Credential Evaluators Group
Many overseas educational advisers receive
requests for information and assistance from third-country citizens. An adviser in Sana'a
will have little trouble assisting Yemen-educated students seeking admission to U.S.
educational programs but may find difficulties providing advice to a student from Portugal
or India.
Advisers who encounter such problems should be
aware that foreign credential evaluation services exist that can provide objective reports
to help applicants determine the U.S. equivalent of their education. These reports can be
added to an application since they are often useful for U.S. institutions as well.
It should be noted that evaluation of foreign
educational credentials differs from translation. While translation transfers a document
from one language to another without interpretation, evaluation determines the role a
document plays in the educational system of the country of origin and the equivalent role
in the U.S. educational system. Translation would convert the Spanish academic term bachiller
to the English word bachelor, while evaluation would determine that the U.S.
equivalent of a Spanish bachiller is a high school diploma.
In March 1987, eight private foreign educational
credential evaluation services incorporated the National Association of Credential
Evaluation Services (NACES). NACES was organized for the following purposes:
1. To unite in a common organization various
organizations engaged in the evaluation of foreign educational credentials;
2. To disseminate information concerning the
availability of such evaluation services;
3. To cooperate with organizations engaged in
international educational exchange;
4. To formulate and maintain ethical standards
for the guidance of its members in their relations with the public;
5. To advocate necessary improvements in the
acceptance of foreign credentials;
6. To consider and deal with common problems of
evaluating foreign educational credentials; and
7. To acquire, assemble, preserve, and
disseminate valuable information to those engaged in evaluating foreign educational
credentials.
Senior staff members of an evaluation service
that is a NACES member meet certain minimum standards of professional competence and
responsibility and are active members of the American Association of College Registrars
and Admissions Officers and the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs.
The following organizations are NACES members:
Center for Applied Research Evaluation &
Education, Inc.
Nguyen Thi Anh, President
P.O. Box 20348
Long Beach, CA 90801
(213) 430-1105
Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
James S. Frey, Executive Director
P.O. Box 17499
Milwaukee, WI 53217
(414) 964-0477
Education International
Joel Slocum, President
29 Denton Road
Wellesley, MA 02181
(617) 235-7425
Foreign Academic Credentials Service, Inc.
Richard Dremuk, President
P.O. Box 637
Glen Carbon, IL 62034
(618) 692-2239
Foundation for International Services
Jack Hoover, President
P.O. Box 55878
Seattle, WA 98155-5878
(206) 547-3180
International Consultants of Delaware, Inc.
Gary W. Hopkins, President
109 Barksdale Professional Center
Newark, DE 19711
(302) 737-8715
International Education Research Foundation, Inc.
Inez H. Sepmeyer, President
P.O. Box 66940
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(213) 390-6276
World Education Services, Inc.
Mariam Assefa, Executive Director
P.O. Box 745
Old Chelsea Station
New York, NY 10011
(212) 460-5644
James S. Frey, NACES Chairperson
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