Supporting the professional development of teachers to enhance mathematics learning is an important consideration of global education initiatives. However, designing and implementing professional development depends on the structures in place in different contexts. For instance, some structures involve different roles played by the different…

The development of curriculum and instructional materials for competency-based education (CBE) is a costly and complex process involving many critical tasks. Failure to carry out any of these tasks can jeopardize the entire instructional development effort. The importance of the process demands that appropriate and effective procedures be used so…

This handbook was written primarily to assist module developers working in the Kentucky Competency-Based Curriculum Project. It was also prepared to help module developers in other areas of education as well as to help administrators who would be installing programs of this type in their schools. This handbook provides an explanation of…

Systematic instructional development procedures were used to prepare materials for an introductory teaching methods course in competency-based instruction. Materials, which included self-instructional booklets, supplemental practice exercises and teaching skills tests were effective and rated highly by 10 instructors and more than 400 preservice…

This report describes the uses of visual literacy programs in the schools and outlines four categories for incorporating training in visual thinking into school curriculums as part of the back to basics movement in education. The report recommends that curriculum writers include materials pertaining to: (1) reading visual language and…

This manual provides a discussion of methods and responsibilities involved in the curriculum development process used by the Interstate Distributive Education Curriculum Consortium. Following an introductory chapter, the second chapter presents ten steps for conducting occupational task surveys: determine occupational scope, develop task…

Describes the Career Education Center's (Florida State University) development of the "Automotive Mechanics Catalog" (a job inventory noting performance objectives for specific occupational programs), using the Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States (V-TECS) model. Also describes the development of curriculum materials using…

A project was conducted to implement a competency-based semester course in marriage and the family that was geared toward high school students. Four experienced consumer and homemaking teachers developed a series of 33 competencies that were verified by 11 teachers and state staff members from across Virginia. Next, a curriculum guide was…

This guidebook presents definitions, components, examples, evaluation criteria, and aids for the development and evaluation of Learning Activity Packages (LAP), which are sets of integrated, competency based instructional materials aimed at developing proficiency in one or more topics of instruction. The first chapter sets forth definitions, in…

Specific objectives of a project to translate V-TECS (Vocational-Technical Consortium of States) catalogs of performance objectives into viable programs of instruction ready for implementation in the secondary and postsecondary training institutions of the State of Kentucky were the following: (1) To teach selected personnel to develop…

This learning module on designing student materials for self-pacing is one of nine developed for use in training administrators, teachers, and prospective teachers in the utilization of Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States (V-TECS) catalogs of performance objectives, criteria-referenced measures, and performance guides. Information…

This guide, which is designed to assist secondary and postsecondary vocational instructors, examines the process of writing student performance objectives (SPOs). Discussed in a section on scope and sequence are the following: the definitions of the concepts of scope and sequence; considerations in sequencing course materials; deciding who, what,…

A project was conducted in Virginia to develop a coordinated, articulated, competency-based curriculum for selected industrial arts areas from an identified common core of competencies. The competencies would include a set of performance objectives, a set of criterion-referenced measures, and a set of instructional resource guides in the…

Over the past decade, vocational and technical education teachers were encouraged to use commercially produced task lists to develop their curriculum materials. Unfortunately, however, many commercially developed task lists distributed by private companies, state departments of education, universities, and many other agencies may, to some extent,…

To develop a plan for competency based industrial arts curriculum in Virginia, three objectives were set: (1) to survey competency based curriculum developments in other states and prepare a catalog format; (2) to plan and coordinate a competency based curriculum planning conference; and (3) to specify procedures for completing catalogs for…