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Prior Learning Assessment for Credit
February/March 2015
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Learning Outcomes
• Clarify and explain the principles and value of PLA
• Illustrate & employ the administrative principles of PLA
• PLA-C Manual (work in progress)
• Develop Systems to implement PLA-C
– What’s Happening Now
– Implementation for the future
• Advocate to various audiences the value of PLA
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• What class have you taken that is most helpful to you in doing your current job?
• What learning that you gained from outside the classroom has been important in doing your current job?
Let’s Get Started
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The Need for Lifelong Learning
Occupations that need some type of postsecondary education for entry are projected to grow during the 2012-22 decade.
• Occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree are projected to grow by 12.1%
• Occupations requiring an associate’s degree will grow by 17.6%
• Occupations requiring a master’s degree will grow by 18.4%
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (2010). Employment Projections 2010-2020
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecopro.pdf44
• U.S. is “on a collision course with the future.”
• By 2018, our economy will have jobs for 22 million with college degrees, but a shortage of only 8 million people with degrees.
• By 2018, 63% of jobs will require postsecondary training.
The U.S. Skills Gap
Why Are Degrees Important?
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Working Adults without a Degree
Those ages 18-64 are in three major groups:
• Adults who have dropped out of high school and have no college education - about 26.4 million adults.
• Adults who have a high school diploma but have no college education - about 56 million adults.
• Adults who have a high school diploma who have some postsecondary education but no degree - about 42.5 million adults.
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WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS
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PLA Effect on Graduation Rates
Associate degree
students are
2 times more likely to
persist to graduation
Source: Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success. CAEL, March 2010.
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America’s Call for Higher Education Redesign – Feb 2013
Lumina/Gallup Survey
87%
75%
of Americans think students should
be able to receive college credit for
knowledge and skills acquired
outside the classroom
would be more likely to enroll in
higher ed. if they could receive
credit for what they already know
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America’s Call for Higher Education Redesign – Feb 2013
Lumina/Gallup Survey
70%of Americans think that if a student
demonstrates that they have
mastered material in less time, the
student should get credit for a course
without completing the full session
(typically 16 weeks)
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What Is PLA?
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A set of well-established, researched, and validated methods for assessing non-collegiate learning for college credit.
A process that allows learners to demonstrate knowledge and skill in a particular field or fields and have that learning evaluated for college credit.
What Is PLA?
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On-the-job learning
Corporate training
Independent study
Military service
Volunteer service
Sources of College-Level Learning
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PLA takes many forms
Transfer credit
ACE/NCCRS recommended credit
Standardized tests
Student PortfolioCollege Credit
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How do we demonstrate
creditable prior learning?
Provide It
Pass It
Prove It
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Provide It!
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• ACE (Workforce Training)
http://www2.acenet.edu/credit/?fuseaction=browse.main
• NCCRS (Trade Organizations)
http://www.nationalccrs.org/ccr/home.html
Published Guides
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• ACE
http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Pages/Military-Guide-Online.aspx
Credit for Military Training
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Pass It!
Institutional Challenge Exam
Certification Exam
Other Standardized Testing
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• CLEP
• DSST
• UExcel
• AP Exams
• Challenge
Standardized Tests
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Prove It!
– Prior Learning Portfolio
– Demonstration of Skills
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What is a Portfolio?
A formal written, visual, or spoken communication
describing, illustrating, and documenting college-
level learning– and requesting college credit.
Portfolio
Identification of prior learning: List and describe learning
experiences
Essay or narrative: Describe goals and reasons for
seeking credit for prior learning; demonstrate how
prior learning relates to education goals
Documentation of knowledge and skills
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Most Popular Portfolio Topics
• Business and Management
• Information Systems/Technology
• Human Resources
• Finance/Accounting
• Criminal Justice/Legal
• Hospitality/Event Management
• Advanced Manufacturing
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QUESTIONS
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CHAMP-COLORADO HELPS ADVANCED
MANUFACTURING PROGRAM
Taskforce Charge
• Act in an advisory capacity to the PLA Director, with technical assistance from the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)
• Research and Identify state and national best practices in PLA
• Contribute to the process of expanding the current CCCS PLA policy and manual
• Act in an advisory capacity along with CAEL’s technical assistance to help design the PLA for the Consortium
• Identify training needs of colleges and partners
Intent of PLA-C
• Improve student retention & recruitment
• Improve graduation rates
• Information more accessible
– Students
– Faculty
– Staff
• Student Bill of Rights- HB-01-1263
Board Policy BP 9-42
Approved 2/11/15
Policy Statement
The State Board recognizes the value of prior learning in the achievement of academic goals.
