See what's new with Credential Engine in "Transparency" our monthly newsletter.

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Transparency
Credential Engine develops its data standards through open, inclusive, and transparent processes
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December 14th, 2023
Welcome to Transparency, Credential Engine’s monthly newsletter. As another very productive year wraps up we want to thank everyone who helped advance the important work of credential transparency. Thank you to our funders, partners, collaborators, staff members, and advocates. To be successful, credential transparency must be a shared vision. We wish you all a happy end to 2023, and a successful 2024!
Jump ahead:

> Spotlight (#Spotlight)
> U (#Policy) pdates (#Updates)
> Policy Corner (#Policy)
> State Connections (#State)
> Technology & Support (#Technology)


** Spotlight.
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American Council on Education (ACE) and Credential Engine Team Up to Integrate the ACE National Guide with the Credential Registry

ACE and Credential Engine have come together to integrate the extensive database of college credit recommendations, the National Guide ([link removed]) , with the Credential Registry to lead more people seeking higher education and career opportunities to the most effective and successful pathway.

Millions of people have completed valuable courses, training, and assessments but don’t have a degree. These learning achievements can be directly related to the requirements for degrees, and clear, transparent data about the transfer value of these courses, training, and assessments can help people attain credentials with reduced time and cost investments. ACE’sNational Guide ([link removed]) is an online compilation of college credit recommendations for courses, assessments, and apprenticeships that have been reviewed by ACE faculty experts. More than 10,000 ACE credit recommendations are now also published and available as Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) linked open data in theCredential Registry ([link removed]) . By having this data in the Credential Registry in a linked open data format, it allows for this information to be accessible and actionable, empowering people seeking higher education
opportunities to get the most value out of their prior learning achievements.
If you are interested in learning how to publish one of your credentials associated with an ACE transfer value recommendation or link your credentials in the Credential Registry to an ACE transfer value recommendation, or you're an organization that accepts, recommends, or supports transfer values, click here ([link removed]) . Read the full announcement here ([link removed]) .


** Updates.
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JFF Releases New Guide onhttps://www.jff.org/centering-credential-transparency-a-case-making-guide/ Centering Credential Transparency: Jobs For the Future (JFF), in collaboration with Credential Engine, released earlier this week the new ‘Centering Credential Transparency: A Case-Making Guide ([link removed]) .’ This guide is for creating credential transparency to support a better future credential marketplace for everyone. It identifies the critical role linked open data plays in this marketplace, and specifically how the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) provides clear, accessible information to empower informed decision-making. An equitable workforce credential marketplace is only effective in unlocking employment prospects for learners and workers if the learning and employment records (LERs) are accessible to all, and this guide informs making CTDL for LERs a reality.

SkillsFWD Grantees Announced: Credential Engine is thrilled to be supporting SkillsFWD and the awardees in the development of resources that leverage learning and employment records to drive fundamental systems change for the way we learn and work. The six grantees will be building upon existing tools and systems while bringing together diverse stakeholders. If you are interested in learning more, click here ([link removed]) .

[link removed] Report Highlights Credential Transparency: In the newest “Credential Transparency: Judging Return on Investment for Higher Education and Workforce ([link removed]) ” report from the American Enterprise Institute’s Conservative Education Reform Network (CERN), co-authors James Bergeron and Lindsay Fryer dive into credential transparency and the need to make it a priority. The center of the report is the utilization of the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) and how this linked open data format allows for increased transparency. Credential transparency provides specific details on a credential program’s length, cost, competencies, skills provided, level of mastery targeted, earnings potential, and employment outcomes. Three
Credential Engine state partners, Texas ([link removed]) , Indiana ([link removed]) , and Arkansas ([link removed]) , are recognized in this report for their adoption of the CTDL and how it powers those states' own credential registries. By prioritizing credential transparency on the state level, credentials will be understandable, comparable, and discoverable, ultimately aligning higher education and workforce and empowering residents to understand their best pathways.

Credential Engine Partners with Digital Transformation Company: Earlier this week, Credential Engine and Higher Digital ([link removed]) announced their partnership ([link removed]) to help higher education institutions provide equitable access to students navigating learning and career opportunities. Through Higher Digital's new service offerings ([link removed]) , institutions will be assisted with adding credential data to their curricula, aligning with the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL). The new services both simplify and accelerate the addition of credential data for any institution interested in expanding its offerings. This partnership will ease the adoption of technical solutions necessary for institutions to participate in credential
transparency ecosystems, ultimately resulting in students having access to clear and consistent information and providing pathways to a successful career.

