Setting high standards will not cause excellent student performance. Standards must be set for the everyday work teachers expect of students. Work-design standards are needed to protect students from pointless teacher-generated work. Greater coherence and focus for learning will occur if secondary schools are designed backward from worthy tasks…

Administrators can structure successful transitions to standards-based curriculum and performance assessment. By thinking about this reform initiative's implications, building opportunities for thoughtful experimentation and dialogue, and anticipating dilemmas teachers might encounter during experimentation, administrators can design responsive…

This position statement lists Council member organizations and the Council's goals, objectives, and guiding principles. The statement notes that the Council promotes advocacy, professional standards, communication, leadership, and policy development in vocational assessment and evaluation. It urges that all individuals providing vocational…

Final-year Ontario medical students (n=88) took a 4-station objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) using standardized patients and involving decisions to forgo life-sustaining treatment. Performance was scored on a checklist of behaviors unique to each case. Results indicated that because of low reliability, the OSCE is not a feasible…

The legal and ethical dilemmas faced by counselors working in organizations are outlined, together with the need for the counseling profession to set clear competency and supervision standards for practitioners. Uses counseling services provided within the British postal system as a model. (Author/KW)

From a sample of 353 North Carolina vocational teachers, 198 responses revealed that most are using state teacher handbooks and curriculum guides for competency-based vocational education, although competency test-item banks and student competency records are infrequently used. Factors influencing implementation are support of the state department…

A project combined precision teaching techniques and a flashcard approach known as SAFMEDS, with 4 students with learning disabilities or behavior disorders, age 14-18. Project results determined that the techniques provided students with necessary skills to pass the school district's minimum competency test in the area of local, state, and…

Compares student achievement in introductory computer science courses before and after the introduction of a competency-based course syllabus. Finds little difference in the performance of 1988 and 1989 summer students. Fall competency-based students had a higher dropout rate but increased performance. (DMM)

Describes a survey that examined the perceived importance of key competencies by professionals in the field of instructional and performance technology. The discussion covers differences in responses between training managers, staff trainers and professors, and the need to incorporate corporate priorities into the academic curriculum of…

Canadian Safeguards Support Program established performance-based training for International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors. The approach is based on actual tasks performed on the job, the most efficient and effective means of achieving the highest performance in situations with complex training requirements. (SK)

Traces the history and philosophy of core skills. Suggests that, although the way they are used in training and vocational education has positively changed the way skills are viewed, the approach is narrow in outlook, especially the General National Vocational Qualifications, and may not serve the best interests of industry or society. (Author/JOW)

Identifies a core set of leadership qualities, and prescribes observable, measurable, and learnable behaviors for each. A review of the following major leadership themes is presented: power-influence research, trait research, behavior research, situation research, excellence, quality, empowerment, ethics, and vision. (Contains seven references.)…

Discusses the effects of mastery learning and criterion-referenced grading schemes on student memory and motivation to succeed. Indicates that such programs are effective in college level developmental education programs. Provides suggestions for establishing criterion-referenced grading schemes, including several variants of mastery grading…

Examines the construction of competence-based instruction in a curriculum designed for working adults, offering principles of good practice related to stated outcomes, responsiveness to student differences, instructional modes and settings, advising, and promoting self-directed learning. Suggests that course materials should be chosen to provide…

Examined effects of the Grow with Guidance System, a systematic affective education program, on students and teachers in elementary school. Findings from 224 students and 11 teachers revealed that teachers who used the program were perceived by students as more inviting, and that students who participated in the program demonstrated more…