Technical advances of the last 15 years in measurement theory and practice are described, notably criterion-referenced testing, item response theory, and computers and testing. Several remaining problems concerning the development and validation of credentialing examinations are also considered. (Author/LMO)

Analyzes obstacles facing multicultural/bilingual teacher education reform in the context of California's Crosscultural Language and Academic Development (CLAD) or Bilingual Crosscultural Language and Academic Development (BCLAD) programs, which try to translate theoretical frameworks concerned with cultural difference into credentialing policy.…

Presents data on recruitment and selection practices in the field of teaching in California and Wyoming. Questionnaires examined the perspectives of 271 administrators and 264 recent graduates of teacher education programs who are employed as teachers. Suggestions for preparing students for the recruitment and selection process are presented. (SM)

Advanced Placement social studies courses are being used more and more to improve the credentials of college applicants. Those teaching these courses are under increasing pressure from parents and school administrators to allow more and more students to take the AP courses and to improve the AP scores of students. The present standards movement…

Healthy Families America is a national, voluntary, home visiting program model designed to help expectant and new parents get their children off to a safe and healthy start. Since 1992, it has been successfully replicated in over 440 communities in the U.S. and Canada. This article describes the program's reflective, relationship-based model and…

In the increasingly complex and competitive global marketplace, many students seek to gain multiple skills and credentials that can aid them in their career goals. One such career strategy weds a general overarching comprehensive degree with a specific and targeted skill set. This paper provides a viable curriculum path for students who seek…

In this article, the authors present a case study that is an exploration of credential candidates' attitudes toward a teaching performance assessment as a measure of their teaching ability, and the impact on faculty instructional decisions, practice, and attitudes toward the assessment. This study generated both qualitative and quantitative data.…

Many adult basic education programs use the Tests of General Educational Development (GED[R] Tests) to measure the skills and knowledge associated with a high school program of study as well as to assess the achievement gains of adult learners through participation in their programs. Using data from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy…

As Harold Lasswell and his colleagues observed of the rhetoric of power (Language of Politics, 1965), some words become magic, with "inexplicable powers" attributed to them. "Access" has become such a word in the discourse of higher education. The sloganistic use of the term implies that someone, somewhere, is preventing somebody from doing…

The National Record of Achievement (NRA) is a standard folder containing information sheets that allow individuals in the United Kingdom (U.K.) to summarize their achievements and manage their learning and development in a nationally recognized format. Employer awareness and use of NRAs was examined through a telephone survey of 487 U.K. employers…

Britain's National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) are work qualifications that measure what an employee or potential employee can do as well as how much he or she knows and understands about a particular job. Used as written proof of usable workplace skills that can be put to profitable use by an employer, NVQs range from basic Level 1, for…

This document presents literature review findings that provide background information on the director credentialing effort. Findings show that the director's role is essential to program quality and that director experience correlates with quality for children and their families. Research suggests training needs and the competencies or attributes…

This trends and issues paper considers the emerging presence of credentialing programs in the health, leisure, and movement professions in which such diverse occupations as health education teachers, aerobics instructors, exercise physiologists, dance therapists, community park managers, intramural directors, and military fitness instructors are…

In "The Research University of the Future," the first of five papers compiled here, Kenneth R. R. Gros Louis chronicles the history of research universities with emphasis on the past two decades and discusses issues and concerns related to the future of the university as well as the research library. In the second paper, "The Future…

A reference guide to laws, rules, and regulations that govern dentistry and dental hygiene practice in New York State is presented. In addition to identifying licensing requirements/procedures for dentists and dental hygienists, general provisions of Title VIII of the Education Law are covered, along with state management, professional misconduct,…