This new issue of PLAIO will focus on the possible interconnections between competency-based learning and PLA. While some have seen these directions as distinctive, even at odds with each other, many others have noticed their complementarity. Discussions of and relevant materials about their potential relationships will be at the core of PLAIO No. 8. Among the questions we hope to explore in this new issue of PLAIO are: What are some examples of prior learning assessment practices that are grounded in a competency-based model? What are different ways in which competency-based models recognize prior learning? What tensions exist between competency-based and different prior learning assessment models? What compatibilities exist between competency-based and different prior learning assessment models? What new directions in learning recognition are emerging? How do we know if any particular model of learning recognition is effective? We hope your examination of these kinds of questions (and we know there are other related ones) will inform our new issue. Overall, we believe that there are connections between competency-based assessment models and PLA and we want to use this opportunity to describe and critically examine them. In addition, PLAIO very much welcomes other writings on the recognition of prior learning that are not directly tied to this issue’s theme. Scholarly articles should be 7500 words or less. These writings can be research-based, practice-based, or theoretical. Scholarly articles are blind peer-reviewed. Practice articles, literature reviews and case studies should be between 500 and 1000 words. All correspondence, including questions about a possible contribution to this journal should be directed to nan.travers@esc.edu or alan.mandell@esc.edu. All submissions should be submitted as a Microsoft WORD or Rich Text Format document at http://plaio.org. (Once logged in, go to the “User Home” tab and click on “New Submission” to upload your text. [If this option is not viewable, be sure that the role of “Author” has been selected in your user account under “My Profile.”] Deadline for all submission for Issue #8 is 01 July 2020. | 