Testing; Elementary Secondary Education; *Graduation Requirements; Hispanic Americans; Limited English Speaking; *Local Norms; Mastery Tests; *Minimum Competency Testing; State Programs; *Testing Programs; White Students Identifiers: Austin Independent School District TX; Exit Examinations; *Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills ED281893 TM870320 A Method for Early Identification of Students Likely to Fail a Minimum Competency Exit Level Test: Early Prediction of Scores on the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS). Bostic, Jeff Q.; And Others Feb 1987 34p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators (Houston, TX, February 14-18, 1987). EDRS Price - MF01/PC02 Plus Postage. Document Type: CONFERENCE PAPER (150); RESEARCH REPORT (143) Target Audience: Researchers The public schools reform movement has led to a proliferation of minimum competency testing programs by states. At the 11th/12th grade level, the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS), mandated by Texas House Bill 72, is an exit exam, divided into two sections which measure minimum competencies in math and language skills. Students failing to demonstrate mastery are required to retake and master that portion(s) of the exam to graduate from a Texas-accredited high school. Thus, methods of early identification of students at risk to fail the TEAMS exit test should be useful to school personnel. This study, conducted for the Lubbock Independent School District, isolated six variables which, in various combinations, predicted students' TEAMS scores at approximately 80 percent accuracy. TEAMS language and math scores were predicted using six different combinations of scores on the 6th-grade California Achievement Test Total Reading, 8th-grade Short Form Test of Academic Aptitude Language IQ, 8th-grade Short Form Test of Academic Aptitude Non-language IQ Scores, 9th-grade Texas Assessment of Basic Skills Total Writing, 9th-grade Texas Assessment of Basic Skills Math Scores, and 10th-grade math course grade point averages. As some of these variables may be collected and TEAMS scores predicted up to two years before students first take the TEAMS exit test, a variety of remediation options are available to school districts. The TEAMS study variable list is appended. (Author/JAZ) Descriptors: Analysis of Variance; Elementary Secondary Education; Graduation Requirements; *High Risk Students; *Language Tests; *Mathematics Tests; Minimum Competencies; *Minimum Competency Testing; Predictive Measurement; *Predictor Variables; Regression (Statistics); Remedial Programs; School Districts; Scores; Standardized Tests; State Programs Identifiers: *Exit Examinations; Lubbock Independent School District TX; *Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills ED275705 TM860615 Minimum Competency Testing: An Analysis of Student Outcomes for Those Not Mastering Mandated Testing Standards. Jonas, Edward D., Jr.; Hayes-Wallace, Lamarian Apr 1986 23p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (67th, San Francisco, CA, April 16- 20, 1986). EDRS Price - MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: CONFERENCE PAPER (150); RESEARCH REPORT (143) Target Audience: Researchers The effects of failing to pass a high school exit exam were examined for the Georgia Basic Skills Test (GBST). Data were collected on a random sample of students who were tenth graders in 1983 and in 1984. The following issues were studied: (1) impact of failure on self esteem, as measured by the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale (P-H); (2) optimal number of trials needed to pass the exit exam; and (3) characteristics which distinguished passers from non-passers. Data were also collected for seniors who passed the competency test and graduated in 1985 and 1986. The P-H was administered before the GBST, immediately after, and two months after receiving scores. Results showed that over 70 percent of the students passed both sections of the exit exam on the first test administration, even though six or more opportunities were provided. For one of the years studied, students' self-concept was influenced by knowledge of passing status after the first test administration. Initial self-concept was also significant. Self-concept, grade point average, and normal curve equivalent scores on the GBST predicted passing status, using discriminant analysis. Since a smaller number of students failed the GBST during the second year, further research on this situation was suggested. (GDC) Descriptors: *Academic Failure; Cutting Scores; Elementary Secondary Education; Grade 10; Grade 12; *Graduation Requirements; High Schools; Mastery Tests; *Minimum Competency Testing; Scores; *Self Concept; State Programs; Testing Programs; *Test Results Identifiers: Georgia; *Georgia Basic Skills Test; Piers Harris Childrens Self Concept Scale ED282889 TM870257 Why It Occurred: The Political and Educational Climate in Florida. McTarnaghan, Roy E. 14 Feb 1985 14p.; Paper presented at Miami-Dade Community College (Miami, FL, February 14, 1985). EDRS Price - MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: CONFERENCE PAPER (150); PROJECT DESCRIPTION (141) This address presents recent developments in the Florida movement toward entry and exit examinations in higher education. During the 