This paper describes a project to develop an alternate approach to the certification of teachers other than the approval of transcripts submitted by individual candidates or of the programs offered by institutions engaged in teacher preparation. The purpose of the project was to identify a set of "generic competencies" and to validate them in terms of student growth. Special task forces of classroom teachers from the school district in which the study was conducted spent a year meeting, discussing, and studying various definitions of teacher competence. Eleven competency statements were chosen, and specific teacher and student behaviors were listed under each competency area. A group of qualified active educational researchers from the area of teacher observation were selected as consultants. Also, three regular teachers from the school district were trained and employed as observers. Observation of classroom behaviors in the selected competencies was conducted for a full school year. The performance of student teachers was evaluated in the context of achieving skills in the stated competencies, and recommendation for certification was based upon these evaluations. (JD)