Reliability ratings were conducted on 18 operationally defined teacher behaviors within four competency-based teacher education categories: planning instruction, methodology, behavior management, and classroom management. Percentages of agreement calculated on product and performance sections of an observational checklist were in the acceptable…

A competency-based sequence in supervision was designed, developed, and field tested with doctoral trainees over a three-year period. Evaluation revealed positive outcomes for supervisors and their student teachers as well as an impact on classroom projects involving handicapped students. (CL)

A systematic inservice training program for rural area teachers of severely disabled students featured weekly seminars, field visits, and supervised practica centering on 19 competencies. Eighteen of the 25 original trainees completed the program. (CL)

The development, field testing, and revision of a competency-based program guide and interactive evaluation system to train preservice teachers in special education is reviewed. The Student Teacher Evaluation Manual (STEM) was developed to coordinate requirements and expectations between field and university course work. (Author/CL)

The article describes revisions in the Field Study Interaction Approach (FSIA), a noncategorical teacher education approach combining increased practicum experience and competency based instruction with affective components related to self concept. Results of a second study of FSIA are reported. (CL)

A needs assessment survey was conducted with 77 teachers serving bilingual/multicultural exceptional children. A five-point Likert type scale was used to assess degree of importance teachers attached to each of 18 teacher training competencies. (SB)

Consequence evaluation data are reported from a summer training program to introduce teachers to contingency management. Over a two-year period, 18 of the 19 teachers who remained in the program were certified. Findings suggested the logistical feasibility of conducting consequence evaluation. (CL)

An experimental inservice project was developed at the college level focusing on teaching competencies in planning, direct teaching, and measurement applied to handicapped persons. The project features included training in skills directly applicable to classroom needs and supervision and consultation via remote monitoring and site visits.…

The article presents a personal analysis of competency-based teacher education (CBTE) in terms of perceived positive and negative aspects of the CBTE approach. CBTE is compared with a traditional approach to teacher education and 11 suggestions for CBTE are offered. (SBH)

This report of a recent conference on teacher preparation for diversity attended by representatives of multiple organizations for people with disabilities presents recommendations in the form of guiding principles and suggested actions. Principles and actions address: teacher recruitment, selection, and retention, preservice teacher education; and…

The article identifies areas of critical knowledge (i.e., conceptual, content, practical, and metacognitive) and skill competencies (diagnostic, teaching and managing atypical learners, setting academic and behavior standards, and motivating students) needed by general educators to effectively address individual differences. (Author/DB)

Results of survey research into needs for early childhood special education personnel, competencies, and potential training models, together with data obtained through a summer training institute for early childhood educators and special educators, have implications concerning common and differential retraining needs through competency-based…

This discussion of the past, present, and future of competency-based special education teacher preparation discusses teachers' limited use of teaching competencies acquired in training programs, the complexity of competency-based training, the impact of educational reform on teacher preparation, and other issues. (JDD)

This paper describes a teacher education program which systematically infuses, into the entire curriculum, those competencies important in serving culturally diverse students with learning disabilities. The program's rationale, the infusion model, and its implementation and effectiveness are discussed. (DB)

This article describes steps taken by the faculty in the Department of Special Education at the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire to develop, implement, and make programmatic decisions based on the results of performance-based assessments. It illustrates these steps with the example of the educational goal of having students understand the…