This presentation was used in a series of workshops for Prior Learning Assessment Training for the Colorado Community College System under a TAACCCCT3 grant (CHAMP)

1. Prior Learning Assessment
for Credit
February/March 2015
1

2. 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
2

3. • 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
3

4. 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.pdf
44

5. • 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?
5
5

6. 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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7. WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS
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7

8. 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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8

9. 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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10. 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)
10

11. What Is PLA?
11
11

12. 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?
12
12

13. On-the-job
learning
Corporate
training
Independent
study
Military
service
Volunteer
service
Sources of College-Level Learning
13

14. PLA takes many forms
Transfer credit
ACE/NCCRS recommended
credit
Standardized tests
Student Portfolio
College Credit
14

15. How do we
demonstrate
creditable prior
learning?
 Provide It
 Pass It
 Prove It
15
15

16. Provide It!
16
16

17. • ACE (Workforce Training)
http://www2.acenet.edu/credit/?fuseaction=browse
.main
• NCCRS (Trade Organizations)
http://www.nationalccrs.org/ccr/home.html
Published Guides
17

18. • ACE
http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Pages/Military-
Guide-Online.aspx
Credit for Military Training
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19. Pass It!
 Institutional Challenge Exam
 Certification Exam
 Other Standardized Testing
19
19

20. • CLEP
• DSST
• UExcel
• AP Exams
• Challenge
Standardized Tests
20

21. Prove It!
– Prior Learning Portfolio
– Demonstration of Skills
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21

22. 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
22

23. Most Popular Portfolio Topics
• Business and Management
• Information Systems/Technology
• Human Resources
• Finance/Accounting
• Criminal Justice/Legal
• Hospitality/Event Management
• Advanced Manufacturing
23

24. QUESTIONS
24

25. CHAMP-COLORADO HELPS ADVANCED
MANUFACTURING PROGRAM

26. 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

27. Intent of PLA-C
• Improve student retention & recruitment
• Improve graduation rates
• Information more accessible
– Students
– Faculty
– Staff
• Student Bill of Rights- HB-01-1263

28. 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.

29. WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW

30. Group Work
• What processes exist now?
• What departments are impacted?
• Who is in charge?
• How do students learn about PLA?

31. • Interview your students to determine the
– Who
– What
– When
– Where
– Why
– How
of their prior learning
Identifying PLA Potential
31

32. • 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
32

33. • 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
33

34. • 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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35. ACADEMIC STANDARDS
35

36. Academic Standard #1
Credit or its equivalent should be awarded only
for learning, not experience
36

37. 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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38. 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.
38

39. 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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40. Academic Standard #5
Credit or credentialing should be appropriate to
the context in which it is awarded and accepted.
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41. 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

42. ADMINISTRATIVE STANDARDS
42

43. 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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44. Administrative Standard #2
Policies, procedures, and
criteria should be fully
disclosed and prominently
available, including
provision for appeal
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45. 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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46. 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.
46

47. 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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48. 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

49. Helpful URL
• Ivy Tech: http://www.ivytech.edu/pla/
• SUNY REAL: http://www.esc.edu/suny-real/

50. PLA Handbook

51. QUESTIONS
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52. Next Steps
• Discuss with group
– New contacts
– Processes we might update
– Processes that are working
– Questions unanswered

53. Work Groups
• Policy
• Marketing
• Transcript Work
• Matrix Crosswalk
• Implementation: Communication, Training

54. Contact
Bitsy Cohn
Director, Credit for Prior Learning
Colorado Community College System
Bitsy.Cohn@cccs.edu
720-858-2883 (office)

55. THANK YOU
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56. 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.