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Basic skills tests measure the knowledge and skills examinees have in core areas that will impact future performance. These core areas typically include reading, mathematics, language arts, and sometimes other prerequisite skills.

A fine line exists between exit requirements from one level and entrance requirements to the next level. Basic skills testing straddles that line and can cross over in either direction. Minimum competency tests, especially those required in high schools as part of No Child Left Behind, include basic skills assessment as an exit requirement. College entrance tests, taken at the same time and with similar items and content, serve as predictors of future success based on performance in basic skills areas.

The most common use of the term basic skills relates to the 3 R's--reading, writing, and arithmetic--also known as literacy and numeracy. Speaking and computing are sometimes added to the generic list, with the term occasionally expanded for specific jobs. For example, a computer operator would need basic knowledge of computer systems, and a welder would need to know about welding equipment. The military provides basic skills training and tests these skills for future success in the armed forces, particularly in officer candidate schools. Thus, basic skills can be viewed as survival skills ensuring that test takers have the skills for future survival.

Basic skills may be tested at almost any time from elementary school through entrance to upper-division undergraduate training to entrance into a job market. One of the most common tests of basic skills is the Iowa Test of Basic Skills for K-8 students. Three of its fundamental purposes are to describe each student's developmental level, to identify a student's areas of relative strength and weakness, and to monitor year-to-year growth. Skills tested include reading, writing, listening, math, social studies, science, and reference materials.

States also use basic skills tests under a variety of names as an exit requirement from high school. Minnesota calls it a basic skills test, Georgia a high school graduation test, and New Jersey a high school proficiency test. These minimum competency tests use a cutoff score for sorting examinees into dichotomous categories--pass/fail.

College entrance tests also test basic skills, with the most common developed by Educational Testing Service and the American College Testing Service. While these tests are for initial admission at the freshman level, additional tests measure competency in basic skills for exit from sophomore standing and entrance to upper-division standing as well as entrance/exit from some professional programs such as teacher education. Some states develop their own tests, such as the CLAST exam in Florida; others use national tests.

Basic skills testing has become particularly popular as an entrance requirement in teacher education. The most widely used test is PRAXIS I, published by Educational Testing Service, which focuses on reading, writing, and mathematics. National Evaluation Systems also has a teacher basic skills test. Some states, such as Florida, developed their own test for professional licenses, using it not only as an entrance requirement into a professional program but also as an exit requirement from lower-division coursework or a community college program.

Basic skills for professionals and employment are sometimes expanded to include critical thinking skills such as problem solving and decision making. Leadership skills may be included as basic in business, military, or other contexts. Some basic skills tests even incorporate affective traits such as a positive attitude.

When used properly, basic skills tests can be highly effective in diagnosing student needs and ensuring that examinees have the prerequisite skills for future success. Many agencies examine passing rates for these tests as a measure of program or school effectiveness, even though this is controversial. For example, children can become lost if their weak areas are not diagnosed and remediated. Children can also be harmed by teachers who have deficits themselves in the basic skills. Further, when poorly developed or used improperly, basic skills tests can have negative social consequences for lowincome, minority, and special needs students, as is most evident when these tests are used as minimum competency tests.

Bibliography:

1) Educational Testing Service. 2007. "The Praxis Series: Teacher Licensure and Certification."

2) University of Iowa, College of Education. 2007. Iowa Testing Programs: Iowa Tests of Basic Skills.

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