The revised minimum standards for school bus chassis and school bus bodies have been prepared in conformity with the Revised Statutes of Missouri (RSMo) for school bus transportation. The standards recommended by the 2010 National Conference on School Transportation and the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) promulgated by the U. S.…

The term "best practice" is commonly used to describe "what works" in a specific situation or environment. When principals face a thorny challenge, they turn to their colleagues in the principalship for ideas about which strategies, activities, and approaches have proved to be effective and efficient in addressing the issue.…

The revised minimum standards for school bus chassis and school bus bodies have been prepared in conformity with the Revised Statutes of Missouri (RSMo) for school bus transportation. The standards recommended by the 2005 National Conference on School Transportation and the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) promulgated by the U. S.…

The increased use of electronics in today's automobiles has complicated the control of circuits and actuators. Manufacturers use relays to control a variety of complex circuits--for example, those involving actuators and other components like the A/C clutch, electronic cooling fans, and blower motors. Relays allow a switch or processor to control…

As a school bus comes to a halt on a busy street, the driver swings out the vehicle's stop arm and turns on flashing red lights. Most drivers know what those signals mean--they are required by law to stop their vehicles so that children can safely cross the thoroughfare. However, many drivers simply choose to ignore the law. Thousands of…

This module is the fifth of nine modules in the competency-based Missouri Auto Mechanics Curriculum Guide. Seventeen units cover: steering system design; diagnosing steering systems problems; inspecting and replacing steering linkage components; manual and power steering gear service; manual and power rack and pinion steering gear service; power…

This module is the eighth of nine modules in the competency-based Missouri Auto Mechanics Curriculum Guide. Six units cover: introduction to automatic transmission/transaxle; hydraulic control systems; transmission/transaxle diagnosis; automatic transmission/transaxle maintenance and adjustment; in-vehicle transmission repair; and off-car…

This module is the third of nine modules in the competency-based Missouri Auto Mechanics Curriculum Guide. Six units cover: fuel supply systems; carburetion; carburetor service; gasoline engine electronic fuel injection; diesel fuel injection; and exhaust systems and turbochargers. Introductory materials include a competency profile and…

This module is the sixth of nine modules in the competency-based Missouri Auto Mechanics Curriculum Guide. Eight units cover: introduction to automotive brake systems; disc and drum brake system components and how they operate; properties of brake fluid and procedures for bleeding the brake system; diagnosing and determining needed repairs on…

This document contains 546 criterion-referenced multiple choice and true or false test items for a course in auto mechanics. The test item bank is designed to work with both the Vocational Instructional Management System (VIMS) and Vocational Administrative Management System (VAMS) in Missouri. The items are grouped into 35 units covering the…

In this article, the author describes his experience conducting an inquiry investigation in his classroom in which high school physics students design, create, and race a solar-powered vehicle. Students learn invaluable science, technology, mathematics, communication, and critical thinking skills. Fueled by their knowledge, creativity, and the…

This unit of instruction is one of a series of modules in the Missouri Auto Mechanics Curriculum Guide. The module's format was developed for competency-based teaching and testing. The module contains 11 units, each of which contains the following components: a competency profile, objective sheets, references, notes to the instructor, lesson…

This teacher's guide to the Missouri auto body repair curriculum contains seven modules of instruction. Within each module are instructional units including some or all of the following components: performance objectives, information sheets, handouts, transparency masters, assignment sheets, job sheets, a unit test, and answers to the unit test.…

This document is one of a series of modules in the Missouri Auto Mechanics Curriculum Guide, which is based on 144 basic auto mechanics competencies identified on the Missouri Auto Mechanics Competency Profile. The instructor's materials in this document are for a 14-unit secondary education course. The following units are included: (1) principles…

This test item bank on auto body repair contains criterion-referenced test questions based upon competencies found in the Missouri Auto Body Competency Profile. Some test items are keyed for multiple competencies. The tests cover the following 26 competency areas in the auto body curriculum: auto body careers; measuring and mixing; tools and…