 | AICE Newsletter May 2019 Message from the Editor: Greetings from everyone at AICE. Welcome to the revamped AICE Standard newsletter, which will now be released quarterly. The Standard features notable accomplishments by AICE, its Endorsed Members, Affiliates, and partners. We will also highlight notable discussions from the monthly AICE Credential Forum, where Endorsed Members and affiliates meet to discuss credentials, education system updates, and various other topics in the credential evaluation profession. In this issue, I’m pleased to share several noteworthy announcements, including but not limited to having wrapped up the 2019 AICE Los Angeles Symposium, our fourth annual symposium on current issues in credential evaluation. Read on to also learn about upcoming training opportunities offered online and in-person by AICE members. There are even several no-cost opportunities available. We welcome contributions to this newsletter from the readership. If you’d like to submit items, please contact me at aleks@aice-eval.org. Sincerely, | Aleks Morawski
Chairman of Scholarship and Publications, Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE)®
Director of Evaluation Services, Scholaro | ▪ In March, 2019, AACRAO signed a memorandum of understanding with AICE to collaborate on research and publications and to uphold the commitment to mutual recognition of AICE and AACRAO’s International Education Standards Council (IESC) standards. Read More...
| ▪ | In March, 2019, AACRAO signed a memorandum of understanding with AICE to collaborate on research and publications and to uphold the commitment to mutual recognition of AICE and AACRAO’s International Education Standards Council (IESC) standards. Read More... | |  AICE Endorsed Members | ▪ We are excited to welcome a new AICE Endorsed Member: InCred
| ▪ | We are excited to welcome a new AICE Endorsed Member: InCred | InCred offers international academic credential services to students outside of the United States. InCred is endorsed to evaluate credentials for student athletes applying for eligibility to play athletics through the NAIA and the NJCAA. Their skilled staff of trained academic credential evaluators provide foreign students basic statement comparability, course-by-course evaluations, athletic eligibility addendums and certified copies of academic records. Learn more at AICE Endorsed Members and InCred | ▪ AICE welcomes two new Affiliates:
| ▪ | AICE welcomes two new Affiliates: | | University of Wisconsin – Whitewater | University of Arkansas – Fayetteville | AICE 2019 Symposium The 2019 AICE Los Angeles Symposium - “The Future is Digital…Are You? Effectively Using Technology, While Maintaining Credential Evaluation Standards” took place on April 3-4 at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, California. Over 50 participants gathered to discuss new technology trends in credential evaluation, including secure data transmission methods, electronic verification tools, and networks set up by universities and government organizations to enhance student data mobility. The full report on the AICE 2019 Los Angeles Symposium: is now available for viewing. You may access it on the AICE website. Click Here. | Recent Presentations AICE Endorsed Members presented several sessions at regional, national and international conferences this Spring. See below for titles and links (where applicable) ▪ Education in Nepal – Changes and Policies for Education in Nepal – Michigan Association of International Educators Conference, Grand Rapids, MI. Presenters: Matt Cwicklinski (Scholaro, AICE Endorsed Member) and Patrick Leahy (Michigan State University)
▪ Diploma to Degree: A Global Progression Pathway Made in Scotland – Webinar Presentation by Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, Inc. (ACEI), Los Angeles, CA. Presenters: Jasmin Saidi-Kuehnert (ACEI, AICE Endorsed Member) and Margaret Hutchinson (Scottish Qualifications Authority)
▪ Czech Education System – Updates and Current Structure – International Educators of Illinois Conference, Wheaton, IL. Presenter: Ben Prudek (Scholaro, AICE Endorsed Member)
