Benchmarking and Year-Counting Defined

Executive Summary

There are two prevailing methodologies the international credential evaluation industry has used in the recognition of foreign credential comparisons: year-counting, which relies on the number of years of full-time study, and benchmarking, which emphasizes learning outcomes achieved. Year-counting has been considered the standard in the United States (US) since the credential evaluation industry was privatized in the late 1970s and was the methodology most often used by higher education institutions, professional licensure boards, and immigration adjudicators. However, with the invention of the internet and the availability of rich data at our fingertips, over the past 10-15 years, many US higher education institutions (HEIs) have realized years alone may not be the best predictor of academic readiness for graduate level studies. Many US employers have also recognized three-year graduates are performing just as well as four-year graduates in many professions. To further advance global learner mobility and our unwavering commitment to lowering the barriers for international students and workers, International Education Evaluations (IEE) has differentiated these two methodologies for increased transparency and to better serve the needs of our institutional partners. IEE’s higher education partners now have the ability to choose the evaluation approach that best aligns with their own internal policy. Reports will now specify the methodology used by the evaluator in making postsecondary equivalency determinations.

Background

Foreign credential evaluation seeks to describe an individual’s educational qualifications in detail and provide an overall equivalency of the closest comparable program of study, along with a conversion of the credits and grades, from one country to another. Evaluation reports allow individuals who have completed their education and training in one country to further their education, seek employment, apply for licensure, or petition for certain immigration categories in another. They also permit universities, employers, licensing boards, and government agencies to assess the qualifications of internationally educated individuals and make informed decisions. In most countries, there is a government agency tasked with the responsibility for recognition of foreign qualifications. In the US, this process is decentralized and privatized, and there is no federal regulation of evaluation agencies.As a result, evaluation policies vary, and equivalency determinations may differ. A student may present the same credential to two evaluation agencies and receive a different credit total, grade point average, and degree equivalency. This doesn’t necessarily mean one is wrong; it can (and often does) mean that the evaluators in question have used two different—but acceptable—methods to reach two distinct—but reasonable—conclusions. This is similar to the IRS permitting businesses to file taxes according to a cash or accrual basis; or HEIs allowing students to submit either SAT or ACT scores, knowing that both examinations are reasonable indicators of potential academic success even though they assess students differently. It is important, therefore, that all consumers— students, Higher Education Institutions, licensing boards, and employers—have access to information not only about the organizations providing these reports, but also about the process by which the evaluations are conducted and the factors that are critical to decisions about degree comparability.

IEE degree comparability decisions involve an analysis of seven factors:

• Institutional status:How is the school, college, university, or institution recognized? How are the programs of study evaluated and monitored? What kind of quality control or accreditation exists to ensure students are receiving reasonable instruction?
• Entrance criteria:What are the admission requirements for a specific program of study? What qualification must a student possess in order to be accepted into a program of study?
• Program duration:How many years of full-time study must a student complete to graduate with a specific diploma or degree? How is a year of full-time study defined? How many weeks constitute an academic term? How is a unit or credit defined? How many instructional hours are needed for a subject? How many hours are represented by a single credit? How many credits make up a program of study?
• Education Document + GPA Report:States the academic, professional, or vocational education equivalency of the foreign credential and shows an equivalent cumulative grade point average for each credential or level of study. A standard benchmarking approach is used by default, but receiving higher education institutions may opt-out and request year-counting evaluations exclusively.
• Divisional Education Report:States the equivalency of the foreign credential, as well as the equivalent credits, grades, and GPA from the foreign transcript. Specifies upper-division coursework from lower-division coursework in bachelor degree programs. Postsecondary credentials are evaluated using a year-counting approach.
• Licensure Report:States the equivalency of the foreign credential, as well as the equivalent credits, grades, and GPA from the foreign transcript. Coursework is organized into subject categories helpful for licensing boards and agencies. The report may include additional information regarding professional access. IEE offers a general licensure report, as well as specialized licensure reports for accounting, teaching, and nursing. Postsecondary credentials are evaluated using a year-counting approach.

Data-Driven Solution

The first step in our journey was research. Certainly, we understood that international students and immigrants were invested in the idea of benchmarking equivalencies. Of course, we recognized that some of our established institutional partners—and a quickly-growing number of prospective institutional partners—were enthusiastic about the possibility that we might be able to move away from our longstanding conviction that “only years matter.” For our executive team, this had to be more than a simple business decision. This had to resonate with our commitment to integrity and excellence, which are detailed in our organization’s core values. To put it in simpler terms: we had to make sure the idea held water—that benchmarking could stand up to critical examination.

One of the principles defining a year-counting position is that the time spent learning should be measured. So, we began by intentionally doubling down on that idea. Does year-counting go far enough? Should we count hours instead? We discovered that in many three-year bachelor's degree programs, the contact hours spent by students in direct instruction and in study or preparation not only matched but far exceeded the hours spent by their North American counterparts enrolled in four-year programs.We already knew that Indian and European students spent a greater percentage of their undergraduate career engaged in their major(s) than a typical US student.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

The total number of grade points are calculated by multiplying the point value of each course by the credit value of that same course. The GPA is then calculated by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the number of credits attempted. Grades of Pass, AU (Audit), TR (Transfer), W (Withdrawn), EX (Exempted), IP (In Progress), and IC (Incomplete) are not included in a GPA calculation.