This bulletin deals with current assessment procedures for the Certificate of Pre-Vocational Education (CPVE) and discusses changes in CPVE assessment that are currently being considered by Great Britain's Further Education Unit. The first section discusses the reassessments of the CPVE profile's core competence statements and the CPVE preparatory…

Outcomes-based education (OBE) is a controversial model of educational restructuring that defines learning as what students can demonstrate that they know. This document reviews four journal articles and one bulletin that reflect a range of perspectives on OBE's potential promise and problems. In "Organizing for Results: The Basis of…

The procedures currently used in the 12 European Community (EC) member countries for certifying the employment qualifications of graduates of full-time vocational education and training programs and/or apprenticeship programs were compared. The comparison, which was based on information obtained from 12 national studies of EC members' education…

To help school officials avoid litigation, this newsletter examines two separate issues: student competency testing and educational choice. The authors propose objective certification--in which student achievement is described solely by objective, defensible scores--as a way to avoid the possible injury to students inherent in competency testing.…

The decision to establish equivalencies between vocational training diplomas in France and Germany is a legal act subject to publication in the official gazettes of both countries. The procedure for establishing the equivalence and forms of implementation is defined in arrangements adopted by the committee of Franco-German experts in application…

Concerns that students who have learning difficulties and disabilities (LDDs) and who are enrolled in further education (FE) colleges were being excluded from the basic entitlement to accreditation prompted a review of the system of 16-19 qualifications in 1995. It was recommended that England's national qualifications framework be revised and…

Although only Ohio has issued statewide standards for noncredit continuing education and a few other states have looked at such a process, most of the literature on student outcomes focuses exclusively on degree-credit programs. A college, university, or state system might want to assess continuing education outcomes for the following reasons: to…

Ten papers are provided on the prison education service in the United Kingdom. "Developments in Prison Service Management" (Ian Benson) describes changes in the past 5 years. "Prison Libraries" (Peter Blunt) describes the background to prison libraries and provides information on the present position. Current approaches to…

A 1993 study examined the range of opportunities that Open College Network (OCN) accreditation offered to learners with learning difficulties and disabilities in Great Britain. It examined OCN quality processes, including recognition panels, moderation, and internal quality systems. Information was gathered from the National Open College Network,…

The French vocational baccalaureat was created in response to labor market changes and technological innovations of the early 1980s. Unlike France's general and technical baccalaureats, the vocational baccalaureat normally guarantees immediate entry into working life. It is generally prepared for in 2 years after an initial period of vocational…

This report, which is an outgrowth of the Further Education Development Agency's (FEDA's) Learning Outcomes study, explores ways of identifying, recording, and valuing adult learners' goals and achievements in learning opportunities that are not designed to lead to qualifications. The following topics are discussed in the report's six chapters:…

The emergence of a more learning-intensive economy has begun to change the relationship between education and work. As employers try to promote just-in-time learning and workers move more frequently from one job to another, continual learning at work becomes increasingly important. Four main elements characterize an education system that is likely…

School-to-work programs in postsecondary education have the potential to help young people find their first full-time jobs and acquire a capacity for learning while they work. Data show cooperative education students' wages are neither higher nor lower than those of non-co-op students. However, one evaluation has found the following: co-op…

This issue focuses on the National Alliance of Business's work with employers to sort out how certificates can most effectively indicate workplace skills and requirements and confirm that certified individuals possess them. "Skills Certificates Signal Competencies in a Demand-Driven Economy" discusses the needs to which certificates respond; how…

Assessing students for workplace readiness requires that schools know what skills and knowledge students need to succeed at work and how to foster their acquisition. Having seen that the educational systems of global competitors provided them with a significant advantage over the United States, policymakers have attempted to address some…