State-level assessment is necessary so that parents, communities, and the legislature can know the cost and the benefits of the educational system as a whole. (Author/MLF)

Discusses the impact of competency-based approaches on curriculum design in the health sciences. Student assessment is viewed as the locus of competency based approaches from which curriculum development will follow. (VT)

The IDECC system of competency-based instruction in distributive education, a curriculum ready for use by teachers, is described with regard to its advantages, its basic component--the Learning Activity Package (LAP), and its development by an eleven-state consortium--Interstate Distributive Education Curriculum Consortium (IDECC). (JT)

A unit on survey research demonstrates how to incorporate competency based education in an introductory political science research methods course. (Author/JR)

Described is the development of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in the problem-based curriculum of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Limburg. The principles of a structured program are outlined and practical guidelines for the organization of skills exams for large numbers of students are formulated. Reliability data on…

Presents an evaluation study of competency-based vocational education in Pennsylvania. Data were gathered via interviews with state education officials and representatives of educational agencies and via surveys completed by teachers. Results showed the highest levels of implementation occurring in vocational schools, especially in areas related…

The popular educational reform trend toward competency testing is appropriate to measure achievement in the basic skills areas, but competency testing in core curriculum areas may cause teachers to teach for the test, lead to minimal standards at the expense of excellence, and stifle the transfer of learning and creativity. (CB)

Educators are studying Northeast Missouri State University's "value-added" assessment programs, designed to measure how students are progressing in gaining specific intellectual skills. Its main feature is a series of tests that all students must take on entering the university and at the end of the sophomore year. (MLW)

Competency Based Education (CBE) is reviewed. Competence is defined as a complex network of knowledge, performance, and attitudes. Methods for competency identification and validation are reviewed, and assessment at all learning levels is emphasized. (Author/MLW)

A seven-week summer academic noncategorical training program for special education teachers organized around specific teaching competencies resulted in significant academic gains for 80 mildly handicapped elementary students. (CL)

Instructional validity of the Florida graduation test and the degree to which students were given proper preparation to pass it were studied. The Florida model illustrates procedures are available to demonstrate to the court that required skills are being taught to prepare students for success on competency tests. (DWH)

Describes a curriculum developed as part of the Rural Sanitation Manpower Development Project to train new professional- and technician-level environmental health workers. Modules containing information required to perform tasks of a health worker at different levels of expertise were developed as a basic component of the curriculum. (BC)

Two groups of elementary level teachers (N=96) of six- to 12-year-old hearing-impaired students in residential and regular public school programs had significantly different perceptions regarding 19 of the 45 competencies and were highly distinguishable across items. (Author)

The state of Washington has recently begun several state-wide competency-based certification programs. These programs are being used to evaluate school counselors at three levels of functioning. Examples of the program used by the Southeastern Washington Counselor Consortium to certify counselors at the beginning level are presented. (Author)

The case for the student's taking full responsibility for his own learning is discussed. The analysis briefly refers to the literature and research efforts, but also proposes a more comprehensive study model, behavioral indexes and implications for professional action in higher education. (LBH)