Transcript Credit by Examination: The Standardized PLA Option

National Institute on the
Assessment of Adult Learning
June 15-17, 2011
Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success:
A 48-Institution Study of Prior Learning
Assessment and Adult Student Outcomes
Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
Published March, 2010
Data on 62,475 students at 48 postsecondary
institutions who used one or more PLA methods
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94% of participating institutions offer
standardized exams as a PLA method
Other methods in order of popularity were:
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Portfolio assessment* (88%)
ACE-evaluated military training (81%)
ACE-evaluated corporate training (77%)
Institutional challenge exams (65%)
Institutionally evaluated training (63%)
84% of institutions offered 4 or more of these
methods
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56% of PLA students earned a postsecondary
degree within 7 years compared to 21% of
non-PLA students
◦ 43 percent of PLA students earned a bachelor’s
degree, compared to only 15 percent of non-PLA
students
◦ 13 percent of PLA students earned an associate’s
degree, compared to 6 percent of non-PLA
students
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Students not earning a degree who
accumulated 80% of credits toward a degree:
◦ PLA students – 56%
◦ Non-PLA students – 22%
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Course credits earned:
◦ PLA students – 53.7
◦ Non-PLA students – 43.8
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PLA students earning bachelor’s degrees
saved an average of between 2.5 and 10.1
months
PLA earners with associate’s degrees saved an
average of between 1.5 and 4.5 months
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Students achieved best outcomes in terms
of degree earning and time to degree when
institutions allow PLA for all four options:
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For
For
For
For
advanced placement
waiving course prerequisites
meeting general course requirements
meeting program/major requirements
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Recognition by ACE CREDIT
◦ Listing in online National Guide to Credit for
Workforce Training
◦ Common, standardized development procedures
◦ Adherence to psychometric guidelines
◦ Rigorous security procedures
◦ College-level credit equivalencies
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Compliance with Standards for Educational
and Psychological Testing
Computer delivery
Diversity of offerings
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No PLA policy at their institution
Lack of awareness of an existing PLA policy
◦ Advising
◦ Admissions
◦ Faculty
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Lack of understanding of the rigor of CBE
Unaware of the benefits of CBE
Campus test center issues including capacity
and availability
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Benefits
◦ Addresses cost challenges associated with
traditional degree programs
 Provides options for students who are waitlisted or
closed out of required courses
◦ Convenient and cost-effective method for nontraditional students to earn credits
◦ Independent study vs. full-year courses
◦ Students may not need to repeat coursework they
have already learned in other ways
◦ Students are more challenged and engaged
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Limitations
◦ Low awareness among target audience (9% of
general population)
◦ Testing reputation – bad press generalized to all
tests
◦ Institutional skepticism about CBE and what
student really knows (even when there are
statewide policies)
 Inconsistent or incomplete CBE policies
◦ Viewed as revenue competition
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All the CBE programs have met the same
rigorous standards, so why not accept all of
them for credit at your institution?
◦ We asked the institutions why they offer PLA, allowing them to
indicate one or more responses from a list of 18 possible reasons.
The most popular responses were:
◦ “to provide a time-saving avenue for degree completion,”
◦ “to fulfill our mission to serve adult learners,” and to
◦ “encourage greater student persistence towards a degree.” Other
popular responses were
◦ “to recognize the value of learning that happens outside of the
classroom,” and
◦ “to provide a cost-effective avenue for degree completion.”
(Fueling the Race, p. 21)
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Granting credit for all the CBE programs
◦ Provides a larger catalog of potential course equivalents
than any single program or combination can
◦ Addresses the retention, persistence, and degree
completion issues that may occur because of closed or
waitlisted courses
◦ Allows adult students choices that honor their different
learning styles and life experiences
◦ Respects the effort that all the CBE programs put into
winning and maintaining their national recognition
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Setting policy for use of individual exams is
still the institution’s or system’s
prerogative. You can:
◦ Grant a different amount or level of credit
◦ Grant credit only if an institutional prerequisite or
subsequent course is passed
◦ Grant advanced standing or a waiver rather than credit
◦ Set a different passing score
◦ Require additional documentation of mastery such as work
samples
◦ Limit application of CBE to specific areas of the curriculum
◦ Limit total CBE credits that can be applied toward a degree
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College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
◦ Keith Henry, Senior Assessment Manager, The
College Board
DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)
◦ Kathryn Hill, Senior Manager, Test Development,
Prometric
Excelsior College Examinations (ECE)
◦ Ruth Olmsted, Associate Dean of Assessment,
Excelsior College
UExcel
◦ Susan Henken, UExcel Brand Director, Pearson
VUE
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Credit-by-examination program serving a
diverse group of students, including adults, nontraditional learners, and military service members
Validates knowledge learned through
independent study, on-the job training, or
experiential learning and translates that learning
into college credit that is commonly recognized.
