With the increase in mature, highly (although informally) educated students returning to or beginning high school or college, the need for a system of crediting prior experiential learning has also increased. Prior experiential learning refers to knowledge for which no course corresponding to a student's learning exists in a curriculum, but that learning would be a legitimate part of the curriculum. One system for crediting prior knowledge, portfolio assessment, has been successfully implemented in the communications college at Memphis State University (Tennessee). Portfolio assessment is the examination by faculty experts of a detailed and documented claim for credit. In this process, the student must first exhaust all other possible means for receiving credit. The student then prepares, with an advisor, a portfolio containing all pertinent information, which is then given to a faculty assessor. The assessor then determines whether: the work is college level, there is a knowledge of theory and skill, and the student can apply the knowledge. The decision is forwarded to the dean for approval. Programs such as this, which are becoming more widespread, will encourage many students to return to school. (HTH)