1970s, parents, business leaders and state government leaders had expressed concern that students from Florida's schools, colleges, and universities were not demonstrating sufficient quality in job performance, graduation rates, standardized test scores and other indicators. As the state focused upon public school performance first, pressure was exerted to develop secondary school exit evaluations, the Student Assessment Test. The Florida Legislature pushed for statutory requirements on two fronts in higher education: (1) an assessment tool for the end of sophomore year, now known as College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST); and (2) minimum standards for admission to teacher education programs at the junior year, with criteria developed for freshman admissions to the State University System. Laws have been set in place to protect institutions of higher education from loss of funding due to enrollment loss. Institutions have concentrated more energy and resources on core curriculum, strengthened advisement for entering students, and renewed existing focus on writing and math lab experiences. The biggest policy issue is the differential impact upon minority youth. For evaluative instruments to be used constructively, higher education faculty need exposure, instruction, and reinforcement in evaluation. (LMO) Descriptors: Academic Standards; *Admission Criteria; College Entrance Examinations; *Educational Legislation; *Educational Policy; *Educational Testing; Higher Education; Minimum Competencies; *State Legislation; *Student Evaluation; Two Year Colleges Identifiers: *Florida EJ381161 TM514107 Assessing the Impact of a State's Decision to Move from Minimum Competency Testing toward Higher Level Testing for Graduation. Koffler, Stephen L. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, v9 n4 p325-36 Win 1987 Available From: UMI Document Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE (080); EVALUATIVE REPORT (142) The New Jersey High School Proficiency Test--a new, more rigorous competency test required for high school graduation in New Jersey-- was evaluated for three years of its use. The impact of the state's testing program on curriculum, high school graduation, state compensatory education funding, and district certification is discussed. (SLD) Descriptors: Academic Standards; Compensatory Education; * Graduation Requirements; High School Students; Minimum Competencies; *Minimum Competency Testing; Secondary Education; *State Programs; State Standards; *Testing Programs; Test Results Identifiers: *New Jersey High School Proficiency Test EJ356410 UD512981 A New Kind of Dropout: The Effect of Minimum Competency Testing on High School Graduation in Texas. Archer, Edith L.; Dresden, Judith H. Education and Urban Society, v19 n3 p269-79 May 1987 Special issue on dropping out. Available From: UMI Document Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE (080); EVALUATIVE REPORT (142) Describes statewide results on minimum competency testing (MCT) programs newly implemented in Texas, and discusses initial efforts to predict the impact of a specific statewide MCT program on retention and graduation in Houston. Suggests that the new MCT requirements, by discouraging high risk students who previously might have stayed in school, will create a new kind of dropout. (KH) Descriptors: Academic Achievement; Academic Standards; *Graduation Requirements; *High Risk Students; *Minimum Competency Testing; *School Holding Power; Secondary Education; State School District Relationship; Student Motivation; Urban Schools Identifiers: Texas ED294347 EC202515 State Graduation Policies and Program Practices Related to High School Special Education Programs: A National Study. Bodner, Joanne Records; And Others Nov 1987 64p.; A part of the National Study of High School Programs for Handicapped Youth in Transition project. EDRS Price - MF01/PC03 Plus Postage. Document Type: EVALUATIVE REPORT (142) Target Audience: Policymakers The study surveyed the 50 states and the District of Columbia to identify current state policies that regulate graduation requirements and to determine how these policies have been applied to programs for high school special education students. Survey results produced four major findings: (1) all but three states have legislation or state board of education policies regulating minimum graduation units; (2) 36 states reported that they have raised academic unit requirements since 1975; (3) most of the states with increased unit requirements reported that these policies are still being phased in, thus indicating that their full implications for special education students are unknown; and (4) 30 states reported having a minimum competency program, 15 of which determined students' exit documents by their scores on a minimum competency test. Implications for special education students include the following: the emphasis on academic subjects stressed content which may not be relevant to some special education students; special education students who complete goals of the Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) may be differentiated from the norm group by a differential diploma or certificate. Such differential diplomas may preclude or negatively affect postsecondary education and employment opportunities. Recommendations for