Abstract:

The presentation deals with the problem of creation a model of higher education at the pedagogical university that could provide the facilities for the acquisition of universal and special competencies with students.

The team of scholars of Bashkir State pedagogical university is working at the problem of acquisition of fundamental and special competencies and a system of their evaluation. The elaborators of the investigated project have chosen the work at the system of formation and evaluation of cross-cultural, ethno-cultural, constructive, socio-humanitarian, socio-psychological competencies. These competencies may be universal and professional.

Never mind what competence it is it has a similar system of evaluation, which includes the following aspects of assessment: criterion, indicator, sign and level of competence formation. There are different approaches in understanding of all these concepts with scholars, which will be reflected in the presentation. But here are the working definitions of these terms with the help of which any competence is assessed:
Criterion is the principle on the basis of which the competence is defined, classified and assessed. There are certain demands to criteria, to the effectiveness of their usage which are discussed in the presentation. While assessing the level of competence formation it is advisable that several criteria should be taken into account provided the information were not contradictory.

The measured side of the criterion is represented in signs (indices) and indicators. A sign allows to check theory with empirical data. There distinguished qualitative (presence or absence of a certain feature) and quantitative (a level of the development of this feature) signs.
Thus the qualitative competence sign (index) is the description of absence or presence of professional features of a graduate who acquired the competence. The quantitative index will be the level of its development.
Indicator points out the existence of a certain quality, feature of the competence. Taken together all indicators reflect the whole scale of the formed competence and allow to assess the level of its formation.
The presentation will formulate the demands to indicators.

Quality of the process of competence formation is defined by the results the students show, which is measured in terms of levels of competence acquisition. These levels are characterized as literacy, functional literacy and competence level. Literacy is the first level of competence acquisition and is characterized by elementary competence activity in the society. This level is flexible: at each historical period the demands to literacy level are different. One hundred years ago literacy was defined as a capacity to read, write and count while nowadays a computer literacy is of a paramount importance.
The second level is functional literacy. It is characterized by the capacity of using literacy in acquisition of basic aspects of life activity, in solving standard life problems. The presentation also deals with thorough characteristics of functional literacy and illiteracy.

The third level of competence acquisition is competence itself and it is defined as capacity to solve problems of everyday life and activity on the basis of deep professional theoretical knowledge.
In the presentation there will be shown the application of this system of competence evaluation in assessing one competence.

Keywords:

Criterion, indicator, sign, competence, level of competence formation.