Prior learning assessment (PLA) is the process of evaluating learning, regardless of when or where the learning occurred, and, if the learning is at the college level, awarding college credit to the possessor of that learning. This article provides an overview of the PLA program at a large public U.S. institution and presents the findings of the…

Quantitative literacy has been recognized as an important skill in the higher education and workforce communities, focusing on problem solving, reasoning, and real-world application. As a result, there is a need by various stakeholders in higher education and workforce communities to evaluate whether college students receive sufficient training on…

The educational and social rationale for granting academic credit for off-campus learning grows out of the notion that educational systems now have the capability to change from selective to adaptive systems. If this change is to occur in ways to permit access, not just in terms of admission but in terms of credentials, then concomitant changes in…

More than half of the colleges and universities in the U.S. require entering freshmen to present scores on the American College Test (ACT) as a condition of admission. Within recent years, colleges and universities have been asked to determine procedures whereby prior educational achievement and life experiences could be evaluated and college…

A description is given of the system developed by the College Board during the past three decades through which, on the basis of examination, more than 1,500 colleges award degree credit for prior learning. Over 140,000 individuals take the examinations each year. (Author/MSE)

Reports the results of a survey of the practices of 78 Michigan colleges and universities in awarding and transferring credit for nontraditional or experiential learning. (WD)

Procedures and related issues involved in the application of trait-treatment interaction (TTI) to institutional research, in general, and to placement and proficiency testing, in particular, are discussed and illustrated. Traditional methods for choosing cut-off scores are compared and proposals for evaluating the results in the TTI framework are…