Although competency-based education (CBE) has existed since the early 1970s adult-focused degree programs, interest in CBE has spiked in recent years due to the increased attention on higher education affordability and accountability. This article reviews the extant literature on CBE to address the following questions: (a) What are the definitions…

Over the past 15 years, students with disabilities have been included in the general education environment at markedly higher rates; however, their achievement is not increasing at the same pace. One reason for this lack of increased achievement may be that academic standards lay the foundation for instruction in this environment, but standards…

Although Westerners have used over 200 terms to describe self-directed learning (SDL), it is educators in Confucius heritage cultures (CHC) that have successfully promoted and implemented SDL. This article argues that for learners in the Western cultures, especially in the United States to catch up with learners in other industrialized nations…

Competency education, an educator-led reform, is taking root in schools and districts across the country. In some states, state leadership has cleared the path with policies to advance competency education. This paper seeks to map out the terrain of the district implementation strategies being used to convert traditional systems into personalized,…

This exploration into competency-based innovation at the school, district, and state levels suggests that competency-based pathways are a re-engineering of this nation's education system around learning--a re-engineering designed for success in which failure is no longer viable. This discussion draws on interviews and site visits with innovators…

A single-subject reversal design with counterbalanced phases across two classrooms was used to measure the effects of peer tutoring on the retention and generalization of spelling words in two third-grade general education classrooms. The results revealed that the mean pretest-posttest gain scores during all the peer tutoring phases of the two…

Despite the popularity of outcome-based education, research documenting its effects is rare. As an umbrella concept embracing various reform efforts, OBE defies easy definition. This article explains two OBE models (Mastery Learning and the Outcomes-Driven Developmental Model used in Johnson City, New York, Schools) and summarizes recent state OBE…

According to recent research, when teachers focus on higher mental processes (problem solving, application of principles, analytical skills, and creativity) within a mastery learning format, students' thinking skills and knowledge levels improve. Baltimore County (Maryland) and East Islip (New York) School Districts have programs integrating…

Mastery learning is both a philosophy about student learning and a set of instructional implementation techniques. This volume presents 10 case studies of instructional programs identified as mastery learning or outcome-based education. The programs are organized according to whole-class mastery, flexible grouping, flexible grouping/continuous…

The Secondary Curriculum Improvement Program (SCIP) operated at two levels: at the school-site level, schools were encouraged to develop a coherent plan for assisting teachers in the implementation of mastery learning in their classrooms; and at the system-wide level, SCIP focused on staff development activities designed to encourage the use of…

The School Improvement Through Instructional Process (SITIP), an initiative undertaken by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), is described, and an evaluation of its progress from December 1980 through June 1982 is provided. Innovative teaching methods introduced by the SITIP project are described: (1) active teaching; (2) mastery…

In spite of the brief duration of the Mastery Learning Program at Durham College, this final report on the activities and outcomes of the project reveals several positive effects upon students and faculty. The report begins by providing background data on the college, an independent junior college serving a population of economically disadvantaged…

A Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) program for nontraditional adult learners was developed, implemented, and evaluated for the purpose of making recommendations as to the need for and nature of further related research. Proposed program settings were two classes of adult basic education students and one of prison inmates. A case study…

A Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) program for nontraditional adult learners was developed, implemented, and evaluated. The study objective was to determine if further investigation of use of PSI was worthwhile. From a review of literature and practice of PSI and adult learning, conclusions were drawn regarding major factors to consider…

Efforts to institutionalize Bloom's Mastery Learning Concept at the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) are described. Information on the City Colleges and the adaptation of mastery learning are presented, and the growth of the project in five phases beginning in 1972 is sketched. The optimal pattern for mastery learning consists of a series of small…