MINIMUM COMPETENCY TESTING

Teachers face mounting public concern that education meet minimum standards of quality and produce evidence to show that these have been achieved. In many states and localities the form taken for demanding that these expectations be met is minimum competency testing. Rising costs of education in the face of revenue shortages, the publication of a number of studies showing declining test scores, and a growing concern that all young people leave high school equipped with basic academic skills, have added a tone of urgency to these demands.

The American Federation of Teachers believes that public expectations that the school produce at least minimum results deserve a responsible reaction from educators. We are sympathetic to public concern for the present academic performance of the children we teach in terms of their hopes for future success.

We believe that testing is one way to approach the performance issue, but that it must be used carefully and with strict limitations. We reject the myopic view of the National Education Association calling for a moratorium on the use of standardized norm-referenced tests as extreme and irresponsible. We are also critical of massive testing programs designed to determine high school graduation or grade promotion with test results alone. Since tests are a means to an end--the goal of quality education--they cannot be used as if they were an end in themselves.

Within this framework, the AFT endorses the following principles in relation to the use of minimum standards in testing programs:

• The use of a minimum competency test should provide one measure of student success in reaching a stated goal. It should not be the sole criterion of de­termining student progress. Minimum standards should be used along with grades, teacher judgment, course credits, attendance and other factors in making such decisions.

• Setting the minimum standard should not be based exclusively on either criterion referenced tests or standardized norm-referenced tests. Information taken from either test type alone is insufficient for this purpose.

• Grade equivalent scores should not be used to establish minimums at the same grade level since such scores involve the use of averages in defining "grade level." A minimum based on grade level would automatically leave 50 percent in that grade failing to reach the minimum.

• Teachers must be involved in the development of minimum competency standards. No competency standards shall be developed without the involvement of the local bargaining unit.

• The establishment of minimum competency standards should not overshadow the need to encourage individual achievement at levels that reach much higher than the minimum.

• Tests should be used for other purposes than measuring minimum competency. Where appropriate tests are not available they should be developed for diagnostic purposes, for achievement measures above the minimum, and for other purposes.

The American Federation of Teachers finds elements in minimum competency testing that are potentially harmful and urges the following precautions:

• School accountability plans and teacher evaluation should not be based on student achievement or test results alone. Too many other factors contribute to student performance. Student motivation and the availability of learning resources are only two of the many factors that must be considered.

• The curriculum should not be designed to fit the tests. Tests should relate to the curriculum. Curriculum decisions belong to states and local school boards, and should not be abrogated to test publishers.

• If a minimum competency standard is set it should apply to all students within the state or locality affected.

• Test results alone should not be used as the basis for funding school programs.

• The establishment of testing programs should not be done at the expense of appropriate funding of other educational programs.

• Students should not qualify to leave high school early simply on the basis of passing a test. Course, grade, attendance and other requirements must also be fulfilled. Obtaining a high school education is a comprehensive experience that involves time, personal relationships and other factors and should not be cut short.

The AFT recognizes that much more must be done to insure the responsible use of test data in making educational decisions. Unless elected of tests. Even as we continue to use tests, educators must also insist on the following broader policies:

• the development of a "Truth in Testing Code" that would explain the proper uses, as well as misuses, of various tests;

• research and development related to new forms of assessment;

• a serious examination of possible causes of test score declines that may be school related. For example: less rigorous standards; confusion over appropriate methods of instructions; loss in the amount of time actually spent on learning and teaching; and a decline in programs for high achievers.

The American Federation of Teachers recognizes that any test policy will be complicated. We believe that minimum standards for educational accomplishment must be set, and met, if schools are to fulfill their responsibilities. Test development, and test use in relation to these standards, are part of what is required to develop an understanding of education's successes that the public will respect.