Advanced Placement (AP). Advanced Placement examinations are created and administered by the College Board. They are curriculum-based, and generally taken after students complete the corresponding Advanced Placement course in high school. Advanced Placement courses are challenging, college-level courses that are designed to parallel typical lower-level undergraduate courses. Exams are developed by committees of college and secondary faculty and are given to test groups of students in actual college courses to determine appropriate passing scores. More information about Advanced Placement, including descriptions of courses and sample examination questions, is available at http://apcentral.collegeboard.com.
Advanced International Certificate of Education Program (AICE). The AICE program is an international, advanced secondary curriculum and assessment program equivalent to the British system of “A-Levels.” AS-Level courses are comprised of curricula lasting one academic year. A-Level courses encompass all AS-Level curriculum as well as additional topics. A-Level coursework is completed over two academic years. Information about the program, including course syllabi, can be found on- line at http://www.cie.org.uk/countries/usa. Credits shall be awarded for grades of E or better (US equivalent of C or better).
College Level Examination Program (CLEP) Examinations. The CLEP examinations are standardized tests created and administered by the College Board. The exams are designed to correspond to one-semester courses, although a few are equivalent to two-semesters or two-year courses. They are reviewed by college faculty to ensure they cover the corresponding college courses topics. Over 35 examinations are available in the areas of Composition and Literature, World Languages, History and Social Sciences, Science and Mathematics, and Business. The CLEP exams have been evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE), which uses teams of faculty from higher education institutions across the country to evaluate the examinations. Credit recommendations can be found at: https://clep.collegeboard.org/develop-your-clep-program/create-a-clep-policy/ace-credit-recommendations or in the ACE National Guide under CLEP.
DSST Credit by Examination Program. The Defense Activity for Non-traditional Education Support (DANTES), originally designed for military personnel, created its own Subjects Standardized Tests (DSST) that are available for use by civilians at colleges and universities throughout the country. The DSST examinations are administered by Prometric and are evaluated for college credit by the American Council on Education (ACE), which uses teams of faculty from higher education institutions across the country to evaluate the examinations. Credit recommendations can be found in the ACE National Guide under Prometric or DSST.
Defense Language Proficiency Tests (DLPT). The DLPT are developed by the Defense Language Institute, which is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The DLPT examinations are used by the United States Department of Defense to assess general language proficiency in Middle Eastern, Asian, European and Latin, Persian Farsi, and other languages. In addition to language examinations, the Defense Language Institute offers associate degrees in languages.
International Baccalaureate (IB). The IB is created and administered by the International Baccalaureate Organization located in Switzerland. All IB schools must be officially approved and teach the IB curriculum. The IB curriculum is comprised of six subject areas and a core focused on theory of knowledge, creativity, activity, service, and the extended essay. For more information on the curriculum, go to: https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/curriculum/. Students in the IB programs are assessed through both internal and external assessments to determine the extent that students have the expected knowledge and have mastered advanced academic skills.
Individualized Credit for Prior Learning Portfolio. Students can be assessed for verifiable college/university level learning acquired for learning gained outside of traditional learning environments. Knowledge and skills may have been developed through the workplace, community work, volunteering, self-study, and personal experiences. The portfolio process enables students to document their learning and be assessed by faculty or the equivalent content expert.
Institutional Challenge Exams. Institutions can develop their own challenge exams or similar processes to evaluate a student’s knowledge and skills against a specific course or program requirement.
Military Training and Occupations. The American Council on Education (ACE) has evaluated military training and occupations since 1954. The ACE Military Guide provides credit recommendations with detailed summaries for formal courses and occupations offered by all branches of the military. The guide can be searched by ACE identification number, keywords, courses numbers, training locations, dates completed, or subjects and levels. The reviews for credit recommendations are developed by faculty from colleges and universities across the country who are actively teaching in the areas. The Guide provides a description of the learning acquired, learning outcomes, and credit recommendations. The credit recommendations also appear on the service member’s Joint Services Transcript (JST).
New York University Proficiency Testing in Foreign Languages. New York University, School of Professional Studies provides college-level exams in more than 40 languages. The examinations can be taken online, by appointment on the NYU campus, or at approved off-site locations. Exams range from 4-, 12-, and 16-points, which are equivalent to the recommended credit amount.
Professional Learning Evaluations (PLE). Professional learning evaluations assess college-level workplace learning, training, licenses, certifications and other non-collegiate learning for credit. These evaluations are conducted by an academic faculty-based team, who determine college credit recommendations. Students are able to use these credits toward a degree program without being individually assessed and can connect their professional learning with their studies. Professional learning evaluations are a great strategy for institutions to use with partners to create educational pathways for employees. The American Council on Education, the National College Recommendation Service, and individual institutions conduct these evaluations.
The ACE National Guide. The American Council on Education (ACE) reviews training, licenses and certifications offered through companies, agencies and labor unions. ACE uses faculty from colleges and universities across the country who are actively teaching in the areas being reviewed. The ACE National Guideprovides a description of the learning acquired, learning outcomes, and credit recommendations.
The National College Credit Recommendation Service. The National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS) reviews training, licenses and certifications offered through companies, agencies and labor unions. Administered out of the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York, NCCRS has been evaluating non-collegiate learning since 1973. NCCRS uses faculty from colleges and universities from across the country and subject-matter experts in the areas being reviewed. The online directory of college credit recommendations can be found at: http://www.nationalccrs.org/course-credit-directory.
Thomas Edison Credit-by- Examination Program®. The Thomas Edison College Examination Program (TECEP) is developed and administered by Thomas Edison State University of New Jersey. This computer-based, credit by exam program offers over 40 examinations in a variety of subject areas, spanning English Composition, Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Business and Management, Computer Science Technology, and Applied Science and Technology.
UExcel® Credit by Exam and Excelsior College Examinations® (ECE). The UExcel® and ECE® examinations are developed by the Excelsior College Examination Program and are administered through Pearson VUE. This computer-based, credit by exam program offers over 50 examinations in a variety of subject areas.
