THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MINIMUM COMPETENCY TESTING PROGRAMS AND STUDENTS' READING PROFICIENCY: IMPLICATIONS FROM THE 1983–84 NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS IN READING AND WRITING

Abstract

ABSTRACTExploratory studies presented in this report used multilevel data obtained in the 1983–84 National Assessment of Educational Progress to investigate the relationship between minimum competency testing (MCT) programs and student reading proficiency. A “school effects” paradigm was used in Study 1 to assess the effect of a school‐level MCT program after adjusting for students' age, sex, region of the country, family background, school‐level composition, and socioeconomic status, students' academic behaviors, school‐level remedial program, and instructional dollars per pupil. Within‐race/ethnic group analyses were conducted to investigate whether or not the effect of MCT programs on reading proficiency was similar for each race/ethnic group. The second study examined the relationship between the type of state testing program and reading proficiency for each grade cohort after adjusting for students' age, sex, district and school‐level SES variables, family background, and race. These studies demonstrate the limits and potential of using NAEP data to inform public policy issues.