Credit by Exam is a mechanism employed in the California community colleges as a means of granting credit for student learning outside of the traditional classroom. In some instances, credit by exam is the means used to award college credit for structured learning experiences in a secondary educational setting, while in other instances knowledge…

The challenge examination covers content, communication abilities, medications, and nursing procedure demonstrations. This approach provides both the equivalency testing necessary to equate past learning with material covered in a particular course. (MW)

Since credit-by-examination is an intrinsically sound educational device, those who administer it might well take steps to protect it from abuse. Colleges should insist that both content specialists and measurement experts participate in evaluating the tests and the College Entrance Examination Board should revise its procedures so that…

Considers the good and bad points of the three composition tests in the CLEP program. Finds that the Freshman English Subject Examination is a better over-all test than the General Examination in English Composition or the English Composition Examination. (RL)

Students, if they elect to challenge both first-year nursing courses, must take two corresponding series of written and practical tests. Steps in devising the challenge exam system, maintaining high standards, testing format, general education requirements, and evaluation are topics discussed. (MW)

Presents remarks on essay testing made by Edward M. White, an account of procedures for developing essay questions for the California State University and Colleges (CSUC) English Equivalency Examination, the 1974 essay scale with accompanying writing samples, and the questions and scale used in the 1975 test. (RL)

Discusses validity issues associated with three popular content-general reading college placement tests and then presents a theoretical argument to support an alternative placement procedure using content-specific testing. Proposes that content-specific tests would have improved content-related and construct-related validity. States that more…

This paper is a review of opinion and research concerning the objectivity and relevance of grades and grade averages as measures and as predictors of success. As measures they are ambiguous, reflecting differences in sex, basic temperament, instructors, departments, institutions, as much as levels of competence. And as a predictor of…