Certificate of Initial Mastery
Encyclopedia
The Certificate of Mastery (CIM) was created by report "America's Choice: High Skills or Low Wages". The CIM has been called an outcome-based education diploma as it would be either be necessary to receive or replace the high school diploma
, and was characteristic of education reform legislation in many states such as Washington and Oregon
.
The report called for the nation's workforce for the challenges of a new world economic order. The Report of the Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, published in June 1990 by the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), led by Marc Tucker
. This document is significant as it was the basis for the education reform laws, standards and assessment systems created by many states and the federal government
in the 1990s in the United States. It codified the principles of outcomes-based education reform, which later became standards-based education reform
.
and MCAS
.
They have been effectively replaced by the No Child Left Behind, and tying the high school diploma to standards based test inspired by outcome-based education. Passing a test at the age of 16 was patterned after the European practice of ending the education of the non-college bound at 16 followed by an apprenticeship period, and this is why all states are using tests given at the 10th grade, even though US high schools don't
graduate until the end of 12th grade.
or university prep courses.
High school diploma
A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED.-Past diploma styles:...
, and was characteristic of education reform legislation in many states such as Washington and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
The report called for the nation's workforce for the challenges of a new world economic order. The Report of the Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, published in June 1990 by the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), led by Marc Tucker
Marc Tucker
Marc S. Tucker is the president and CEO of the National Center on Education and the Economy. He is an internationally recognized expert on education reform and a leader in benchmarking the policies and practices of the countries with the best education systems in the world.Tucker recently...
. This document is significant as it was the basis for the education reform laws, standards and assessment systems created by many states and the federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
in the 1990s in the United States. It codified the principles of outcomes-based education reform, which later became standards-based education reform
Standards-based education reform
Education reform in the United States since the 1980s has been largely driven by the setting of academic standards for what students should know and be able to do. These standards can then be used to guide all other system components. The SBE reform movement calls for clear, measurable standards...
.
Recommendations
From the report:
A new educational performance standard should be set for all students, to be met by age sixteen. This standard should be established nationally and benchmarked to the highest in the world. Students passing a series of performance- based assessments that incorporate the standard would be awarded a Certificate of Initial Mastery. This certificate would qualify the student to choose among going to work, entering a college preparatory program, or studying for a Technical and Professional Certificate, which would be explicitly tied to advanced job requirements. These standards would not be intended as sorting mechanisms, but would allow multiple opportunities for success; the goal would simply be to ensure achievement of high performance standards for the great majority of the nation's workforce.
Legacy
The NCEE eventually signed contracts with districts and states covering over half of public school children, including WASLWashington Assessment of Student Learning
The Washington Assessment of Student Learning was a standardized educational assessment system given as the primary assessment in the state of Washington from spring 1997 to summer 2009. The WASL was also used as a high school graduation examination beginning in the spring of 2006 and ending in 2009...
and MCAS
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, commonly shortened to MCAS , is the Commonwealth's statewide standards-based assessment program developed in 1993, in response to the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of the same year...
.
Abandonment
The formal terms and contractual agreements have been abandoned as no states or districts are still contracted to the NCEE, and legislation in states such as Washington have discarded the term "Certificate of Initial Mastery" or its minor variations.They have been effectively replaced by the No Child Left Behind, and tying the high school diploma to standards based test inspired by outcome-based education. Passing a test at the age of 16 was patterned after the European practice of ending the education of the non-college bound at 16 followed by an apprenticeship period, and this is why all states are using tests given at the 10th grade, even though US high schools don't
graduate until the end of 12th grade.
The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce
The NCEE published a new study in December 2006, also co-authored by Marc Tucker which is essentially an updated version of the America's Choice report. The term "Certificate of Initial Mastery" is abandoned, but the report "Tough Choices or Tough Times" still advocates a test given at age 16 which would end high school education, followed by enrollment in community collegeCommunity college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
or university prep courses.
See also
- Norma PaulusNorma PaulusNorma Paulus is an American attorney and former politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Nebraska, she was raised in Eastern Oregon before becoming a lawyer...
, the Oregon Superintendent of Public InstructionOregon Superintendent of Public InstructionThe Superintendent of Public Instruction, sometimes referred to as the State Superintendent of Schools, is a constitutional office within the executive branch of the Oregon state government, and acts as administrative officer of the State Board of Education and executive head of the Department of...
who introduced the CIM in that state - Susan CastilloSusan CastilloSusan Castillo heads the Oregon Department of Education as the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Although she currently holds an elective statewide non-partisan office, she is a Democrat, and served from 1997 to 2003 in the Oregon State Senate as a member of that party...
, the Oregon Superintendent when the system was abolished in that state