The Nevada Proficiency Examination Program was established by the Nevada State Legislature in 1977 to identify students who might require additional assistance to maintain normal academic progress through school and to serve as a minimum competency examination, insuring that each student who receives a high school diploma has met certain minimum requirements in basic skills. All students in the public schools are administered standardized tests in reading and mathematics at grades 3, 6, and 9. These tests measure each student's standing relative to a representative national sample. In 1989, the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, Fourth Edition, (CTBS) was chosen for this purpose. Knowledge of language is also assessed in grades 3 and 6 using the CTBS, and writing is assessed at grade 9 using a test developed by the Nevada Department of Education. Examinations in reading, writing, and mathematics comprise the Nevada High School Proficiency Examination that is administered as a graduation requirement in the 11th grade, with additional opportunities in grade 12 for those who do not pass on the first attempt. The content of the high school examinations is defined in the Nevada Administrative Code. Local school districts bear most of the costs involved in the testing programs. It is estimated that in the 1989-90 school year, approximately 43,500 students will be tested, at a cost of about $340,000. (SLD)