The Preparation of Special Educators in Essential Early Education program was a 36-credit hour preservice program of the University of Vermont to train Early Childhood Special Educators at the Master's Degree or Certificate of Advanced Study levels. The program prepared students to demonstrate the necessary competencies for providing quality…

This paper discusses the practicum component of teacher education, particularly as it is implemented at the School of Early Childhood Studies (SECS) of the University of Melbourne (Victoria), Australia. The purpose of the practicum is to socialize students into their profession and give them the opportunity to acquire relevant skills. The three…

The state of Georgia not only assesses the generic teaching competencies that are necessary for all teachers seeking certification, but also administers 28 separate criterion referenced tests, each for a different content-specialty area. Among the most recent of these tests is the Reading Specialist Test, the development of which involved…

Some of the realities, at a state and national level, of implementing new teacher education standards that emphasize basic skills are discussed. Reported on is Kansas' response to the national trend toward teacher basic skill testing (five house bills concerning teacher education). The Kansas State Board of Education proposal for a competency…

A report provides summaries of 10 papers presented at a conference about teacher competence and effectiveness. In the first session, two speakers, Nel Noddings and Edward R. Fagan, present an analysis of the prevailing rhetoric in educational discourse and practice. The second session provides historical perspectives on the use of the term…

This module is one of a series of 127 performance-based teacher education (PBTE) learning packages focusing upon specific professional competencies of vocational teachers. The competencies upon which these modules are based were identified and verified through research as being important to successful vocational teaching at both the secondary and…

Competency Based Teacher Education (CBTE) is examined as a means of providing a systematic approach to handling educational complexity which will lead to modernizing teacher education. Analysis and discussion are offered on: (1) what CBTE consists of and how it functions; (2) CBTE as an educational reform movement in the United States; (3)…

The report describes the features, underlying knowledge base, and goals of the "Smart Needs Assessment Program" (SNAP), an interactive, microcomputer-based system designed to provide inservice training in special education for regular education teachers. The Teacher Effectiveness Expert System portion uses teacher data concerning attitudes, goals,…

The validation of Tennessee's Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST) is described. Panels of experts from teacher education institutions and local school districts performed the test item review, focusing on test validity and minimum requirements for admission to teacher education programs. Participants (136 teacher educators, 108 high school…

This study tested hypotheses concerning perceived and real consequences of certification for individuals who earned a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential in Illinois. Primary hypotheses were that the majority of CDAs would indicate that earning the CDA credential had made a positive difference to them, made their job better, and increased…

The proceedings of a conference which focused on accountability in teacher education are supplied in this document. Accountability procedures, such as competency requirements, are examined in a keynote speech by John D. McNeil of the University of California at Los Angeles. Other speakers who offered position papers on accountability were: (1)…

A 1-week seminar, consisting of intensive learning activities for Wisconsin's vocational, technical, and adult education instructors was conducted in 1981. The program of educational experiences stressed the evaluation of teacher performance and presented units on: (1) models for evaluation; (2) rationale for performance testing; (3) learning…

A report is given of a 1-week intensive inservice conference for 97 Wisconsin vocational, technical, and adult education instructors, conducted to develop competencies stressing innovative individualized curriculum and instructional delivery. The program of educational experiences developed presentations on topics that stressed individualized…

An instructional change model, known as OSSI (Organizing for Social Science Improvement) which helps small rural school administrators and teachers learn about, respond to, and effectively adapt new ideas to local instructional settings, is described. The OSSI project was begun in 1979, when 29 districts in east Texas had documented student and…

This coursebook provides information on the concentration in educational gerontology in the Masters Program in Adult Education at the University of Southern Maine (USM). The first section discusses educational gerontology, including its areas of focus, for whom the concentration is intended, courses in the concentration, and the certificate in…