This study addresses the attitudes of counselors, teachers, and administrators toward competency testing programs in their districts. ten districts from each of the four states --Arizona, California, Michigan, and Oregon-- were randomly selected to participate in the study. A total of 247 educators responded to the survey. The following conclusions were made on the basis of the findings: (1) The competency programs have the support the teachers, counselors, and administrators who work with them; (2) They are perceived as being effective in identifying students in need of remediation; (3) They are perceived as being most beneficial to the deficient student, but the setting of minimum standards had not lowered the expectations of the average and above average student; (4) They have not eliminated any programs or courses from the curriculum; (5) They have not limited the parameter of course content guides to concepts covered in the competency test; (6) They are perceived as nor being expensive to the district; (7) The competency program does add a burden of extra paperwork for the groups surveyed, especially the counselors; (8) Most competency programs involve teachers, counselors, and administrators in the planning; (9) Improvements in the quality of education and in student learning …

In mandating new curriculum, state legislatures frequently have opted to require school districts to "infuse" new content rather than adopt a new course. The lack of procedural guidelines in these legislative mandates leaves curriculum specialists to struggle with an "infusion dilemma," the problem of implementing the new curriculum without knowing how it should appear, once implemented. The purpose of this study was to examine interpretations of infusion held by persons responsible for operationalizing an infusion mandate. The interpretations of "infusion" held by people concerned with the implementation of the 1977 Economic Education Act in Texas were investigated. Selected legislators, state agency personnel, curriculum consultants, economics educators, and classroom teachers were interviewed about the concept and process of infusion.