▪ Alphabet Soup of International Credential Evaluation – AACRAO Annual Meeting 2019, Los Angeles, CA. Presenters: Aleks Morawski (Scholaro, AICE Endorsed Member), Jasmin Saidi Kuehnert (ACEI, AICE Endorsed Member), Robert Watkins (University of Texas, Austin and FCSA, AICE Endorsed Member)
▪ Top 10 Country Updates to EDGE – AACRAO Annual Meeting 2019, Los Angeles, CA. Presenters: Members of AACRAO’s IESC (International Education Standards Council): Jasmin Saidi-Kuehnert (ACEI, AICE Endorsed Member), William Paver (FCSA, AICE Endorsed Member), Johnny Johnson (FCSA, AICE Endorsed Member), Robert Watkins (University of Texas, Austin and FCSA). (Note: access available to EDGE subscribers)
▪ Education in Cuba Update – AACRAO 2019 Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA. Presenters: Chris Adams (University of Indiana), Christie Culp (Loyola University Marymount), Patrick Leahy (Michigan State University), Aleks Morawski (Scholaro, AICE Endorsed Member), Garrett Seelinger (InCred, AICE Endorsed Member), Martha Van Devender (ECE)
▪ Showcasing Results of the 2018 Survey on Digital Academic Records by AICE and AACRAO – Groningen Declaration Annual Meeting, Puebla, Mexico. Presenters: Melanie Gottlieb (AACRAO) and Aleks Morawski (Scholaro, AICE Endorsed Member)
| ▪ | Alphabet Soup of International Credential Evaluation – AACRAO Annual Meeting 2019, Los Angeles, CA. Presenters: Aleks Morawski (Scholaro, AICE Endorsed Member), Jasmin Saidi Kuehnert (ACEI, AICE Endorsed Member), Robert Watkins (University of Texas, Austin and FCSA, AICE Endorsed Member) | | ▪ | Top 10 Country Updates to EDGE – AACRAO Annual Meeting 2019, Los Angeles, CA. Presenters: Members of AACRAO’s IESC (International Education Standards Council): Jasmin Saidi-Kuehnert (ACEI, AICE Endorsed Member), William Paver (FCSA, AICE Endorsed Member), Johnny Johnson (FCSA, AICE Endorsed Member), Robert Watkins (University of Texas, Austin and FCSA). (Note: access available to EDGE subscribers) | | ▪ | Education in Cuba Update – AACRAO 2019 Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA. Presenters: Chris Adams (University of Indiana), Christie Culp (Loyola University Marymount), Patrick Leahy (Michigan State University), Aleks Morawski (Scholaro, AICE Endorsed Member), Garrett Seelinger (InCred, AICE Endorsed Member), Martha Van Devender (ECE) | | Upcoming Conferences, Presentations, and Training Opportunities NAFSA Annual Conference, May 26-31, Washington, DC. • “Technology in Credential Evaluation: Case Studies in Online Verification and Institutional Research” workshop on Tuesday, May 28, 8am-10am. Presenters: Aleks Morawski (Scholaro, AICE Endorsed Member), Polixenia Tohaneanu (University of Idaho, AICE Affiliate), Carlos Monroy (WES) • “Education System Update for Cuba – Reflections on Developmnent and Internationalization” session, Thursday, May 20, 1pm-2pm. Presenters: Aleks Morawski (Scholaro, AICE Endorsed Member), Martha Van Devender (ECE) | Webinars • “Colombian Education Update and Opportunities for Student Mobility” May 9, 10-11 am PST, Presenter: Jasmin Saidi-Kuehnert, ACEI (AICE Endorsed Member) REGISTER FOR FREE HERE • “Updates to Secondary Education in the UK: GCSEs and A-Levels”, May 16 (11am – 12pm EST) Presenter: LesLee Clauson Eicher, AACRAO International (AICE Partner) REGISTER FOR FREE HERE | Training AACRAO Summer Institute for International Admissions, July 15-19, 2019, Arlington, VA Summer Institute for International Admissions teaches best industry practices for the evaluation of foreign credentials and its application on the job. Attendees gain a thorough knowledge base of educational systems around the world. Detailed hands-on practice evaluating authentic foreign credentials in a collaborative environment allows participants to demonstrate the capability of determining credential comparability and admission eligibility. Faculty: Staci Bernhard (Florida International Universtiy), Aleks Morawski (Scholaro, AICE Endorsed Member), Annetta Stroud (AACRAO International, AICE Partner), Robert Watkins (University of Texas – Austin, FCSA, AICE Endorsed Member) Learn more... | Resources and Blogs ACEI hosts “ACEI -GLOBAL,” a blog on education-related topics:
