During the 1986-87 school year 4,299 handicapped students were given New Jersey's competency test. The test measures academic achievement in reading, mathematics, and writing. Twelve percent of these students passed the test. There was a variance across the student classifications; the math subtest was particularly difficult for the students. Educational implications are discussed.Efforts to improve the quality of public education in the United States have included the development of minimal competency tests (MCTs) to ensure that students attain an acceptable level of academic achievement. Nineteen states require students to pass an MCT before granting a high school diploma (Education Commission of the States, 1985). In another three states, the administration of an MCT is a local option.Only recently have state and local policy makers given consideration to the impact of competency testing requirements onthe 4,300,000 handicapped students attending public schools. Early studies found an absence of uniform policy among the states on this matter (National Association of State Directors of Special Education, 1979;Smith & Jenkins, 1980). In a more recent survey, the Education Commission of the States (1985) obtained information from 40 state education departments about their policy on competency testing for handicapped students. Table 1 indicates the various state policies. Eight states require handicapped students to pass a standard MCT in order to receive a diploma; 21 states enable handicapped students to obtain a diploma upon satisfying their IEP requirements; 1 state has developed differential tests for handicapped students; 5 states defer the decision regarding the competency testing of handicapped students to the local school district; and 5 states are in the process of formulating policies.
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