Standards of Competence: Propositions on the Nature of Testing Reforms

Abstract

A multisite investigation of local school districts and states led to the formulation of five propositions that address the nature of competency testing reforms. Two propositions address the determination of standards and examine the extent to which such procedures are affected by political and practical considerations. Another pair of propositions center on implementation of such testing reforms; lopsided organizational activity and nominal attention to minority issues were witnessed at all five sites. In the final proposition, the authors assert that competency tests and standards function more as symbolic and political gestures than instrumental reforms. Five themes are discussed in support of this conclusion: the importance of the standard's image, the redundancy with preexisting standards, the loose coupling of test performance and decisions, the overemphasis on initial fail rates, and the striking contrast between early and late phases of competency testing reforms.

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