The CBE s: Assessment That is Truly Aligned. Kent Seaver Director of Learning Resources, North Lake College (Irving, TX)

Transcription

1 The CBE s: Assessment That is Truly Aligned Kent Seaver Director of Learning Resources, North Lake College (Irving, TX)

2 Objectives Define Prior Learning as it relates to Credit By Exam (CBE-1) Understand CBE-1 as an alternative How CBE-1 and CBE-2 (Competency Based Education) is advantageous for Homeschool students How CBE-1 and 2 benefit colleges and universities

3 What EXACTLY Is Prior Learning? Knowledge learned through independent study, on-the job training, or experiential learning and translates that learning into college credit that is commonly recognized. Underlying premise of prior learning is college level learning Trish Paterson, can occur outside traditional classroom. Executive Director for College Access Initiatives University System of Georgia

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5 Military Coursework

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7 Course Challenge Exam

8 DSST (formerly DANTES Subject Standardized Tests) are credit-by-examination tests originated by the United States Department of Defense's Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) program. Over 2,000 colleges and universities recognize the DSST program and award college credit for passing scores. The test fee to take a DSST is as low as $80. Administering institutions may charge a test administration fee according to their school policy. The American Council on Education s College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT) has evaluated and recommended college credit for all 30+ DSST exams

9 *The College Board, May 2014 What Is CLEP? Over 1,700 colleges administer CLEP exams. 176,000 exams administered in , including almost 4000 administered to homeschool students. Exam fee = $80.00 (Colleges charge administrative fees that will vary to administer CLEP.)

10 CLEP Test Development 600+ faculty contribute to the development of and standard-setting for CLEP examinations. Standing faculty committees oversee ongoing test development, shape content, and review data. CLEP exams undergo two dozen reviews and quality assurance steps before being released for public use.

11 33 CLEP Examinations 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 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

12 Who Takes CLEP?

13 CLEP Testing in High Schools It s becoming easier and more convenient to test for and earn homeschool college credits through CLEP. The College Board (the organization that owns the CLEP exams) is making the exams more accessible by working hard to encourage high schools to sign up as CLEP test centers so that students don t have to travel all the way to colleges to take the tests. Homeschoolers simply have to go to a local high school or college that offers the tests and take them there. You pay the school the required fees on the day of the test. CLEP tests are offered usually year-round, meaning that you can homeschool CLEP subjects whenever you want, rather than scheduling your studying around a particular exam date.

14 Homeschool and CLEP CLEP High/Home School Test Takers

15 Homeschool and CLEP-The Link CLEP among Homeschoolers more popular now than ever. In fact, it is the fastest growing segment of CLEP test takers. Homeschooled kids and their parents are discovering it is beneficial to gain access to college level courses in high school and already have higher education credits when they are ready to go to college. CLEP is one of the most accessible credit-by-examination options for earning homeschool college credits-number of testing centers. You can save a lot of time and money by putting your kids on the fast-track to college graduation when you homeschool CLEP.

16 Homeschool and CLEP-The Link Think about what CLEP exams will count towards your academic plan. Which CLEP exams are easiest and most appropriate for your child to take really depends on your child s areas of interest and study. In general, language and basic knowledge tests, such as Analyzing and Interpreting Literature and Freshman College Composition tend to be the easiest to pass (especially if your child is already bilingual), and introductory courses like Introductory Psychology, Introductory Sociology, and Introduction to Principles of Marketing are also easy to prepare for.

17 Advantages of CLEP to Homeschooler s Control Over the Curriculum Why send the student to a local college for dual credit and pay for the class, the gas to get there, and the books for an entire semester when I can have them easily take a CLEP test and use the curriculum chosen by the parent(s)? By taking the time to do some research, you as the homeschool teacher can make sure the curriculum you have for high school covers the necessary material needed for your student to pass a CLEP test. A CLEP exam tests mastery of college-level material acquired in a variety of ways through general academic instructions, significant independent study or extracurricular work. Home schooled students are ideal candidates for a CLEP exam, as are adults returning to school and military personnel entering college after serving their country. *Copyright 2012 pros-and-cons-of-homeschooling.com

18 Advantages of CLEP to Homeschooler s The Road Map-Getting Started Step 1- Find out your institution's CLEP credit policy. To find out if your institution accepts CLEP, use the Institution Search tool. Each institution sets its own policy: Institution Search:-or-Select a state Step 2- Decide which exam(s) to take. Read the exam descriptions of all 33 exams to find the right one for you. Then, get more details and try sample exam questions. Step 3- Register to take an exam You can create and manage your personal account through the My Account registration portal. The registration platform will allow you to register for a CLEP exam 24/7, manage your personal information any time prior to taking the exam, search for test centers, select your score recipient institution, and purchase study materials.