More than seven million exams taken since 1967
1,700+ colleges administer CLEP
211,000 exams administered in 2009–10,
including 76,500 administered to military service
members
Exam fee = $77.00
History and Social Sciences
 American Government
 History of the United States I
 History of the United States II
 Human Growth and Development
 Introduction to Educational Psychology
 Principles of Macroeconomics
 Principles of Microeconomics
 Introductory Psychology
 Introductory Sociology
 Social Sciences and History
 Western Civilization I
 Western Civilization II
Business
 Information Systems and Computer
Applications
 Principles of Management
 Financial Accounting
 Introductory Business Law
 Principles of Marketing
Composition and Literature
 Composition and Literature
 American Literature
 Analyzing and Interpreting
Literature
 College Composition
 College Composition Modular
 English Literature
 Humanities
Science and Mathematics
 Calculus
 College Algebra
 Precalculus
 College Mathematics
 Biology
 Chemistry
 Natural Sciences
Foreign Languages
 French Language
 German Language
 Spanish Language
Structure
 33 computer-based exams.
 Mostly multiple-choice, essays, and listening sections for foreign
languages
 Most are approximately 90 minutes in length.
Scoring
 “Rights-only” scoring (no penalty for wrong answers)
 Immediate score reports (except exams with essays)
 Exams are scored on a scale of 20–80. A score of 50 is equivalent to a
grade of C
Development
 More than 600 faculty contribute to the development of and standardsetting for CLEP examinations.
 Standing faculty committees oversee ongoing test development, shape
content, review data, set exam policies.
 Opportunities to participate in College Board ACES Placement Validity
studies
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Allows colleges and universities to award credit to
students for knowledge acquired outside of the typical
classroom
Extremely suitable for military service members and
adult learners (non-traditional students)
Increasingly used by ALL college students
Aligned with course content for core curriculum
Well-suited to fulfill elective credits
Over 1,900 institutions award credit for DSST exams.
More than 1,200 institutions deliver DSST exams at
their test centers.
Cost effective for students @ $80 per exam or funded
for military service members
Copyright © 2011 Prometric, Inc.
All rights reserved.
19
Social Sciences
Business
Substance Abuse
Criminal Justice
Art of the Western World
Western Europe since 1945
Intro to Modern Middle East
Human/Cultural Geography
Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union
A History of the Vietnam War
Civil War and Reconstruction
Foundations of Education
Life-Span Develop. Psychology
General Anthropology
Intro to Law Enforcement
Fundamentals of Counseling
Business Ethics & Society
Personal Finance
Principles of Finance
Princ. of Financial Accounting
Human Resource Management
Organizational Behavior
Principles of Supervision
Business Law II
Introduction to Business
Money and Banking
Business Math
Introduction to Computing
Management Info Systems
Physical Science
Mathematics
Here’s to your Health
Astronomy
Environment & Humanity
Principles of Physical Science I
Physical Geology
Found. of College Algebra
Principles of Statistics
Humanities
Technology
Technical Writing
Technical Writing
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Suite of 38 subject-level exams, all
recommended for credit by the
American Council on Education (ACE)
~ 90 min length (test limit is 2 hrs)
Mix of upper-level and lower-level
credits
Divided into six subject areas
Available in paper forms or on a secure
Internet-based platform
New exam in 2010: Business Ethics &
Society
New in 2011: internet testing for Public
Speaking exam
Ethics in America
Intro to World Religion
Princ. of Public Speaking
Copyright © 2011 Prometric, Inc.
All rights reserved.
20
MILITARY MEMBERS
ADULT LEARNERS
US GOVERNMENT
Veterans enrolling
back in school are
often unaware that
funds are available to
them. Many go on
with their lives not
taking advantage of
these funds. Active
military spouses are
often funded but
unaware of it.
More and more
students have to mix
work with education
in order to make ends
meet. These students
are acquiring learning
“on-the-street.” Often
times, they drop out
of school as they see
their dream of a
degree too far out of
their reach.
The United States is
no longer the global
leader in education.
The US government
is scrutinizing the
education system as
a whole and there is
a decrease in
graduation rates
coupled with
increasing school
withdrawal rates.
Copyright © 2011 Prometric, Inc.
All rights reserved.
