ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education (ACVE) ARCHIVE

Using Skill Standards for Vocational-Technical Education Curriculum Development

Information Series No. 383
by Charles L. Losh
Order No. IN 383, Price $8.50
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In the 1990s, skill standards initiatives at the federal level have been spurred by the National Skills Standards Projects sponsored by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor and the establishment of the National Skill Standards Board in 1994. However, the standards movement in the United States includes more than 25 years of curriculum development by state curriculum centers and numerous curriculum projects and programs. This paper was developed to provide assistance to state and local vocational-technical educators in the development of curriculum based on national and state skill standards. It provides guidance and models for using these workplace-derived measures of competent performance in the preparation of students for the world of work.

The paper begins with guidelines for determining the usefulness of existing standards sets, including criteria for evaluating their validity, the performance indicators used, the credibility of the developers, and civil rights concerns. The typical steps in the process of developing standards-based curriculum are discussed:

• Conduct needs analysis

• Obtain a set of national, state, or business-industry skill standards

• Establish program advisory committee

• Review skill standards set to identify vocational-technical program content

• Develop assessment process and instrumentation

• Develop/adapt/adopt instructional materials

• Review and revise curriculum on an ongoing basis

Derived from the real world, skill standards provide a natural content base for contextual instruction. Standards-based scenarios provide a rich context for the integration of academic and vocational education. The last chapter describes how to develop scenario-based instruction through the use of a scenario planner and development and review rubric.

The appendices contain sample skill standards, model scenarios, a checklist for instructional/assessment criteria, a sample scenario planner, and a blank master.

Information on using skill standards for curriculum development may be found in the ERIC database using the following descriptors: Competence, Criterion Referenced Tests, *Curriculum Development, *Job Skills, *National Standards, *Performance Based Assessment, *State Standards, and Vocational Education, and the identifier *Scenarios. Asterisks indicate descriptors that are particularly relevant.