TAC
MAKING LEARNING COUNT: PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENTSP A T H W A Y S T O A P P R E N T I C E S H I P
O C T O B E R 2 4 , 2 0 1 2
P R E S E N T E D B Y :
H O L L Y M O O R E & L A U R E N H A D L E Y
S O U T H S E A T T L E C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E1
• Growing numbers as they come home:–523,344 in 2007–819,281 in 2010: a 56% increase( U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
Student Veterans on the Rise
American Council on Education: Military Service Members and Veterans in Higher Education http://www.acenet.edu/Content/NavigationMenu/ProgramsServices/CPA/Publications/MilService.errata.pdf
Who Are Student Veterans?
15%
31%
28%
25%
Ages of Student Veterans
18 or less19-2324-2930-3940+
Source: American Council on Education: Military Service Members and Veterans in Higher Education http://www.acenet.edu/Content/NavigationMenu/ProgramsServices/CPA/Publications/MilService.errata.pdf
Younger than veterans in general, but older than traditional undergraduates
More likely to be:– First generation college students– Married– Have at least one dependent
Veteran Students are:
Source: American Council on Education: Military Service Members and Veterans in Higher Education http://www.acenet.edu/Content/NavigationMenu/ProgramsServices/CPA/Publications/MilService.errata.pdf
• Some lingering issues around the educational benefits themselves
• Many colleges and universities are just beginning to focus on veterans
• What’s missing from the larger picture: career and education advising for veterans
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Findings
Challenges
Military – civilian – student -
apprentice
Connect while active - online
Access benefits –
change status
From Mission focus to future career explore, training opportunities, employment
Family Dynamics – renegotiate new roles
Building a new support
system
• Labor market information• Career pathways• Prior Learning Assessment• Navigating higher
education and apprenticeship
• How to select the right school and right program
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Career and Education Advising
Seattle’s Top Employing Industries:• Trade, Transportation, and Utilities• Government • Professional and Business Services• Education and Health Services• Leisure and Hospitality
WA Promoting Growth for these “Key Industries” :• Workforce Development• Manufacturing• Maritime• Life Sciences• Information and Communication Technologies
Growing Industries & Jobs in Seattle
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Sources: The Greater Seattle Datasheet, City of Seattle, Office of Intergovernmental Relations via http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-West/Seattle-Economy.html; Seattle Office of Economic Development Key Industries https://www.seattle.gov/economicdevelopment/maj_ind_sectors.htm
Prior Learning Assessment is a process for evaluating knowledge and skills in order to award college credit or advanced placement (RSI) for learning from:
On-the-job learning
Corporate training
Independent study
Military Service
Volunteer service
One Response: PLA
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PLA Methods Standardized exams
• Advanced Placement (AP)• College Level Examination Program (CLEP)• Excelsior College Exams• DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)
Challenge exams Individual student portfolios Evaluation of non-college training
• Corporate or military training
Evaluation of non-credit instruction
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PLA Takes Many Forms
Military transcript
ACE recommended credit
Standardized tests
Student Portfolio
College and Apprenticeship
Credit
What is a Portfolio?
• A formal, written communication describing, illustrating, and documenting what a student has learned – and requesting college credit.
• Typical components (may vary from school to school):
• Identification of prior learning- List and describe learning experiences
• Essay or narrative- Describe goals and reasons for seeking credit for prior learning; demonstrate how prior learning relates to education goals
• Documentation of knowledge and skills
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Standards of Quality
• Credit or its equivalent should be awarded only for learning, and not for experience
• Credit awards and competence levels must be made by appropriate subject matter and academic or credentialing experts
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Research Findings on the Value of PLA
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CAEL’s Fueling the Race Research
The Study:•48-institution study of PLA and academic outcomes (funded by Lumina Foundation for Education)•62,475 total adult students in our sample (adult = age 25 or older)•15,594 (25%) had earned PLA credit between 2001 and 2008
15Council for Adult and Experiential Learning 2011
CAEL’s PLA Research
Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success, CAEL, March 2010
16Council for Adult and Experiential Learning 2011
Graduation Rates
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Money Saver
An adult student who
earns 15 credits
from PLA applied
to a degree saves $1605
to $6,000 on tuition costs.
CAEL’s PLA ResearchGraduation Rates: PLA students in this study had better graduation rates than non-PLA students:• regardless of institutional size, level (two-year or four-
year) or control (private for-profit, non-profit, or public)• regardless of the individual student’s academic ability or
grade point average• regardless of the individual student’s age, gender, or
race/ethnicity• regardless of whether or not the individual student
receives financial aid
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Persistence:• PLA students have higher rates of persistence
compared with non-PLA students
Time to Degree Savings:• Bachelor’s degrees: between 2.5 and 10.1 months • Associate’s degrees: between 1.5 and 4.5 months
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CAEL’s PLA Research
Boots on the Ground:A Developing Program with IBEW
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• Fast Track Veterans into Family Wage Careers • Direct and Advanced Placement• Optimize Earned Benefits
Major Components
• Pre-screen applicants (World of Work Inventory & Employment Readiness Scale)
• Crosswalk and PLA to accelerate process• Address challenges before PLA course
begins• Utilize all Partners
Making it Work
IBEW Local 46
College Intake – King County and Employers
Register & Assess 80 hours - re-orientation,Skill update, Interviews
Industrial Manufacturing
Academy
Applied Learning, Online24 college credits
Trades RotationTours/Shadow
Specialization
80 hours Internship, Apprenticeship, OJL,
Coursework
Skill refinement (Welding, Composites, Electrical, HVAC,
Maritime, etc.)
Aerospace Joint Apprentice Committee Industrial Manufacturing Academy
I-BEST, Math
I-BEST, Math
• Crosswalk JST (Joint Services Transcript) with degree and apprenticeship outcomes
• Commissioner approved training• Expand to other programs• Use PLA to reduce related supplemental
instruction (RSI) and overall length• Degree progression – Bachelors' (online)
Future Directions
Questions & Discussion
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Holly MooreGeorgetown/South Seattle Community College
Lauren HadleyGeorgetown/South Seattle Community College
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