Investigated perceptions of counselors, counselor educators, and state legislators in Ohio regarding impact of state counselor licensure. Most counselors and counselor educators felt that counseling licensure law had improved credibility of counseling profession in Ohio, provided greater protection for counseling consumers in the state, and had…

Describes the development of an assessment program for beginning teachers and the program's effect on teaching and teacher education in Virginia. Discusses definitions of competence and performance, development of a system for assessing competence, training of classroom recorders, and measurement of competence by observations of teachers'…

A survey of the Deputy Ministers and Directors of Special Education across Canada examined the certification requirements of regular education teachers to work with exceptional students. Two provinces/territories require teachers to have completed a course in special education. No provinces/territories required a practicum experience in working…

Assessed nationally certified counselors' perceptions of the relevance of elements of the National Board for Certified Counselors examination to their work as counselors. Findings support the validity and appropriateness of the examination in regard to perceived relevance and demonstrate lack of differentiation on the basis of respondent…

Reports a study that examined the degree to which undergraduate community health education students are professionalized. Surveys of 179 students from 15 programs nationwide indicated that students had a moderate-high degree of professionalization. Students who intended to take the certification examination for Health Education Specialists were…

Responses were assembled from 21 of 38 representatives of the Texas Gerontological Consortium for Continuing Education and a survey of students and graduates of the Texas Basic Certificate in Gerontology. Participants overwhelmingly approved the gerontology principles used in certification programs; institutions reported active implementation of…

Describes an expert panel member's experiences in working with Educational Testing Service to redesign the scoring for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Early Adolescence/English Language Arts Assessment. Maintains that a less mechanistic and more valid scoring system could have been developed if criticism and open discussion…

Suggests that the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is the best hope teachers have for changing the way they are perceived and to change the way they perceive themselves. Discusses one teacher's early teaching days, changes in teacher evaluation, and the work of the National Board. (RS)

Updated reimbursement literature and sought to remedy some significant limitations in prior reports. Provides a model for conducting future studies of this nature. Updating of reimbursement experience through survey of Ohio counselors has yielded important success-rate data. (JBJ)

Although mandated continuing education hours may provide the strongest incentive for teachers, they rarely represent the best reasons for pursuing additional education. Development areas important to music educators are musical growth, music teaching and learning, curriculum and program development, and psychology of learning. Various professional…

Reviews research on effects of teaching experience on success as a school counselor. Concludes that research findings do not support suppositions that counselors with teaching experience are superior to those without it. Calls mandatory teaching experience for school counselors an unfair and unwise certification criterion. (Author/NB)

Examples of certification programs are given: Certified Professional Managers, Certified Professional Secretary, Certified Purchasing Manager, certified Clinical Specialist in Medical-Surgical Nursing, Certified Financial Planner, Senior Professional in Human Resources, and Certified Quality Engineer. (SK)

Describes an English major's alternative route to second-language instruction in Texas schools. Alternative certification programs offer a more accessible route to teaching for a diverse population, including degreed graduates with content specialties, midcareer individuals eager for a change, and minority and male candidates largely…

Implementation of recommendations of a position paper on training Orientation Mobility (OM) assistants is considered with suggestions concerning the roles of the OM specialist and OM assistant, specific skill areas for training, the role of the agency or school, and a preparation program for the mobility assistant leading to certification. (DB)

Established in May 1987 as a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has developed a voluntary teacher certification system that can lead to markedly improved student learning. It will also provide recognition of excellent teachers and a standard toward which all teachers can aspire.…