This year-long, multiple case study followed a small group (N=6) of graduates from an initial licensure Education Preparation Program (EPP) into their classrooms to observe their first year as licensed teachers in United States public schools. The study's purpose was twofold: 1) to explore the extent to which this group used formative assessments…

Doubts and misgivings have resulted from the rapid growth and diversity of experiential programs and the use of experiential learning assessment as a recruiting and marketing device. The Council for the Advancement of Experiential Learning (CAEL) is the body examining what is being done about setting standards for the assessment of experiential…

Calls for a richer perspective in assessing prior experiential learning. Asserts that using Levi Strauss' totemism instead of metaphor (looking for similarity between experience and courses) may restore power, ownership, and centrality of the experience to the candidate for assessment, while allowing evaluators to engage in a novel but authentic…

A rationale for the recognition of prior learning is first based on the fact that learning experientially may be as necessary as learning through theory. One basis for the rationale is that adults in everyday life may have to acquire skills that belong to three domains: psychomotor, cognitive, and affective. Furthermore, the rationale supports the…

Portfolio assessment has become a standard mechanism for the evaluation of prior learning for experienced students. An informal survey of portfolio narratives receiving faculty approval for credit at various postsecondary institutions indicates a wide range of declarative, analytical, and interpretive assertions recognized as "learning" in these…

Following a literature review, this article analyzes the financial impact of credits for experiential learning on a major midwestern university. Both students and the institution appear to have benefited economically. Questions are raised concerning who should benefit from publicly supported education--students, society, or all three. Includes 28…

Three prior learning program directors relate their experiences with program implementation. Three different types of institutions are represented: Sinclair Community College, State University of New York at Cortland, and American University, Washington, DC. Vital statistics and program descriptions are presented. (MLW)

The ways that Wisconsin colleges, technical institutes and high schools award credit for learning acquired through work experience are described. This guide was written after a statewide study of the policies and procedures of both postsecondary and secondary schools. Data were gathered in interviews with nearly every postsecondary school in…

Several new developments in educational measurement which contribute to a broadening of assessment options were presented at the conference on Alternative Conceptions of Competence. A common theme synthesizing these alternatives was a view of the complexity of human competence and the inadequacy of the multiple-choice examination as a measure of…

This comprehensive study explores the chronological and geographical expansion of the assessment of adult and experiential learning--known as AP(E)L--around the world. The authors describe and compare initiatives in their own countries and their effectiveness at the levels of government, educational institutions, and employment. They highlight…

Discusses the validity, reliability, and utility of portfolio assessment. Examines the differences between the application of portfolio assessment in the visual arts and traditional subjects. Although generally supportive of portfolio assessment, maintains that widespread acceptance of educational innovation is often difficult and compromised.…

A benchmark program of the Rochester City School District's School-to-Work Transition Initiative created the Certificate of Employability (COE), a supplement to the high school diploma. It verified what students knew through assessment of their academic, citizenship, and attendance records and applied learning skills. In Year 1 (1996-97), the…

Alternative teaching strategies such as cooperative group work should be followed by cooperative assessment strategies. Teachers of teachers use various teaching models but may fail to also model a similar variety of assessment strategies. When the emphasis is on cooperative learning, especially with an issues-oriented approach, then the…

In the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District (California), course and basic skills prerequisites have been established for all courses. Students with no record of completing these prerequisites cannot enroll unless they have been assessed by a counselor, have had their prerequisites verified in alternate ways, and have been granted…

In the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District, course and basic skills prerequisites have been established for all courses. Students who do not have a record of having completed these prerequisites cannot enroll unless they have been assessed by a counselor, have had their prerequisites verified in alternate ways, and have been granted…