1. Jonathan Dryden Lorain County Community College

2. ◦ Concern that students who have earned PLA credit will lack sufficient academic preparation for upper level coursework ◦ Concern that higher education is becoming a “consumer driven enterprise” where institutions will compete for students by lowering standards for PLA credit

3.  Students who earn PLA credit are more likely to persist and graduate ◦ Of over 62,000 college students from Canada and the U.S.  Students with PLA credit: 56% earned a college degree within 7 years  Students without PLA credit: 21% earned a college degree in seven years  Fueling the Race for Postsecondary Success: A 48 State Study of Prior Learning Assessment and Adult Student Outcomes, CAEL, March 2010

4. Establishing uniform criteria: PLA with a Purpose Core Recommendation 1 ◦ All institutions across the state will establish uniform criteria or standards for granting credit through all three PLA methods.  CBE (e.g. developing a statewide scoring system for non-institutional exams)  Portfolio (e.g. developing a portfolio review framework and protocols for granting credit for demonstrated prior learning.)  Military (e.g. using statewide faculty review panels to determine course equivalencies for military training)

5. Assessing the effectiveness of PLA programs: Core Recommendation 3 ◦ Periodic review of PLA program by each institution at the campus and department levels to assess the effectiveness and quality of PLA delivery and results. ◦ Periodic review of institutions by OBR (every 5 years). ◦ CAEL provides a set of quality assurance principles some states have used to as guidelines for PLA initiatives. ◦ Discipline appropriate faculty involved in the evaluation of Prior Learning

6. Rigorous training and professional development for those involved in PLA: Core recommendation 4 ◦ State facilitated training for those who provide advising regarding PLA ◦ For Military: training for faculty on interpreting ACE recommendations for credit; training to familiarize faculty and staff with Joint Services Transcripts ◦ For Portfolio: training on the assessment process