19 Advantages of CLEP to Homeschooler s The Road Map-Getting Started, cont. Step 4- Schedule test day with your test center. Find an OPEN CLEP Center at: Step 5- Prepare for your exam(s) Several study materials and resources are available to help you prepare for CLEP exam(s)

20 Handling Homeschool CLEP Transcripts One way is when determining high school credit for CLEP, you can record one high school credit for each test passed with a score of 50 or more. A pass can be graded as an A or a 4.0 because it shows your child s knowledge for a college level course that is much more difficult than the simple high school course you are grading. The exact name of the CLEP test is the name you would assign the course, for example, Introductory Psychology or College Mathematics.

21 CLEP Benefits to Homeschoolers Continue to share your "world view" with your child when studying controversial topics contained in many social science classes. Tackle difficult subjects ONCE and get the credit the FIRST time around. Why high school chemistry and then retake it again for college credit? CLEP s scores are good for twenty years-when you take a CLEP test, you can choose school which school receives the credits, or they can be stored at the College Board s credit bank where credits are kept on record for up to 20 years. Which means, if you put off college for a few years, your CLEP exams are still good.

22 CLEP Benefits to Homeschoolers The CLEP exams are inexpensive compared with the cost of regular college; and each exam can be prepared for at home, like any other homeschool course. The exams are offered all year round, even in the summer, 5 days a week, at conveniently located testing centers. Every test is on the computer, and they are all multiple choice. Because the exam is intended for "non-traditional learners," each question is straight-forward, with no nuance - you either know it or you don't. Lee Binz The HomeScholar July 2007

23 CLEP Benefits Home Schooled Students There are a number of reasons why we chose to include the CLEP tests in our homeschool activities. There are three reasons (I think) that hold true for all of the tests: The tests do a pretty good job of demonstrating mastery of materials often presented in freshman level college classes. Knowledge that the student has a grasp of the material is valuable to both the student and the teacher. The student receives credit for the material which advances them toward a degree more rapidly and less expensively than if they took the class in a conventional college setting. The textbooks and other study materials and the time to learn the material can be varied based on the needs of the student. In a conventional setting it is not possible to postpone the test for a month or switch textbooks midstream. We have done both. Ken Chapman, Chapman Kids Blog October 2014

24 CLEP Benefits Home Schooled Students As a home school student I was very accustomed to studying on my own. CLEP testing worked great because it allowed me to take advantage of my experience as an independent learner. I ve taken 20 exams so far and cut two and a half years off of the time it will take to graduate. I started college one year late and I m finishing one and one-half years early thanks to CLEP.

25 CLEP Services for Students and Colleges CLEP website for professionals: Information on test development, administering CLEP exams, advising students, self-paced CLEP 101 tutorials CLEP website for students: Exam descriptions, test prep information, test center search, transcript request forms Order form for free publications for students:

26 CLEP & Your Institution Elinor Azenberg Director, Reentry Programs New York University

27 Recent Research Validates PLA CAEL/Lumina Study (March 2010): Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success. Study of 48 institutions about prior learning assessment ( ; 25 and above) Persistence: Completed 80 or more credits within 7 years PLA Student: 56% Non-PLA Student: 22% Time to degree (PLA vs. Non-PLA) Bachelor s Degree: Saved 2.5 to 10.1 months to attain degree Assoc. Degree: Saved 1.5 to 4.5 months to attain degree Degree Attainment within 7 years PLA Student: 56% (43% Bachelors; 13% Assoc.) Non-PLA Student: 21% (15% Bachelors; 6% Assoc)

28 CLEP Benefits Students If students can be offered ways to reach their degree goals faster, much of the negative psychology students face in terms of taking too long to complete degrees can be mitigated. One way to do this is to allow students to test out of certain courses using the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Peter Ewell National Center for Higher Education Management Systems May2009

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