The National Record of Achievement (NRA) was introduced in 1991 in the United Kingdom to provide a single common format to summarize individuals' achievements and experiences in both education and their adult lives. A study examined the use of the NRA within a general adult education context. The heads of 6 adult education centers in 1 Welsh local…

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…

Increasing numbers of colleges and universities are responding to the needs of adults seeking professional training and have come to recognize the value of experiential learning. One method of assessing previous learning is to prepare a portfolio with documentation of life experiences as they related to the learning process. The East Central…

Tracing the development of the Continuing Education Unit (CEU), the article defines the CEU as "10 contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction." Also discussed are criteria for implementation and some pros and cons of CEU usage. (MW)

The certificate and diploma programs in seven 2-year colleges of New York State were studied to determine conditions under which such programs succeed and to advise other 2-year colleges of the feasibility of operating such programs or modifications of such programs. Specific objectives of the study were: (1) to view certificate and diploma…

Standards and requirements in the State of Utah for operating adult high school and GED programs and awarding diplomas in such programs are presented. For adult high school programs, specifications concerning procedures, sources of credit, and diploma requirements for various types of programs are enumerated and described. For GED certificates,…

College would be wise to drop diplomas and degrees and extraneous paths to credits, the author believes, and make schools primarily teaching institutions which annually certify to completed efforts, for the year and at the school attended. (JT)

The author describes the testing program designed to determine awarding of the Green Certificate to farming trainees in Alberta, Canada. The three parts of the test include (1) job-site testing, (2) regional test center testing, and (3) written examination. (CH)

The author describes development of certification standards and an integrated training package for entry-level retail employees. Evaluation methods are discussed. (CH)

This bulletin describes the use of new qualifications, the General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQ), which have been developed in Great Britain to qualify students for admittance to higher education through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). The first part of the bulletin discusses the suitability of GNVQs as a route…

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…

This book describes a strategy for school reform, "planning backwards from exhibitions," which is a collective invention of the Coalition of Essential Schools. The strategy is based on the principle that graduation from high school should be based on genuine achievement. The first article, by Joseph P. McDonald, explains that the purpose of…

This report presents the experiences and outcomes of accounting standards-setters who have, in many cases, been successful in establishing a national, uniform system of certification for public accountants. An executive summary appears first. The report begins with two sections that examine the evolution of accounting into a 20th-century…

The article examines the three proposals put forward by the Schools Council for Curriculum and Examination to change the examination structure for school leavers in Great Britain from the perspective of industry and commerce. (MW)

This document is intended to provide suggestions to the decision makers in Hawaii's public education system who are trying to find strategies for better integrating vocational and academic education and who are considering granting equivalent credit for basic academic skills taught in vocational and academic courses. The following topics are…