It is the policy of the Board that a student's college level learning shall be evaluated for college credit at the student’s request. Students have the right to clear and concise information concerning how Prior Learning Assessment Credit (PLA Credit) might help them reach their academic goals.
WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW
Group Work
• What processes exist now?
• What departments are impacted?
• Who is in charge?
• How do students learn about PLA?
• Interview your students to determine the– Who
– What
– When
– Where
– Why
– How
of their prior learning
Identifying PLA Potential
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• First, list any and all of the following:– Full or part-time jobs
– Independent reading and study
– Training programs or in-service courses completed
– Current licenses or certifications
– Volunteer work
– Cultural and artistic pursuits
– Hobbies and recreational pastimes
– Community or religious activities
– Travel study
– Organizational memberships
Identifying PLA Potential
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• Next ask about:– Military experience and training
• Do they have their ACE transcript or just the DD-214?
– Prior college experience• Do they have copies of transcripts?
– Tests they might have taken• CLEP
• DSST
• Uexcel
• AP
Identifying PLA Potential
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• Next, ask about the types of college subjects and content areas that match the
student’s prior learning.
• Then determine:
• Is this knowledge equivalent to a college-level course?
Identifying PLA Potential
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ACADEMIC STANDARDS
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Academic Standard #1
Credit or its equivalent should be awarded only for learning, not experience
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Academic Standard #2
Assessment should be based on standard and criteria for the level of acceptable learning that are both agreed upon and made public.
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Academic Standard #3
Assessment should be treated as an integral part of learning, not separate from it, and should be based on an understanding of learning processes.
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Academic Standard #4
The determination of credit awards and competence levels must be made by
appropriate subject matter and academic or
credentialing experts.
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Academic Standard #5
Credit or credentialing should be appropriate to the context in which it is awarded and accepted.
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Group Work
• Discuss the 5 Academic Standards
– How do they apply to new BP
– How will your school get this information to students
– What is new information to you in these 5 standards
ADMINISTRATIVE STANDARDS
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Administrative Standard #1
Transcript entries should clearly describe what learning is being recognized and must be monitored to avoid giving credit twice for the same learning.
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Administrative Standard #2
Policies, procedures, and criteria should be fully
disclosed and prominently available, including provision for appeal
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Administrative Standard #3
Fees charged for assessment should be based on the services performed and not determined by the amount of credit awarded.
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Administrative Standard #4
All personnel involved in the assessment of learning should pursue and receive adequate training and continuing professional development for the functions they perform.
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Administrative Standard #5
Assessment programs should be regularly monitored, reviewed, evaluated, and revised as needed to reflect
changes in the needs being served, the purposes being met and the state of the assessment arts
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Group Work
• Discuss the 5 Administrative Standards
– How do they apply to new BP
– How will your school get this information to students
– What is new information to you in these 5 standards
Helpful URL
• Ivy Tech: http://www.ivytech.edu/pla/
• SUNY REAL: http://www.esc.edu/suny-real/
PLA Handbook
QUESTIONS
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Next Steps
• Discuss with group
– New contacts
– Processes we might update
– Processes that are working
– Questions unanswered
Work Groups
• Policy
• Marketing
• Transcript Work
• Matrix Crosswalk
• Implementation: Communication, Training
Contact
Bitsy Cohn
Director, Credit for Prior Learning
Colorado Community College [email protected] (office)
THANK YOU
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CC BY ATTRIBUTION
Workforce Solution “Prior Learning Assessment for Credit” presentation produced under the CHAMP grant by CAEL is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