developing state level policies that balance the concerns of appropriate education and equal opportunity are presented. (DB) Descriptors: Academic Achievement; *Disabilities; *Educational Policy; Elementary Secondary Education; *Graduation Requirements; Individualized Education Programs; *Minimum Competency Testing; National Surveys; *State Standards Identifiers: *Differential Diplomas ED292205 EA019928 State Initiatives in Minimum Competency Testing for Students. Policy Issue Series, No. 3. Marshall, Jon C.; And Others May 1987 80p.; This Consortium is funded by the Lilly Endowment. EDRS Price - MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. Document Type: RESEARCH REPORT (143); STATISTICAL MATERIAL (110) Target Audience: Researchers Minimum competency testing (MCT) programs for students are growing in popularity and being adopted by many states. In order to determine the extent of the MCT movement, researchers at North Carolina State University surveyed state departments of education in all 50 states. In updating these data for 1986-1987, it was found that 64 percent of the 47 responding states had statewide MCT programs. Two thirds of these programs were initiated by state legislatures and most of the rest were initiated by state education agencies. The most frequent grade levels tested were third (57 percent), sixth (43 percent), and eighth and ninth (47 percent each). One third of all states require a statewide MCT as a requirement for graduation, and half of the states implementing MCT programs have modified the basic curriculum on account of test results. Summaries of nine states' testing programs are included in the report, and 10 policy issues are described: state control, student learning, determining the purposes of minimum competency testing, remediation response, curriculum development response, political response, judicial response, costs, technical qualities of MCTs, and effects on instruction. Special sections focus on remediation and legal issues associated with MCT programs, and tables are included. (Author/TE) Descriptors: Educational Diagnosis; Educational Policy; Elementary Secondary Education; *Graduation Requirements; Legal Problems; *Minimum Competency Testing; *Standardized Tests; *State Legislation; *State Programs; Surveys Identifiers: North Carolina State University ED290127 CS009009 Proficiency Assessment and Its Consequences. Final Report. Singer, Harry; Balow, Irving H. 1987 82p.; Funding for this project provided by a grant from the California Policy Seminar. EDRS Price - MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. Document Type: EVALUATIVE REPORT (142) California's 1980 proficiency law, which is the topic of this report, mandated that each school district was to adopt or construct tests and establish standards for assessing proficiency in reading, writing, and computation on tasks that were necessary to success in school and in life. In order to graduate from high school, a student must have passed the tests (a student who fails once at the middle school level can try again twice more in high school). This report presents findings of several comparative and experimental studies that investigated three aspects of the proficiency assessment: tests, remedial courses, and changes in implementation of the law. The report also offers recommendations to help school district proficiency programs result in more economical, more equitable, and higher quality education. Sections of the report deal with the following topics: (1) an executive summary, which provides results of the statewide comparison; (2) historical background on proficiency testing; (3) national variation in proficiency assessment; (4) California's proficiency law; (5) proficiency assessment methods; (6) initial consequences of proficiency assessment; (7) a comparison of New York and California's solutions to proficiency assessment of basic skills; (8) a report on improving student performance for passing a minimal competency test in reading; and (9) a course-based model for proficiency assessment. (SKC) Descriptors: *Competency Based Education; *Educational Legislation; Educational Research; *Graduation Requirements; High Schools; High School Students; Mathematics Tests; *Minimum Competency Testing; Reading Tests; Remedial Mathematics; *Remedial Programs; Remedial Reading; School District Autonomy; State Legislation; *Testing Programs; Writing Evaluation Identifiers: *Pupil Proficiency Law (California) ED269102 JC860252 Fourteen Years of Assessment: Regents' Testing Program. Bridges, Jean Bolen Feb 1986 9p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Conference on English in the Two-Year College (Memphis, TN, February 19-22, 1986). EDRS Price - MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: PROJECT DESCRIPTION (141); CONFERENCE PAPER (150) Target Audience: Teachers; Practitioners In 1972, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia instituted the Regents' Testing Program (RTP) to provide systemwide information on the status of student competence in reading and writing and to provide a uniform means of identifying those students who fail to attain minimum levels of competence in these areas. Since 1972, some modifications were made in testing policies and procedures as well as test content. Current policy requires that: (1) students enrolled