Competency Based Teacher Education: Does it Have a Past or a Future?

Specific definitions of so general an idea are of course in controversy among both proponents and opponents of CBTE. But out of the great variety of programs spawned by the movement some common characteristics emerge. They revolve around the twin ideas of "accountability" and "competencies." Teachers are the "products" of teacher-training institutions and these institutions should be held accountable for their products, the argument runs. By the same token, experienced teachers should be held accountable for their products (i.e., pupils).