Teacher preparation programs should be designed around generic competencies based on what beginning teachers should know and be able to do and at what levels of proficiency. Two types of teacher competence are considered: (1) the functions and tasks of teaching; and (2) the behavior and actions of the teacher. (JN)

Norm referenced data were utilized for determining the mastery cutoff score on a criterion referenced test. Once a cutoff score on the norm referenced measure is selected, the cutoff score on the criterion referenced measure becomes that score which maximizes proportion of consistent classifications and proportion of improvement beyond change. (CP)

The Minnesota model is based on the establishment of terminal performance objectives for home economics and their assessment by criterion-referenced tests. Model components are intended to eliminate gaps or overlap in instruction on secondary, postsecondary, and adult levels of education. A statewide center is responsible for model management. (SK)

High school student opinions concerning competencies to be taught in high school were surveyed through a questionnaire asking subjects to indicate the importance of 100 competencies by means of a 7-point scale. Results indicated the importance of competencies having practical value in day-to-day living. (Author/GSK)

A consultation framework with strong theoretical and conceptual support is presented, called the Collaborative Model for Promoting Competence and Success (COMPASS). The overall goal of COMPASS is to provide indirect intervention to help students with autism achieve competence. COMPASS was also designed to provide collaboration among educators and…

Offers online resource information for librarians interested in technology competency lists. Provides information that translates to all job areas in the library environment. (Contains 28 resources.) (NB)

Some states are mandating basic skills testing and encouraging comprehensive universities to provide remedial programs for students who do not pass the tests. Texas House Bill 2182 is an example of this trend and is discussed in light of 10 key issues posed by assessment experts. (Author/MLW)

Acknowledges the need for state-level educational accountability, but argues that strategies for assessing educational outcomes should be an institutional prerogative and an integral part of the teaching/learning process. Criticizes assessment programs imposed by state governments, proposing instead a student-centered approach to the measurement…

Discussion of high school graduation requirements for students with disabilities focuses on legal and practical issues including graduation standards, minimum competency testing, and termination of services. Recommendations are offered to help school districts establish a process for graduating students with disabilities within the legal framework…

Discusses implications of states' requiring use of high school graduation exams. Finds testing requirements already blocking thousands of students from getting diplomas required for college admission, and complicating colleges' efforts to recruit black and Hispanic students. At the same time college officials praise tests for helping ensure that…

The authors present a rationale for developing core competencies for training and organizational development in extension. Core competencies are defined as "the basic knowledge, attitudes, skills, and observable behaviors that lead to excellence in the workplace." Competency-based models can be used to create an infrastructure that…

This paper reports the findings of an exploratory study of position vacant announcements appropriate for library and information studies (LIS) graduates appearing in the "Sydney Morning Herald" over a four week period in each of the following years: 2004, 1994, 1984 and 1974. The period studied witnessed change-demanding developments in…

This report discusses the development of a core curriculum for caregiver and social service training programs at Fraser Valley College in British Columbia (Canada). It outlines the goals of the project, which included responsiveness to student and employer needs, quality and consistency of instructional programs, and maximum transferability…

The United States lacks uniform popular definitions of "literacy," remediations, or consensus for national standards. Factors beyond the control of educational and political structures continually modify and dominate discussions of illiteracy and strategies of remediation. In most advanced cultures, alienation and functional illiteracy…

This report examines the assessment of competence in nursing and midwifery education in Britain within a context of changes in health needs, values about health care and service provision, policy/ideology, and education. Chapter 1 explores alternative approaches to conceptualizing the issues involved in the study of assessment, competence, and…