Prior Learning Assessment: Policy Updates for Colorado Community Colleges

1. POLICY UPDATES FOR COLORADO'S COMMUNITY COLLEGES
Prior Learning Assessment

2. Prior Learning Assessment Credit
• Changing the Culture of Prior Learning
• Colorado Community College System Policy
• Tools for Implementation

3. Historically
• Credit for Prior Learning: A well kept secret…
– Required by legislation
– Resisted – labor intensive, suspect, seen as a necessary evil – if they
can find it they can have it
– Loosely managed, not tracked, 13 different methods/means/cost
structures – ran the gamut, registrars know all
– Students earn through persistence,

4. Then we started to change…
• CHAMP grant
– Redesign the current Colorado Community College System model for credit for prior learning to
accelerate certification
– Review current and develop new CPL policy
– PLA model to include: college credit, standardized testing, challenge testing, portfolios - Focus
on learning vs. experience
– Significant elements that support Veterans i.e. ACE crosswalks
– Review of current practices/procedures Professional development for advisors
• CPL Committee

5. Change is hard…

6. CPL Committee
• Research and identify best practices in CPL and Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)
• Contribute to the process of expanding the current CCCS CPL handbook
• Act in an advisory capacity to CAEL as they design the PLA for the CHAMP
consortium
• Identify training needs of colleges and partners
• Support and contribute to the implementation process of the updated handbook

7. Now…
• PLA Credit Policy and Procedures
• State-wide system
• Outward facing
• Focused on using PLA as a
recruitment and retention tool

8. The PLA Credit Vision
A diversity of students can come to Colorado community colleges
at various stages of their lives and careers and are able to
validate the significant learning they bring with them,
accelerating the process of reaching their academic and
professional goals. College level prior learning is validated by
academically sound and rigorous prior learning assessment
methods.

9. Board Policy 9-42
Previous
• Credit for Prior Learning
• One credit in residency requirement
• Varied costs: <50% of tuition cost per
credit
Current
• Prior Learning Assessment Credit
• Credit transcripted when student applies/
declares major
• System –wide cost matrix

10. BP 9-42 cont.
Previous
• Institutional assessment methods, vary
by college.
• Handbook: specific to current policy.
Most credit matrix information 2005 or
earlier.
Current
• PLA training and standards for
assessors
• Manual: Expanded crosswalks; AP/ IB/
CLEP, UExcel, ACE Evaluated credit
crosswalks, apprenticeships/industry
credentials, challenge exam info,
state/local industry training

11. Standards for Awarding PLA Credit
• PLA-C may be awarded if the following standards have been met
– Student has been admitted to the college
– Student has declared a course of study (certificate or degree).
– The learning is college level
• PLA-C may be applied toward a degree program, certificate, general education requirements, concentration,
and general electives that count toward the student’s elected course of study.
• PLA-C may satisfy prerequisite requirements using the same policy that applies to other course equivalencies.
• PLA-C cannot be used to satisfy college/program residency requirements.
• All work assessed for PLA Credit must meet or exceed "C" level work.
• PLA-C cannot duplicate any previously-awarded credit (to avoid giving credit twice for the same learning).

12. Standards for Awarding PLA Credit Continued
• PLA-C is awarded only for those courses directly applicable to the declared degree program or
certificate.
• PLA-C is specifically noted as such on the transcript (see Transcripting Procedures)
– The credit is not calculated into the student’s grade point average (GPA).
– If credit is denied or if the student does not pass an exam, the PLA-C does not appear on the transcript.
– Once PLA-C credit is posted to the transcript, it cannot be removed.
• The credit hours awarded for PLA are not included as a part of the student’s semester enrollment.
– The credit will be transcribed on the transcript for the same semester in which it was earned, but the credit hours
do not count as part of the student’s total enrollment for the purposes of financial aid or any other purpose
predicated on total hours of enrollment for a given semester.
• By policy all PLA-C credit awarded by a CCCS institution will transfer to all other CCCS institutions as
applicable to the chosen program of study.

13. PLA Credit Manual
• Approved PLA methods and procedures:
– Standardized tests
– Challenge Exams
– Published Guides
– Portfolio
– Locally Evaluated Industry Training
– Dept. of Corrections
• Portfolio development and evaluation guidelines
– Creating efficiencies
• Online course
• Rubrics
– Faculty Training

14. • PLA and the Military
– The Joint Services Transcript
• Cost Matrix
• Registrars Guidance
• Appeals process
• Appendix
– Research
– Glossary of Terms
– Marketing Tool Kit
PLA Credit Manual Continued

15. PLA Credit Matrix
• ACE ACP Crosswalks
• Challenge Exams
• Local Industry Evaluations
• Dashboard
– Searchable Matrix
– PLA-Credit Report
– Used by students and staff
– Dynamic/updated
– Supported through CCCS

16. What we’re learning
• Faculty have to be an integral part of adoption
• Training needs to be offered to anyone who
might have a chance to introduce PLA Credit to
a student
• The benefit to institutions that engage in PLA
is great but the benefit to the students is
greater

17. ACT Colorado 2015 by Bitsy Cohn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This workforce solution was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training
Administration. The solution was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S.
Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or
implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites, and including, but not limited to
accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability or ownership.
ACT Colorado 2015