FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AACRAO Contact: Quintina Barnett Gallion
Associate Executive Director, Strategy and Planning
Communications@aacrao.org
AACRAO Unveils the National Leadership Roundtable on the Recognition of Learning in partnership with ACE, CAEL, CAI, C-BEN, and UPCEA
WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 14, 2026
The National Leadership Roundtable on the Recognition of Learning—a new coalition of six national higher education associations, today issued a statement supporting the expansion of prior learning recognition to include skills and competencies gained through work, military service, and other experience beyond the classroom.
Funded by Strada Education Foundation and convened through the leadership of AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers), the coalition includes ACE (American Council on Education), CAEL (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning), CAI (Center for Academic Innovation), C-BEN (Competency-Based Education Network), and UPCEA (University Professional and Continuing Education Association). The coalition was formed to provide coordinated, field-wide leadership on an issue that has long been fragmented across institutions and states, aligning policy, practice, and innovation around a more learner-centered approach to the recognition of learning.
“As the economy and jobs are rapidly changing, employers are increasingly hiring for demonstrated skills rather than credentials alone,” said Melanie Gottlieb, Executive Director of AACRAO. “Yet colleges, universities, and states still recognize prior learning in inconsistent ways, using different terminology, standards, and credentialing practices. This coalition is about advancing systems that open recognition pathways for in-demand skills and speak one common language for prior learning and competencies, helping learners rightfully get credit and be able to demonstrate what they know and can do.”
“Learners are walking through the door with real, demonstrable skills and competencies, and our institutions and policymakers haven’t caught up to that reality yet,” said Amber Garrison Duncan, Executive Vice President & Chief Growth and Systems Transformation Officer at C-BEN. “All learning counts. Expanding recognition beyond traditional coursework to include competencies isn’t a departure from credit for prior learning, it’s the natural next step.”
“Large research studies have shown that credit for prior learning boosts persistence and graduation rates, but only 11% of adult students access it,” said Beth Doyle, Chief of Higher Education Strategy and Impact at CAEL. “That is why providing an action guide for enrollment managers and registrars is so important. It will take learning recognition from policy to practice.”
The group will release a guidebook this November that brings together the expertise of these organizations to identify best practices and concrete actions institutions can take to strengthen the recognition of learning. It is designed primarily for registrars and enrollment leaders who must coordinate institutional processes, maintain the integrity of academic records, facilitate decisions across organizational boundaries, and support learners as they move among education, work, military service, and other learning environments. The guide is intended to define the registrar’s role in owning CPL processes and provides institutions with practical standards and frameworks for advancing this work to strengthen quality, transparency, consistency, and learner mobility.
About the National Leadership Roundtable on the Recognition of Learning
The National Leadership Roundtable on the Recognition of Learning is a coalition of six national higher education associations working together to advance how learning is recognized, validated, and valued. Convened through the leadership of AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers) and funded by Strada Education Foundation, the coalition brings together AACRAO, ACE (American Council on Education), CAEL (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning), C-BEN (Competency-Based Education Network), UPCEA (University Professional and Continuing Education Association), and the Center for Academic Innovation. The coalition’s work centers on Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), the practice of awarding academic credit for learning gained outside the traditional classroom, while embracing a broader vision that connects learning recognition to skills, competencies, credentials, and workforce outcomes.
About AACRAO
AACRAO is a non-profit, voluntary, professional association working to make higher education more responsive to learners. With a membership of more than 22,000 higher education professionals at approximately 2,100 institutions in more than 30 countries, collectively representing over 16.4 million enrolled learners, the association provides advocacy, research, and policy-based guidance and training to higher education professionals to smooth the path for learners at every stage of their journey.
About ACE
The American Council on Education (ACE) is a membership organization that leads higher education with a united vision for the future. We galvanize our members to make change and we collaborate across the sector to design solutions for today’s challenges, serve the needs of a diverse student population, and shape effective public policy. As the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities, our strength lies in our diverse membership of colleges and universities, related associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. ACE is the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities. Learn more at www.acenet.edu.
About CAEL
Built on the recognition that adult learners are the backbone of the U.S. economy, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) was established in 1974 to help institutions award credit for prior learning. Today, as a national nonprofit membership organization, CAEL helps forge a clear, viable connection between education and career success, providing solutions that promote sustainable and equitable economic growth. CAEL opens doors to opportunity for adult learners, working collaboratively with workforce development organizations, employers, and postsecondary leaders. Together with mission-aligned organizations and funders, we foster a culture of innovative, lifelong learning that helps individuals, and their communities, thrive.
About CAI
The Center for Academic Innovation (CAI) is a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing learner-centered approaches that improve access, mobility, and opportunity across higher education and the workforce. Led by experienced practitioners and thought leaders, CAI partners with institutions, systems, and national organizations to advance adult learner strategies, credit for prior learning, learning mobility, and workforce alignment. Through research, consulting, publishing, and strategic partnerships, CAI helps translate innovative ideas into practical solutions that improve learner outcomes. CAI is the new home for Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out (PLAIO), an international online journal for sharing theory, research, practices, and policies on evaluating prior learning as part of a broader international movement for social change and social justice. www.centerforacademicinnovation.org
About the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN)
The Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) is revolutionizing how we design, experience, and measure learning throughout a lifetime. We believe learning should be measured by what you can do — the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that lay the foundation for your success — and for more than 10 years we have been guiding our expansive network of education leaders, employers, policymakers, and changemakers toward quality competency-based models and practices. C-BEN is a U.S.-based non-profit organization.
About UPCEA, the online and professional education association.
UPCEA is the online and professional education association. Our members continuously reinvent higher education, positively impacting millions of lives. We proudly lead and support them through cutting edge research, professional development, networking and mentorship, conferences and seminars, and stakeholder advocacy. Our collaborative, entrepreneurial community brings together decision makers and influencers in education, industry, research, and policy interested in improving educational access and outcomes.
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