This study was conducted as part of a project to increase the number of certified teachers who serve students with behavior disorders in the rural regions of West Virginia, improve the quality of training to participants at both the elementary and secondary levels, and retain certified teachers who teach students with behavior disorders. Improving the quality of training begins with developing and validating a set of competencies that are appropriate for teachers serving students with behavior disorders in rural regions. A total of 34 behavior disorder and rural education teacher competencies were collected from previous research and were grouped into six major categories including behavior management, instruction, service delivery, consultation, knowledge, and instructional support. Judgments regarding the importance of the competencies--sought from 279 teachers--were obtained from 173 teachers of behavior-disordered students and six faculty members who teach higher education courses in behavior disorders. Results indicated that there was a high level of agreement between faculty members and teachers regarding the importance of all competencies. Specific procedures are described for subsequent evaluation of the performance validity for these competencies. (JDD)