21
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Developed and maintained by Excelsior
College (formerly Regents College) since the
1970s
Administered at Pearson Testing Centers
worldwide, and available to military service
members through the DANTES program
Exam fees = $95 - $355, depending on
length and format (no separate seat fees)
Structure
 43 computer-based exams: 41 multiple-choice,
one extended response, and one mixed format
(multiple-choice and constructed response)
 10 are two hours long, the remainder are three
hours long
Scoring
 “Rights-only” scoring (no penalty for wrong
answers)
 Immediate score reporting (except exams with
essays)
 Exam results are stated as a letter grade.
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Both lower-level (Gen Ed) and upper-level
offerings
Unique suite of Nursing exams
Excelsior College credit awarded for a grade
of C or better
Robust study support including detailed
content guides, specific textbook
recommendations, and practice exams with
answer rationales
History and Social Sciences
 Abnormal Psychology (U)
 Cultural Diversity (U)
 Foundations of Gerontology (U)
 Juvenile Delinquency (U)
 Life Span Developmental Psychology (L)
 Macroeconomics* (L)
 Microeconomics* (L)
 Psychology of Adulthood & Aging (U)
 Research Methods in Psychology (U)
 Social Psychology (U)
 World Conflicts Since 1900 (U)
 World Population (U)
Business
 Human Resource Management (U)
 Labor Relations (U)
 Organizational Behavior (U)
Education
 Literacy Instruction in the Elementary
School (U)
English and Humanities
 Bioethics (U)
 English Composition (L)
 Ethics: Theory & Practice (U)
 Interpersonal Communication (L)
 Introduction to Music (L)
 Introduction to Philosophy (L)
Science and Mathematics
 Anatomy & Physiology (L)
 Earth Science (L)
 Microbiology (L)
 Pathophysiology (U)
Nursing
 8 exams toward the Excelsior
College asssociate degree in nursing
 3 exams toward the Excelsior
College baccalaureate degree in
nursing
 Adult Nursing (U)
 Fundamentals of Nursing (L)
 Maternal & Child Nursing (associate)
 Maternal & Child Nursing
(baccalaureate)
 Maternity Nursing (L)
 Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing
(U)
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An alliance between Pearson VUE and
Excelsior College
Pearson VUE: Program management and
delivery of tests
Excelsior College: Test development,
academic validity, awards college credit,
transcript preparation
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Only lower-level CBE program developed and
administered by a regionally accredited
institution of higher learning, with global
reach
Only lower-level CBE program providing
transcripted college credit to students who
pass exam
Provides immediate scoring on all exams
Students receive grades rather than scores
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MAT150 Calculus, 4 credits
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ENG 110 College Writing, 3 credits
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PHY 140 Physics, 6 credits
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POL 170 Political Science, 3 credits
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PSY 101 Psychology, 3 credits
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MAT 210 Statistics, 3 credits
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SPA 102 Spanish Language, 6 credits
◦ Coming Summer 2011
SOC 105, Introduction to Sociology, 3 credits
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Complementary
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UExcel provides lower-level, liberal arts subject
options
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ECE provides primarily upper-level options or lowerlevel major track or career-focused options
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50 subjects
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Candidates can use both programs to earn college
credit on transcripts
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Affordable, all-inclusive pricing ($85 US)
globally; no hidden costs, no additional
sitting fees
Same price for all exams, regardless of
number of credits
Free unlimited quantity of transcripts ($12
with prior Excelsior College academic history)
UExcel Student Research , June 2010 - March 2011
N=80
120%
100%
97%
97%
97%
97%
91%
89%
Credit
Important to
Choosing
UExcel
Easy Testtaking Process
% Agreeing
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Recommend
UExcel
Easy
Registration
Process
Easy Transfer
Process
Credits
Accepted
Time
 One exam equals 3
semester hours or
more
 45 clock hours or more
Money
 At an average of
$500/hour, each exam
saves the student
$1,500
 Institutions save as
well
210,000 CLEP Exams in 2009-10
• 630,000 semester hours
• 28,350,000 clock hours
• $315,000,000 saved
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Degrees of Change: Private Sector Innovations
Transforming Higher Education
◦ May 16, 2011 summit at the US Chamber of Commerce
◦ A project of the Institute for a Competitive Workforce
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Plans for a national CBE summit to raise awareness
among stakeholders (e.g., educators, regulators,
employers, grant providers, and testing agencies)
Request for a copy of attenders’ current CBE
policies
◦ We all want to be able to list you as an Accepting Institution
for our exams!
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Keith Henry
Sr. Assessment Manager
The College Board
[email protected]
347-541-0927
Ruth
Kate
Susan