PLA: Are You Ready?

1. PLA: Are You Ready? Michigan College Success Network January 18, 2013

2. Goals for this morning • Quick overview of CAEL • Prior Learning Assessment Overview • PLA case study • LearningCounts.org • Q & A, Discussion

4. WHAT IS PLA? Prior Learning Assessment is a process for evaluating knowledge and skills in order to award college credit for college-level learning from:

5. PLA takes many forms College Credit

6. FUELING THE RACE TO POSTSECONDARY SUCCESS • Background on LearningCounts.org • Reviewed over a 7-year period • Compared students with PLA credits to those without PLA credits • PLA increases graduation rates and persistence; decreases time to degree completion • A 48-Institution Study of Prior Learning Assessment and Adult Student Outcomes Funded by the Lumina Foundation, March 2010

7. HOW PLA CAN HELP: Graduation Rates Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success, CAEL, March 2010 LearningCounts.org

8. Everyone wins with PLA • Worker: Saves time • Employers: Increases pool of trained and educated workers • Regional Economy: Shorter time to a prepared workforce • Workforce System: Saves time AND money The principle: Only pay once for college level learning Bottom line: It’s worth it!

9. The New PLA Traditional PLA PLA Today Learning derived from 5 minutes ago Just-in-time training MOOCs, iTunes University, Khan Academy More granular learning, competencies Badges • Learning derived from past experiences • Many years of on-the-job learning from experience • Non-credit courses with for-credit content • For-credit tests

10. SUCCESSFUL STUDENT PROFILE • Understands the time commitment involved in building a portfolio • Has selected portfolio development course with advising assistance • Has strong writing skills • Has access to a computer with Internet access and is a good candidate for online learning • Has a degree plan (no duplicate courses)

11. Patriotic pat A case study

12. Patriotic pat case study • Does Pat have PLA? • What should Pat do to make sure his PLA is recognized? • What is the best pathway for Pat at your college? • Military Veteran • Volunteer Firefighter • Works for pool company • Speaks fluent Spanish • No college courses

13. WHY LEARNINGCOUNTS? • Not enough colleges granting credit for prior learning • Need for consistent standards • Adult learners are not aware of PLA so they often repeat what they already know • Need for a national, online approach with easy access • Ability to use faculty experts nationwide to review learning portfolios in various disciplines using the CAEL portfolio assessment rubric for high quality assessments

14. WHY LEARNINGCOUNTS? • One-Stop shop for PLA portal • Free PLA advising • Individualized portfolio development and assessment • LearningCounts.org helps adult learners discover the multiple ways they can demonstrate their college-level learning acquired outside of traditional academia to earn college credit for what they already know.

15. Students have the option tospeak one-on one with a PLA advisorto find out which PLA option is right for them

16. LEARNINGCOUNTS COURSES Choose from two courses:

17. PARTNER NETWORK

18. Examples of Partnerships • Seattle Apprenticeship Program • PASSHE • Employers

19. FOUNDATION SUPPORT

20. For more information, please contact: Amy Sherman & Gabi Zolla D: 312-499-2637 (Gabi Work) asherman@cael.org gzolla@cael.org

21. QUESTIONS? Discussion Thank you