Recognition of Prior Learning - History of Prior Learning Assessment

History of Prior Learning Assessment

Initial research into the prior learning assessment practice and implementation was conducted by the Educational Testing Service, which launched a subsidiary organization dedicated only to prior learning assessment. Through an ever-increasing demand for its research expertise, this special sub-group quickly became an independent non-profit organization, now known as the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). Since 1974, CAEL has worked with postsecondary institutions, state boards of regents, and individuals by establishing and disseminating high quality standards for the awarding of credit through assessment, by training faculty evaluators and administrators in PLA practices, and by conducting research on the outcomes of these efforts and disseminating it widely throughout the postsecondary community. CAEL has emphasized the assessment and promotion of experiential learning for adults and is responsible for the development of several landmark publications on the topic, including Assessing Learning: Standards, Principles, & Procedures (in which a set of research-based standards for best practices in assessing learning is outlined) and Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success: a 48-Institution Study of Prior Learning Assessment and Adult Student Outcomes (in which prior learning assessment is linked to positive academic outcomes, including improved retention and graduation rates).