Four levels of credentials have been developed that span the increasingly more complex set of skills and knowledge that Basic Skills instructors need to be effective in the classroom.  The competencies in each level reflect Bloom's Taxonomy and represent a progression from knowledge and comprehension to application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

The Level 1 Credential addresses the core knowledge that new instructors need during their initial teaching experience.

The Level 2 Credential addresses the competencies that instructors acquire as they gain more experience and opportunities to expand and apply their skills in the Basic Skills classroom.

The Level 3 Credential addresses higher level competencies that require instructors to analyze their teaching practices.

The Level 4 Credential recognizes attainment of the full range of instructor competencies and requires instructors to synthesize and evaluate their performance and share their expertise through such venues as mentoring, conducting training, and developing instructional products.

As a result of the differences among the levels, the requirements for earning a credential vary somewhat among the four levels.  In all cases, however, the teacher standards and competencies for each level are used to determine the most appropriate method for documenting evidence of attainment. 

In a competency-based credential, the evidence rests not only with “did you learn the knowledge or skill?” but with “can you apply it?” For each of the teacher competencies at the four levels, a system of evidence has been developed -- objective data that measures and verifies the attainment of each competency (or group of competencies). Initial work in this area was completed through ABSPD.  The evidence system includes (1) attainment methods and (2) documentation criteria to verify attainment.  This evidence system forms the framework of a teacher portfolio that includes competency attainment documentation.

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Sample criteria that are used to document competency attainment include:

• participation in professional development activities (e.g., workshops, conferences, college courses, etc.) followed by a reflective summary of how the content was put into practice;

• instructor observation by a trained observer using a developed rubric;

• participation in a study circle followed by a reflective summary;

• summaries of practitioner research projects;

• student and/or instructor records;

• developed lesson plans, curricula, etc.; and

• summaries of mentoring, delivered professional development, etc.

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