Raymond Scott

Accountability implies the assessment of performance, the public communication of information about performance, and the potential for sanctions or rewards.  Systemic contributions to the concept of accountability include parity of curriculum content across institutions, programmatic outcomes that address the relationship between competence and performance, and methods of assessment that are contextually appropriate.  This manuscript suggests philosophical, epistemological, curricular, and pedagogical reforms to graduate training for community psychologists to establish greater accountability.  Much of the content is derived from professional psychology, the field of competency-based education, modern learning theories, and efforts to define and implement knowledge- and performance-based competencies within practica, internship, and postdoctoral experiences that have been undertaken by many national organizations devoted to applied health and social services.  Commonly used definitions are provided.  Information on the identification, delineation, and assessment of foundational and core competencies relevant to the practice of community psychology is explored.

Keywords: Accountability, competency-based education, knowledge- and performance-based competencies, foundational and core competencies, developmental processes.