Fifty core tasks that are generally performed by and important for secondary school beginning teachers are identified. Participants (n=297) were asked to judge the importance of each task. College students (n=476) were asked how confident they would be in doing these tasks as if they were beginning teachers. Rasch technique was used to scale the importance and confidence of the tasks. Most of the teachers considered these tasks important, especially those pertaining to "guidance and counseling." Most of the college students considered themselves very confident in doing these tasks, especially those related to "planning and preparing for instruction." They felt less confident about the tasks pertinent to "classroom management." Nine tasks were identified as important but relatively difficult to accomplish. The curriculum for teacher education should make efforts to cultivate the corresponding skills and knowledge for these nine tasks. The applications of this study to college students, institutions offering teacher education programs, and secondary schools are addressed. (Contains 2 tables, 6 figures, and 17 references.) (Author/SLD)