A number of significant policy issues related to the use of competency tests in basic skills as a requirement for high school graduation are discussed. Issues contributing to the interest in this practice include test score decline, the widespread offering of electives in high school, the complaints of employers about the skill level of high…

This teacher's guide on child development, care, and guidance is one of seven subject area guides developed for use in consumer and homemaking education in secondary schools in Texas. The guide is correlated with the "Conceptual Framework for Consumer and Homemaking Education in Texas." Content is based on the competencies needed by…

This guide is a consequence of Act 750 of the Louisiana Legislature, which mandated the development and establishment of statewide curriculum standards for required subjects for the public elementary and secondary schools. Ten domains of mathematical content have been identified for use in this guide: (1) Sets; (2) Numeration; (3) Whole Number…

This instructional unit on paychecks is one of six Adult Competency Education Learning Modules designed for use in a program of competency-based instruction for students with reading levels of 4.0-7.5. It is self-contained and designed for immediate classroom use. Each module is a complete instructional package, including Adult Performance Level…

The paper discusses the education of mildly handicapped students who will be able to live and work independently, but who will be unable to profit from a traditional high school program, postsecondary vocational training, or college. Three types of mildly handicapped adolescents are considered--students who lack adequate basic academic skills in…

The Instructional Support System for Occupational Education (ISSOE) Instructional Planning Project was intended to develop procedures for identifying successful instructional materials, suitable for teaching specific ISSOE competencies. A form was developed for use by teachers in reporting materials they were using in their classes with success.…

The District Facilitator Project (DFP) was designed to help public and private schools in the District of Columbia to improve their programs by linking them with exemplary projects that have proven successful in districts around the country. The DFP provides coordination and technical assistance services for implementing the selected program in a…

Many readers will agree that the conditions in our schools need improvement, that problems in schools are closely linked with the problems in our society, and that local control has diminished. The yielding of local control has contributed substantially to these problems. Uniform standards and minimum performance criteria have been tried and the…

This module, Occupational Knowledge, is one of five from Project DECIDE, which was created to design, develop, write, and implement materials to provide adult basic education administrators, instructors, para-professionals, and other personnel with curriculum to accompany the Indiana Adult Basic Education Curriculum Guide, "Learning for…

This publication contains the student materials for the competency-based curriculum in agribusiness management for high school students in West Virginia. The purpose of the competency-based education curriculum is to provide a set of West Virginia-validated agribusiness tasks, along with the steps needed to perform each task, the evaluation…

This instructor's guide accompanies the secondary-level, competency-based student material for Nursery and Greenhouse Worker available separately--see note. It is intended for use as a reference and aid in implementing the curriculum in a vocational agriculture program. These sections are included: identification and validation of job titles and…

This document, one of eight in a multi-cultural competency-based vocational/technical curricula series, is on maintenance mechanics. This program is designed to run 40 weeks and cover 5 instructional areas: basic electricity (14 weeks); maintenance and repair of heating (4 weeks); maintenance and repair of air conditioning (12 weeks); maintenance…

The major purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics, problems, and recommendations for developing and improving open-entry/open-exit systems of individualized, competency-based vocational instruction for Florida high school students. A survey instrument was developed to collect relevant data. Those surveyed in the descriptive…

Focusing on auto mechanics, this module is one of eight included in the Vocational Education Readiness Test (VERT). The module begins by listing the objectives of the module and describing tools and equipment needed. The remainder of the module contains sections on manipulative skills, trade vocabulary, tool identification, trade computational…

A one-year project was conducted to complete the marketing and distributive education curriculum guide series of the Illinois State Board of Education. The guides provide a competency-based approach to preparing students for employment in the marketing services area, the fastest growing area of marketing occupations. Objectives of the project were…