In recent decades, the long-standing mandatory requirement for standardized tests in higher education undergraduate admission has slowly lost ground to test-optional policies. However, in the first year of the global pandemic, American colleges and universities transitioned from mandatory to optional standardized test policies at a significantly…

Health professions education is in the midst of a radical transformation from traditional lecture-based teaching to competency-based learning. This requires an equally radical transformation in the way we assess student learning and achievement of competencies. Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR) addresses this need, enabling metacognitive learning…

This study explored the implementation of a novel approach to dual credit referred to as the facilitator model that can be suited for STEM-focused coursework such as courses focused on engineering, design, technology, and innovation. Unlike other models, high school teachers facilitate the implementation of a college course for both high school…

Background: Computational thinking is derived from arguments that the underlying practices in computer science augment problem-solving. Most studies investigated computational thinking development as a function of learners' factors, instructional strategies and learning environment. However, the influence of the wider community such as educational…

Historical credentialing and credit documentation processes, such as transcripts and degrees, only capture skills acquired through traditional in-school experiences. This infrastructure impedes access to education and workforce opportunities for historically and systematically excluded communities by inadequately representing skills gathered…

American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) members were asked about the type, volume and cost of official transcripts at their institution in this month's 60-Second survey. A big take-away from this survey is that there is quite a variety of ways in which institutions charge for transcripts. For example, in…

Few higher education topics have garnered as much interest in recent years as behavioral misconduct and disciplinary notifications. Academic, student affairs, and enrollment management professionals along with legislators and the general public have all had an interest in and voice on these issues. An American Association of Collegiate Registrars…

At least 46 states have set postsecondary attainment goals to improve the educational opportunities and livelihoods of their citizens and to meet workforce demands in a changing labor market. While the data is still emerging, the widespread use of administrative holds by postsecondary institutions may be undermining state education and workforce…

The nine appendices in this publication accompany the full report, "High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) Postsecondary Education Transcript Study and Student Financial Aid Records Collection. Data File Documentation. NCES 2020-004" (ED607366). They include: (1) Glossary of Terms; (2) Student Financial Aid Records Instrument…

As the economy struggles to recover amidst ongoing uncertainty, adults across the country could benefit from earning a degree and opening the door to new careers. Colleges and universities recognize the importance--but also the challenge--of getting "some college no degree" (SCND) students back on track and supporting them, along with…

Stranded credit is credit that students have earned at a postsecondary institution, but cannot use or transfer because they have unpaid debts at the institution. Institutions will usually not issue official transcripts to students with debt, which results in the student being unable to formally document the credits they have acquired. This can…

This report examines how digital credentials and learning and employment records (LERs) are shaping the ways people access education and career opportunities around the world. In this report, the authors share key findings from their research on digital credentials and LERs and present three detailed case studies of initiatives to govern and…

The past few years have been a fertile time for new school creation. Whether it was the disruption of the pandemic forcing families to improvise as their traditional schools struggled to cope with the challenge of the coronavirus, or the sweeping new private school choice policies passed in state after state, it has never been a better time to be…

This report includes a summary of recent and ongoing research related to the transfer of credit from one institution to another and awarding credit for alternative sources of learning. The primary focus of this report is to document the institutional policies and practices associated with transfer credit evaluation and academic advising for…

In selecting an area within education to focus on for my disquisition, I chose to focus on dual enrollment programs. Dual enrollment, a nationwide program allowing high school students to take college classes, prepares high school students for planning and organizing post-secondary goals such as obtaining a degree from a two or four-year higher…