Defining Competence: The Case of Teaching

Abstract

Over the past few decades, teaching has been characterized as the imperiled profession. This continuing concern over the quality of the nation's teaching force has sprouted the widespread growth of initiatives to enhance the career development and preparation of teachers. A significant portion of this concern has focused on the initial competence and ability of the nation's teaching force. One of the major components of the educational reform movement deals with testing and performance assessment of teachers. Increasingly, state after state has introduced some form of performance based assessment of teachers, be it prior to certification or during the induction phase of teachers' careers. Questions about competence and quality of today's teachers are sure to prompt heated debate and raise serious and complicated issues. What a competent teacher? How would we know one when we saw one? Before answering these questions, it would be reasonable to ask what competence in professional action and how might it be measured. The rush to initiate competency testing of teachers came out of the growing concern about achievement in schools during the 1970s and early '80s. The decline in students' test scores prompted many to place the burden of blame on the nation's teachers. Stolz (1979), for example, states is it reasonable to conclude that all of the blame [for test score decline] should be borne by the students themselves, their families, or the fabric of society? Isn't it reasonable to believe that a share of the blame should rest with the schools and teachers? And when we get to teachers, isn't it possible that in this latter group there might be some who are weak and incompetent? @. 11). Coupled with this public demand for accountability in teaching has been the dismal performance of teachers on tests of basic skills (Kerr, 1983). Some consider such tests of basic academic skills relative proxy measures for teacher competence. Although there are other precursors to the notion of competence in teaching, the remainder of this discussion will focus on the concept of competency in general. Traditionally, teachers have been subject to credentialing and licensing procedures carried out by state accrediting agencies. Even though such agencies