This article is a critical overview of the symposium on the contribution of the quality assurance process to democracy recently held at the University of Stellenbosch. It argues that recent symposia and colloquia in which South Africans themselves have attempted to stake out their intellectual credentials are extremely important and that the…

This study compares performance on the GED (General Educational Development) Tests, U.S. edition, across three groups of examinees: (1) graduating high school seniors in the GED U.S., 2001 norm group, (2) GED Tests candidates who took one or more tests in the United States between 2002 and 2004, and (3) GED Tests candidates who passed the tests in…

This study examines the demographic, academic, social, and behavioral differences between GED (General Educational Development) Tests candidates who were and were not retained in grade. Differences between candidates who were and were not retained in grade are examined with regard to factors such as demographics, delinquent behaviors, reasons for…

The purpose of the analyses reported in this paper was to compare performance on the GED (General Educational Development) Tests, U.S. edition, across three groups of examinees: (a) graduating high school seniors in the GED Tests U.S. 2001 norm group, (b) GED Tests candidates who took one or more tests in the U.S. in 2002-2004, and (c) GED Tests…

A national survey of health care administrators was used to assess the acceptability of a job applicant's qualifications that included a degree earned online, partly online, or in a traditional program. A questionnaire was sent in response to job advertisements that were posted in newspapers from 38 metropolitan areas throughout the United States.…

This study explored the dynamics of power relationships in secondary science methods courses taught at an urban university in Southern California for credential candidates. Data collection extended over 10 academic semesters. Employing frameworks of power, self-study, and critical pedagogy, the study analyzes the multifaceted and intricate roads…

In seeking ways to address issues in diverse classrooms, the authors have focused their recent work on paraeducators. The nation's nearly 500,000 paraeducators working in K-12 classrooms embody a potential source of prospective instructors for the nation's diverse student population in both special and general education. Paraeducators are school…

Background/Context: The nationwide preoccupation with accountability continues to grow, with teacher credentialing programs facing growing scrutiny through state-mandated accountability systems. In response to Senate Bill 2042 passed by the California state legislature in 1998, the California Commission for Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) established…

In this paper, we use a unique data set that includes a panel of all teachers in North Carolina over a 4-year period (1996-1997 through 1999-2000) to describe the distribution of teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) across classrooms, schools, and districts. The sorting of National Board Certified…

Using the data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue of "Data Notes" is the second of a two-part series investigating the characteristics of late stop-outs--students who accumulate at least 30 credits within the first two years, only to stop out without completing credentials or transferring. The data show that male…

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…

The Tertiary Lead Group in New Zealand created a national qualifications framework to incorporate all types of degrees given by colleges and universities. This report describes the process undertaken, the principles to be considered and the issues to be addressed, the benefits of such a national system, the features and specifications proposed,…

This document contains four papers from a symposium on professionalizing the field of human resource development (HRD). "Issues in the Professionalization of HRD: Building a Knowledge Base and Credentialing Practitioners" (Robert W. Rowden) discusses indicators of an emerging field as workplace education becomes a major strategic thrust.…

This Spanish-language booklet outlines the requirements of the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential for preschool teachers or caregivers who work in center-based preschool day care programs. Part 1 provides an overview of the CDA credentialing system and the various options, settings, standards, and stages of the CDA assessment system.…

This report contains eight tables describing the use of the General Educational Development Tests (GED) in 1986 as well as comparative trends since 1949. The tables report statistics for the 50 states, U.S. territories, and the provinces of Canada. The tables report the following: (1) testing volumes by jurisdiction; (2) percent tested by age…