Western Governors University (WGU) on Charting Academic Progress: In the newest installment of our three-part blog series with WGU, we discuss charting academic progress and WGU’s Acviement Wallet. With WGU's curriculum data published in the Credential Registry, this enables the WGU Achievement Wallet to chart a learner's progress, course by course, competency by competency. When data is published to the Credential Registry, those credential records are assigned a unique alphanumeric identifier called a Credential Transparency Identifier (​CTID​) ([link removed]) . CTIDs provide the WGU Achievement Wallet with reference keys for accessing and linking detailed information about the credential, such as its type, issuer, and requirements. If you would like to learn more about the work between Credential Engine and WGU, read part two of our blog series here
([link removed]) . You can find part one here ([link removed]) .


** Policy Corner.
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New Legislation Supports Credential Transparency: This week was a good week for Credential Transparency! Credential Engine is pleased to announce our support of legislation language that includes supporting and advancing credential transparency in recognition that all students, workers, and employers should have open access to comparable data about all education and training options so they can make their most informed decisions.

On Monday, December 11th, Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) introduced the CREATES Act. CREATES provides funding to states so they can gather and provide essential information about all educational and occupational credentials available to their residents, empowering individuals to make more informed decisions about their education and career pathways.

On Tuesday, December 12th, three bills were advanced that recognize the essential value of transparent credential data across the broad spectrum of education, workforce, and training systems and services: A Stronger Workforce for America Act – legislation that will reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act, and Advancing Research in Education Act.

Together, the quality, performance, and outcomes transparency will help students, job-seekers, and workers identify and pursue high-quality, portable, and stackable programs that better lead to career advancement. Read our announcement here ([link removed]) .

Credential Engine Joins Letters of Support for Legislation Language: In two letters, lead by the Data Quality Campaign (DQC), Credential Engine is signing letters of support for elements in the A Stronger Workforce for America Act (ASWA) and the Advancing Research in Education Act (AREA). In particular, the letter of support ([link removed]) for ASWA highlights the following critical elements: Codification of WDQI, Data Transparency, Improving Wage Record Access, Leveraging Labor Market Information, and Evidence-based Interventions. The letter of support ([link removed]) for AREA highlights the importance of the provisions included in this bill, such as the “reimagined role of statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDS) – integrated data systems that contain early childhood, K–12, postsecondary, and workforce data – as a
tool for providing better support, transparency, and quality to individuals navigating their education and workforce journeys.”

New Letter Shares Recommendations for OMB: Credential Engine is happy to join the second round of the Results for America (RFA) letter that shares nine recommendations to further strengthen the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) proposed updates to data management. Within this letter, ‘greater data transparency and openness’ is called out, noting the value of credential transparency for a ‘wide range of purposes.’ Read the RFA letter here ([link removed]) .

Guidance for Federal Funding & Credential Transparency: Check out our new federal webpage ([link removed]) that provides information and guidance on checking if your state is involved with Credential Engine and/or the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Strengthening Community College (SCC) Grants. The SCC Grants aim to address the skill needs of employers in the development of credentialed training programs to support workers in gaining skills. Through these grants, the DOL encourages that information about all credentials and competencies developed through the use of these federal grant funds be made publicly accessible in linked open data formats that support full transparency and interoperability.

If you’d like to make your credentials and skills transparent, Credential Engine’s technologies – including publishing competencies and pathways associated with credentials – serve as powerful tools to support both employers and learners with data to enhance training alignment to in-demand sectors in state and regional economies.


** State Connections.
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Education Commission of the States Policy Academy: In early December, Credential Engine traveled to Denver, CO to participate in the most recent Education Commission of the States Policy Academy where three cross-agency teams from Kentucky, Maryland, and Tennessee explored state policy levers to increase credential transparency. This brief ([link removed]) , released earlier this year, guided these conversations.


** Technology & Support.
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[link removed] ‘Publishing Jobs Data With CTDL’ Resource from Credential Engine: Check out our newest one-pager ([link removed]) that provides key value propositions for improving the connections between learning and work in data ecosystems. Publishing linked open data about jobs increases opportunities for people to achieve their learning and career pathway goals spanning education, training, and work. Using the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) and the Credential Registry offers an open standard, transparent, and data-driven approach to bridging the gap between education and work in data ecosystems. It supports informed decision-making, effective skill matching, and collaborative partnerships for the betterment of learners, employers, and the economy.

CTDL JSON LD Ingest Tool Pilot Invitation: You are invited to join our upcoming pilot that will trial our new Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) JSON LD Ingest tool. Designed to streamline the data update process on the Credential Registry, this tool is for use by organizations publishing linked open data in CTDL on the open Web. This pilot is set to run approximately from February 2024 to April 2024 and targets a small number of organizations. Technical expertise is necessary for participants to effectively generate CTDL JSON LD data from their organization’s data source. Participants will generate CTDL JSON LD data, collaborate on ingestion through the new system, and provide valuable feedback. The overarching goal is to deliver a valuable tool benefiting your organization and others. Learn more about the CTDL JSON LD Ingest System here ([link removed]) and the pilot here
([link removed]) . Reach out to us at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) if you’d like to get involved or learn more.

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