This module explains principles of competency-based education and assessment. Four competency-based curricula are outlined. The guide includes a list of definitions and uses a question-and-answer format to define competency-based education and to discuss competency-based assessment, criterion-referenced testing, and the Vocational Instructional…

This guide provides assistance to state and local vocational-technical educators in the development of curriculum that is based on national and state skill standards that use workplace-derived measures of competent performance to prepare students for the work world. The guide begins with guidelines for determining the usefulness of existing…

Designed to help school administrators and board members promote instructional excellence, this publication reports survey results involving over 35 school districts in Northern California, Utah, and Nevada engaged in instructional improvement efforts. Specifically, the report describes alternative strategies used to organize and manage three…

This instructional task/competency package is designed to help teachers and administrators in developing competency-based instructional materials for an energy and power course. Part 1 contains a description of the industrial arts program and a course description, instructional task/competency list, and content outline for energy and power. The…

This guide is designed for the vocational home economics teacher as a resource document necessary for a comprehensive program for home economics education. It includes all of the important resources, including philosophy, program guidelines, and program of instruction (classification of instructional programs). A copy of the Guide for Developing…

This guide is designed to assist the classroom teacher through all the major phases of development of an outcome-based curriculum. It is intended to aid in modifying a conventional curriculum to an outcome-based (competency-based) curriculum (OBC), building a course or program around an outcome-based model, revising curriculum toward an…

The competencies in this professional development guide are considered important to successful vocational teaching at the secondary and postsecondary levels. Each instructional unit provides learning experiences that integrate theory and application. Eight units are included: (1) planning for competency-based education; (2) aligning curriculum;…

Designed to coordinate composition instruction between the primary and senior high school years, this curriculum guide presents a system for both the direct teaching of specific composition objectives and the assessment of student achievement and program effectiveness. The first of the guide's five major sections explains the curriculum's scope,…

The Dallas (Texas) Independent School District has developed an assessment system that is fully integrated into its learning system, which also includes planning, instruction, and accountability. This paper describes the learning system in Dallas in terms of a four-part model: planning, instruction, assessment, and accountability. Following this,…

This set of 21 performance tests in electronics technology was developed on the basis of a review of commercial and noncommercial instructional materials dealing with electronics technology. The tests, which were reviewed by a group of community college instructors and an advisory committee for electronics technology, address the following…

Five products are combined here that were developed by a project designed to provide a continuous, competency-based line of vocational training. A policies and procedures guide contains recommendations for future articulation efforts between secondary and postsecondary, public, vocational training institutions. Its contents cover the concept of…

A project was conducted at Washburn University to develop full curriculum materials for the first-year courses in an electronic maintenance technology program. The courses were articulated with a local high school. The curriculum materials were developed, pilot tested, and refined. The bulk of the report consists of the curriculum materials for…

Grade Level Evaluation (GLE) is a computerized criterion-based reference examination designed for elementary schools and secondary schools. The advanced software program is coupled with an in-depth curriculum covering basic computational and critical thinking skills for each grade. This packet introduces the software and its use. GLE is a…

DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) is an approach to curriculum development that can also be used as a method of curriculum evaluation. To implement the DACUM process, a group of resource persons from the community works together to define the competencies or skills that are essential to a vocation. The result of the analysis is organized into a…

This book presents a systems approach to developing a comprehensive training and development program. It is addressed primarily to human resources development (HRD) managers and training and development practitioners in either the public or private sector, and it may also be useful to individuals responsible for developing instructional programs…