Assessments & Certification

NAF students take part in a series of assessments that lead to a NAF certificate.  Graduates who receive the NAF certificate can benefit from NAF's relationships with higher educational institutions.

NAF's assessment and certification system is designed to position NAF academies to apply federal funding to their academies through the Perkins Act, which supports career and technical education. The Perkins Act requires NAF academies to offer certified industry-validated curriculum.

Assessments also drive NAF’s instructional reform agenda that promotes project-based learning:

In addition to traditional testing, the new course-based project assessments and a supervisor assessment of the student internship allow NAF students to demonstrate their ability to apply knowledge in industry-authenticated projects and in the workplace.

Assessments:

NAF is developing assessments to correspond with the NAF curriculum in finance, hospitality & tourism, and information technology. Engineering assessments and certification are provided by NAF’s curriculum partners, Project Lead the Way, STEM 101, and Paxton/Patterson.  The assessments will evaluate NAF academy students’ mastery of career-themed content along with students’ ability to complete professional-grade work.

The following course assessments are currently being piloted and will be required upon completion of the pilot phase. Contact us to pilot them this fall:

Academy of Finance:

• Applied Finance
• Business in a Global Economy
• Entrepreneurship
• Ethics in Business
• Financial Planning
• Financial Services
• Insurance
• Principles of Accounting
• Principles of Finance

Academy of Hospitality & Tourism:

• Delivering Great Customer Service
• Geography For Tourism
• Hospitality Marketing
• Principles of Hospitality & Tourism
• Sports, Entertainment and Event Planning

Academy of Information Technology:

• Computer Networking
• Computer Systems
• Digital Video Production
• Introduction to Programming
• Principles of Information Technology
• Web Design

Certification:

Certification offers recognition of the value of industry knowledge combined with workplace skills, such as teamwork, critical thinking, decorum, time management, ingenuity, problem-solving, and a solid understanding of the importance of written and oral communication, information, media, and technology skills. 

International Baccalaureate Career-Related Certificate (IBCC):

NAF is working with International Baccalaureate to offer the IB Career-related Certificate to students enrolled in both a NAF academy and at an International Baccalaureate World School offering the Diploma Program.  The International Baccalaureate offers academically challenging and balanced programs of education that prepare students for success. The IBCC incorporates the educational principles, vision and learner profile of the IB into a unique offering that specifically addresses the needs of students who wish to engage in career-related education. 

Articulation Agreements:

NAF is in the process of establishing a memoranda of understanding with more than 60 colleges and universities who agree to recognize NAF academy graduates who have earned Certification as they apply for admission and advanced credit. Check out who is already on board.
 

NOTE:  Until the new NAF certificates based on assessments become available, the old NAF certificate templates that have been available for years can still be used.  Contact your regional director for information on how to access those templates.