Content Standards and Comptencies

What are content standards, performance standards and competencies?
Content standards define what a learner should know and be able to do (and a teacher should know and be able to teach) within an educational level. Performance standards specify “how much” a learner should know and be able to do. The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), Department of Adult Education and Literacy’s (DAEL) National Reporting System (NRS) has set the performance standards for WIA, Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) funded adult education programs. CASAS Competencies provide “real-life” evidence of the learner’s mastery of content standards.

What is the relationship between content standards and CASAS competencies?
The relationship is more like “love and marriage” in that they go together and are not an either-or type of relationship—both are needed for the learner to master competencies. Content standards tell teachers, learners, parents, employers, community members and stakeholders what basic skills learners need to have in order to master competencies. The mastery of competencies is measured in several ways—
      on CASAS assessments…
         on the GED Test Battery AND most importantly…
            in everyday life in the REAL world!