Local Option Competency Testing: Psychometric Issues with Mildly Handicapped and Educationally Marginal Students

Abstract

Data from seven school districts are used to illustrate the psychometric issues that arise from the use of minimum competency tests in states with local option testing. The variability in reliability of subtests and difficulty level of subtests is emphasized. The authors discuss acceptable levels of reliability desired for tests on which important decisions are made. Further, the accuracy of decisions based on tests of differing reliabilities Is discussed, particularly as they affect mildly handicapped and marginal students.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

California State Department of Education. (1980). Proficiency assessment in California. Sacramento: California State Department of Education.

Cronbach

L.J.

(1970). Essentials of psychological testing. New York: Harper & Row.

Diana

State Board of Education, Civil Action No. C-70-37 (N.D. Cal., 1970).

Ebel

R.L.

(1965). Measuring educational achievement. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Forness

S.R.

(1985). Effects of public policy at the state level: California's impact on MR, LD, and ED categories. Remedial and Special Education, 6 (3),36–43.

Grossman

H.J.

(Ed.), (1973). Manual on terminology and classification in mental retardation. Washington, DC: American Association on Mental Deficiency.

Haney

, & Madaus

(1978). Making sense of the competency testing movement. Harvard Educational Review, 48, 462–484.

Jaeger

R.M.

(1982). An iterative structured judgment process for establishing standards on competency tests: Theory and application. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 4,461-475.

Kelly

(1927). Interpretation of educational measurements. Yonkers, NY: World Book.

10.

Klein

(1984). Minimum competency testing: Shaping and reflecting curricula. Phi Delta Kappan, 65,565-567.

11.

Larry

Riles

V. Wilson

, Civil Action No. 71-2270 (N.D. Cal., 1971).

12.

Logar

(1984). Minimum competency testing in schools: Legislative action and judicial review. Journal of Law and Education, 13 (1), 35–49.

13.

MacMillan

D.L.

Hendrick

I.G.

, & Watkins

A.V.

(in press). Impact of Diana, Larry P., and PL94-142 on minority students. Exceptional Children.

14.

McCarthy

M.M.

(1983). Minimum competency testing for students: Educational and legal issues. Educational Horizons, 67 (3), 103–110.

15.

Mehrens

W.A.

, & Lehmann

I.J.

(1984). Measurement and evaluation in education and psychology. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

16.

Nunnally

J.C.

(1967). Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.

17.

Polloway

E.A.

, & Smith

J.D.

(in press). Current status of the mild mental retardation construct: Identification, placement and programs. In M.C. Wang, M.C. Reynolds, & H.J. Walberg (Eds.), Handbook of special education: Research and practice. Oxford England: Pergamon Press.

18.

Semmel

M.I.

Gottlieb

, & Robinson

N.M.

(1979). Mainstreaming: Perspectives on educating handicapped children in the public school. In Berliner

(Ed.), Review of research in education (Vol. 1) (pp. 223–279). Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.

19.

Serow

R.C.

(1984) Effects of minimum competency testing for minority students: A review of expectations and outcomes. The Urban Review, 76 (2), 67–75.

20.

Walstad

W.B.

(1984) Analyzing miminal competency test performance. Journal of Educational Research, 77, 261-266.

21.

White

A.O.

(1984). Florida's functional literacy test on trial. Urban Education, 19 (1), 17–28.