in undergraduate degree programs shall pass the RTP as a requirement for graduation; (2) all students who have taken and not passed the RTP shall take the appropriate nondegree credit courses in remedial reading and/or writing in each quarter of attendance until they have passed all components of the test; (3) having passed the RTP shall not be a condition of transfer to another institution; and (4) students whose mother tongue is other than English may be exempted from taking the RTP provided appropriate local procedures are employed to certify the literary competence of those students. The test itself includes a reading test with 10 passages of varying length, covering subjects from natural science to the arts, and an essay test on the student's test on the student's choice of one of two topics. Each institution is responsible for administering the RTP and sending test materials to the Regents' Testing Office (RTO) for scoring. At the RTO, the reading tests are scored by computer, while the essay tests are graded holistically by three graders. The RTO provides results to the individual colleges, which then report scores to the students. (RO) Descriptors: Accountability; Essay Tests; *Graduation Requirements; Higher Education; Language Tests; Minimum Competencies; *Minimum Competency Testing; *Reading Skills; Reading Tests; State Programs; *Testing Programs; *Writing Skills Identifiers: *Georgia; *Regents Testing Program (Georgia) EJ300824 UD510755 Back to Basics: Minimum Competency Testing and Its Impact on Minorities. Paulson, Darryl; Ball, Doris Urban Education, v19 n1 p5-15 Apr 1984 Available From: UMI Document Type: POSITION PAPER (120); GENERAL REPORT (140) Discusses trend toward minimum competency tests (MCTs) as a requirement for receiving high school graduation. Summarizes criticisms of such testing, and discusses Florida's experience with the MCT, especially in relation to minorities. Concludes that the use of MCTs is potentially discriminatory. (CJM) Descriptors: Back to Basics; Black Students; Competency Based Education; Educational Philosophy; *Graduation Requirements; *High Schools; *Minimum Competency Testing; Minority Groups; Racial Discrimination; *State Standards Identifiers: *Florida ED247286 TM840465 Common Sense, Common Law and Common Tests. Dorsey, William R., Jr. Apr 1984 18p.; Paper presented at the Joint Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association and the National Council on Measurement in Education (New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 1984). EDRS Price - MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: CONFERENCE PAPER (150); PROJECT DESCRIPTION (141) Target Audience: Researchers The second round of litigation in the case of Debra P. v. Turlington has required the Federal courts to consider the question whether the Florida statute which requires public high school graduates to demonstrate the "ability to successfully apply basic skills to every day life situations" as measured by the State Student Assessment Test, Part II (SSAT-II), operates to deprive some students of diplomas in a manner so fundamentally unfair as to offend the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. After background on the original litigation is presented, this paper describes a similar case from Tattnall County, Georgia, and Florida's evidence in the Debra P. case. Judge Carr's opinion is then briefly reviewed. Though the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has not yet ruled, rulings in similar cases are described, and seem to uphold the use of tests like the SSAT-II. (BW) Descriptors: Basic Skills; *Court Litigation; Court Role; Due Process; Equal Protection; *Graduation Requirements; High Schools; *Minimum Competency Testing; State Standards Identifiers: Appeals (Hearings); *Debra P v Turlington; Florida; Florida State Student Assessment Test Part II ED241515 SP023984 The Law and Competency Evaluation. Clement, Annie 3 Feb 1984 22p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (36th, San Antonio, TX, February 1-4, 1984). EDRS Price - MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: REVIEW LITERATURE (070); POSITION PAPER (120); CONFERENCE PAPER (150) Competency testing often refers to a system devised to assure successful performance on a specific test, in addition to other mandated criteria as a requisite to obtaining a high school diploma. Minimum competency testing is usually defined in one of two ways: as the acquisition of basic skills or as the demonstrated ability to apply basic skills to everyday life situations. The latter definition seems to be the most popular one. This paper examines major litigation that has occurred in the area of testing. Legal standards are explained and analyzed with reference to measurement principles. A discussion of future directions in which law and evaluation may move and strategies that educators might employ to better educate the legal profession about evaluation follows. A 22- item bibliography concludes the document. (JMK) Descriptors: Academic Achievement; *Court Litigation; *Graduation Requirements; High Schools; Legal Problems; *Minimum Competency Testing; State Legislation; *Student Evaluation; Teacher Role; Test Construction; Test Results; *Test Validity Identifiers: California; *Debra P v Turlington; Florida; *Fourteenth Amendment