One of nine competency-based training modules for personnel preparation in early childhood special education, this guide focuses on assistive technology and technological interventions in preschool programs. All modules are adaptable for use with a general audience, direct service personnel, or administrators and are based on the following…

One of nine competency-based training modules for personnel preparation in early childhood special education, this guide focuses on integration of children with disabilities in preschool programs. All modules are adaptable for use with a general audience, direct service personnel, or administrators and are based on the following principles of the…

In West Virginia, an alternative special education program allows students with bachelor's degrees in fields other than education to become teachers of exceptional children. This program provides a route to certification in mental retardation, specific learning disabilities, or behavior disorders, as well as to a master's degree in special…

This publication is a guide to assessing the competence of prospective elementary school teachers in the liberal studies teacher preparation programs in California. The guide was developed as part of a statewide response to legislated entry and exit standards for teachers in elementary and secondary schools. An introduction describes the…

This publication is a guide to assessing the subject-matter competence of prospective physical education teachers in California. The guide was developed as part of a statewide response to legislated entry and exit standards for teachers in elementary and secondary schools. An introduction describes the regulations and executive order, which are…

Public concern about the effectiveness of education institutions and the accompanying loss of public confidence in the nation's schools has revealed itself in a growing complaint that too many teachers cannot teach. This criticism, while not fully substantiated, has resulted in efforts to establish means for testing teacher competency, seen as one…

The report is designed as a guideline for preservice and inservice teacher education programs and the New York local education agencies providing preschool services to handicapped children. A set of competencies was reviewed, rated and discussed by professionals in the field at two workshops and in consultation with preschool program…

The Functional Academic Skills Tests (FAST) was developed to measure the basic skills of mathematics, reading, and writing in teachers employed by the Houston, Texas, Independent School District. The three content domains were drawn from the Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST). These sets of skills, or proficiencies, were amplified by supporting…

Students at West Virginia University pursuing teaching certification in special education in the areas of mental retardation, learning disabilities, or behavior disorders complete a practicum experience. As many of the students are off-campus in rural areas and are employed full-time in teaching positions, a heavy demand was created for…

This report discusses the Quality Assurance Program at the OSU/WOSC School of Education, a merged school serving Oregon State University and Western Oregon State College. This major reform in teacher education is designed to bring a high level of accountability to teacher education and is called a "Warranty of First-Year Teachers." If,…

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has had a competency-based vocational instructor approval process for more than two and one-half decades. Perhaps the most important element in this process has been the vocational competency testing. Although some say that Massachusetts is out of step, others feel that Massachusetts has a well-established testing…

This module is one in a series of 127 performance-based teacher education (PBTE) learning packages focusing upon specific professional competencies of vocational teachers. The competencies upon which these modules are based were identified and verified through research as being important to successful vocational teaching at both the secondary and…

The quality of teaching, teachers, and teacher education is examined. An essay appraises current research and public opinion on teacher competence, noting efforts by school districts, teacher education institutions, and professional teacher associations to improve the quality of teachers. Minimum competency examinations, provisional certification,…

This paper presents the three year process used in developing a teacher evaluation model for the Fort Worth (Texas) Independent School District. Based on Dr. Richard Manatt's School Improvement Model for Teacher Performance Evaluation, the purposes of the model were to improve teaching skills and to enable valid and reliable judgements concerning…

A review of the history of changes in emphasis in the educational system covers the period from the 1930's to the present. After World War II the returning veterans attending college as a result of the GI Bill had a lasting effect on higher education. It forced a rethinking of teacher education, and the emerging schools of education and teachers…