Many states are experimenting with mechanisms for making college more affordable while maintaining quality and access. This report examines promising or innovative state programs to improve college affordability and credential attainment. Many of these approaches show innovative thinking and bear watching to see if they result in meaningful…

This report explores the demographics of community college students and how they compare to those in other sectors of higher education. Next, it reviews the common reasons undergraduate students stop their studies or drop out. The report then examines technology-enhanced education in community colleges and presents several case studies showing how…

It is not troubling, or even surprising, that the United States today faces increasing economic competition from around the world. It is easier for other nations to make up ground on the world's leader by copying more-advanced existing innovations, than it is for the leader to move forward by making new innovations. And as other nations improve…

The National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) has been serving the career and technical education (CTE) community for almost 45 years. It is in the unique position to produce longitudinal data that indicates technical competence levels based on end-of-program testing across the country. NOCTI's data confirms that CTE is indeed…

Few issues in education are more pressing than the need to prepare students for a productive life after school. The issue is of paramount importance to the nation as well as the individual. Each week seems to bring another dire prediction that the United States and its workers will soon be competing with far better prepared workers from around the…

The state of Virginia approach to the development and implementation of competency-based instruction in industrial arts programs is outlined. Development of various activities is described: position paper, curriculum research project, and industrial arts catalogs research project. Figures illustrate the details of each area. (CT)

This guide states competencies expressed in performance objective format that would normally comprise the instructional goals for business data processing programs on the secondary level. These competencies are grouped into the following categories: punch card equipment operator, data entry operator, data control clerk, data processing librarian,…

In the first decade of the 21st century, the nation, the states, and colleges and universities began to grapple with the challenges of globalization, changing demography, the implications of the digital era, and of a less expansive public sector. Although not a transformative period for higher education, the decade saw significant innovations in…

Virginia's statewide objectives for foreign language learning, part of a larger program of learning objectives for all basic subjects and all levels of elementary and secondary education, are presented. The program is aimed at developing language proficiency, with goals and objectives designed to serve the general statewide needs for communicating…

Virginia's learning objectives for Latin in the public schools, part of a larger program of learning objectives for all basic subjects and all levels of elementary and secondary education, are presented. The objectives provide a scope and sequence for planning curriculum and instruction, and are both general enough for communicating state…

Three competency catalogs of tasks for industrial arts programs are presented. These include catalogs in Communications Technology, Materials and Processes Technology, and Power and Transportation Technology. The purpose of each catalog is to establish a basis for program content selection and criterion levels from which one may measure to see if…

Four competency catalogs of tasks for industrial arts programs are presented. These include catalogs in Metals Technology, Woods Technology, General Industrial Arts, and Industrial Crafts. The purpose of each catalog is to establish a basis for program content selection and criterion levels from which one may measure to see if individual learners…

This collection of analyzed tasks and competencies supports the Virginia competency-based curriculum for Career Pathways. It is designed to be used by teachers and counselors to plan and implement instruction that meets the requirements of local students investigating potential careers. The guide organizes careers into clusters of career fields.…

A project was conducted to implement a competency-based semester course in marriage and the family that was geared toward high school students. Four experienced consumer and homemaking teachers developed a series of 33 competencies that were verified by 11 teachers and state staff members from across Virginia. Next, a curriculum guide was…

Implementation of competency-based education in Virginia career exploration and preparation programs has served as the basis for establishment of a paradigm for statewide implementation. Competency-based education in Virginia is defined as educational programs with required knowledges, skills, and attitudes based on role-relevant competencies and…