Visit Blog! | Endorsed Member Highlights FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 24, 2018 Foreign Credits announces name change to Scholaro | Chicago, IL As of August 7, 2018, Foreign Credits has changed its name to Scholaro, reflecting the company’s growth into one of the leading credential evaluation and educational research organizations in the industry. Foreign Credits, Inc., now Scholaro, is an endorsed member of the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) and continues to work together with AICE to deliver educational resources, credential evaluation standards, and expertise to the international and comparative education fields. Foreign Credits was founded in 2008 and grew quickly, adding Classbase.com, a database of education systems, to its portfolio in 2012. Classbase Pro became a subscription service in 2015 and provided vital international program descriptions, grade conversions, and credential equivalencies to institutional subscribers around the world. Along with the name change, an updated website was launched under the umbrella Scholaro. Scholaro will continue to offer unparalleled evaluation and translation services along with Scholaro GPA and a revamped version of Classbase Pro, now known as Scholaro Pro. While our resources have evolved, our core values of customer service, innovation, and professionalism haven’t changed. To find out more please refer to the new website: www.scholaro.com. In case of inquires please contact: Alex Donin, CEO Scholaro, Inc. Tel: (312) 373-0952
Email: info@scholaro.com | AICE® Forum Highlights This section includes topics discussed at the monthly AICE® Forum in July, 2018: | India Provisional Certificates Provisional Degree Certificates & tie in with AACRAO EDGE recognition of the Provisional Degree Certificate (this shows the partnership between AICE & AACRAO) – Contributors: Polixenia Tohaneanu, Univ ID (AICE Affiliate) and Johnny Johnson, FCSA (AICE Endorsed Member) | Egypt Date of Birth Discrepancies Date of birth discrepancies are a rather common situation for some foreign-born Egyptians. Often times, the Egyptian government will register the 'filing date' as the official date of birth, instead of the actual date of birth. In fact, even some native Egyptians have long utilized such policies to time the registration of their newborns to coincide with a desired maternity leave schedule, et al. As such, a date of birth discrepancy may not be an automatic indication of forgery. One solution may be to request an Egyptian birth certificate, and check if the date matches the information on the academic credentials. Alternatively, it is always possible to verify the documents with the issuing institution or to arrange for official sealed transcripts to be sent directly by regular post. - Contributor: Hany Arafat, SDR (AICE Endorsed Member) | Iran Secondary Education Update Changes that have been underway in Iran concerning its primary, lower and upper secondary education. The new system went into effect in 2013. The 13th year (known as pishdaneshgahi) is no longer offered. The new system is 6 + 3 + 3. In the new system, primary education has been extended from 5 to 6 years, followed by 3 years of lower secondary and another 3 years of upper secondary. The 13th year is now absorbed into the upper secondary cycle. The first cohort with this new system are now (academic year 2015-2016) in grade 9, so they will be the first cohort from the new structure. Students who complete the 12th year from the new system and pass final exams will receive their Certificate/Diploma of High School Completion. They will then be eligible to sit for the national entrance exam for universities. Here’s a good link to a page dedicated to the former pre-university certificate and the recent changes made to the ed system of Iran’s primary & secondary on the UCAS website: https://qips.ucas.com/qip/iran-pre-university-certificate-pishdaneshgahi - Contributor: Jasmin Saidi-Kuehnert (ACEI, AICE Endorsed Member) | For more information Visit the AICE Website at www.aice-eval.org or contact info@aice-eval.org. Submission of events, notifications, research items, and original content to the AICE Standard can be sent directly to aleks@aice-eval.org. | | |
