Competency-based education, also referred to as mastery-based, proficiency-based or performance-based education, is a system of education designed to equitably ensure all students develop the success skills they will need for college, career and life. Competency-based education is gaining momentum and visibility. Districts and schools turn to…

The relevance of the presented problems in the paper is conditioned by the fact that the process of implementation of the competence approach into the educational space of Russia is in contact with a number of theoretical inconsistencies which are directly related to understanding the formation and mastering of competences. The goal of the paper…

For excellent teachers and those aspiring to excellence, and for administrative or education policy leaders, this brief provides an overview of how an Opportunity Culture can help teachers have the well-paid, empowered profession they deserve--while helping many more students succeed. [For the full report, see ED560179; for the summary, see…

The purpose of this study was to compare elementary classroom teachers' actual practice and perceived importance of English Language Arts professional development in five professional development dimensions: alignment, content and modeling, active learning, collaboration, and follow-up, in high and low mastery, low needs schools. The schools…

Does the use of rewards to motivate children to learn or to follow classroom rules run counter to fostering a true desire for mastery? This column, which consists of two separate articles, provides the opposing opinions of the authors regarding the appropriateness of giving rewards in an early childhood classroom. In "Using Rewards in the Early…

Describes mastery learning, a teaching model that allows full inclusion of rural students with intense educational needs. The approach is based on curriculum modifications, team teaching, peer tutoring, and cooperative learning. Documents the success of mastery learning in the case of a rural first-grade student with Down's Syndrome. (LP)