The authors review the background of competency-based education (CBE), discuss its merits and drawbacks, and cite recommendations from the National Association of Secondary School Principals. (DS)

To address deficiencies in basic skills, a Florida middle school is piloting a program that immerses 75 students in a mastery-learning curriculum centered around reading, writing, basic language arts, and functional math. The program covers science and social studies thematically and has a social/personal skill development unit. The principal's…

Offers a form for determining the scope and sequence of skills in implementing a study skills curriculum. (JW)

The potential of minimum competency testing cannot be realized unless school districts engage in the complex processes of competency-based program development. (Author/MLF)

Discusses a specific type of mentoring: matching retired, older persons with young people enduring a crisis period in their lives. Programs such as the Teaching Learning Communities (T-LC) Mentoring Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan, assign elders as mentors and tutors to junior high school students in danger of dropping out. Strong elder-youth bonds…

The authors outline the process of generating student proficiency tests, including item generation, pilot testing among students, sampling and testing to tailor proficiency measurement to job market needs, using selected community members as sample test populations, and analysis of test results. (Author/DS)

The report "Workplace Basics: the Skills Employers Want" was based on interviews with hundreds of employers, who identified seven groups of desirable skills: reading, writing, and computation; listening and speaking; learning to learn, problem-solving and creative thinking; personal management; teamwork; and leadership and organizational…

Broad-based effective schools research suggests a school excellence model attributing student achievement to principal leadership, a positive school climate, the primacy of basic skills, high teacher expectations, an assessment and monitoring system, and the integration and coordination of the real and ideal curriculum and student assessment. (DCS)