This guide was developed to help preservice or inservice vocational teachers to understand the general nature and use of the National Center for Research in Vocational Education's performance-based teacher education (PBTE) materials. (The PBTE materials are a series of modularized learning packages focusing upon the specific professional competencies needed by vocational teachers; they have been extensively field-tested. Each module provides learning experiences that integrate theory and application, and each culminates with criterion-referenced assessment of the teacher's performance of the specified competency.) The information presented in this guide is organized in a question-and-answer format. The questions are categorized under the following two major headings: questions about PBTE in general, and questions about the National Center's PBTE materials. The final part of the guide consists of a list of PBTE terms. A diagram of the prerequisite competencies for the National Center's PBTE modules also is included. (KC)