The monograph provides a systematic explication of the underlying standards and principles that have been developed to help adult learners articulate what they know and can do, to clarify their claims to creditable achievement, to help assessors improve the reliability of assessment, and to save assessor time. Ten academic and administrative standards for quality assurance in assessing prior learning for credit are discussed. The academic standards are relevant to the assessment process itself; the administrative standards are related to the administrative context in which the assessment and the award of credit occur. The monograph is divided into the following areas of discussion: definitions, propositions, and assumptions; standards for assessing learning; principles and procedures for sponsored learning; principles and procedures for assessing prior experiential learning; administrative measures to safeguard quality assurance; and misconceptions and malpractice. An appendix contains principle and procedure checklists and lists of accrediting associations and experiential learning organizations. Contains 13 references. (GLR)