Many high school and two-year college vocational programs are exploring new ways to help students develop and document skills valued in the labor market. Over the past decade, some efforts to improve vocational programs have focused on reorganizing curricula around skill standards and assessments formulated by employers. One recent example of this trend is the Information Technology (IT) certification programs based on curricula and tests developed by IT companies such as Cisco, Microsoft and Novell. Some educators have suggested that these IT certification programs are attractive because they offer opportunities for students with various levels of academic achievement and postsecondary plans to earn valuable credentials. These programs could serve as a model for other efforts to improve vocational programs by developing assessments and credentials for jobs that do not require a four-year college degree. The discussion presented in this report summarizes key findings relating to the design and resource needs of certification programs, the number and mix of students who have access to and participate in these programs, and participants' outcomes. (Contains 17 tables.) [This report was submitted by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. to the U.S. Department of Education.]