Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)

The Snapshot Version

By Sasha Thackaberry
What is Prior Learning Assessment?
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is the process of codifying previously obtained competencies and translating them into credit to
count towards more formal credential. Methods for PLA include student portfolios, evaluating prior military training or
professional development in corporate settings, evaluation of programs locally, custom exams created by individual colleges and/or
the use of standardized exams like College Level Examination Program Exams (CLEP) or the Advanced Placement Examination
Program (AP) (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, 2010). PLA is often considered to be a component of CompetencyBased Education (CBE), though PLA is used in a variety of educational settings that are not competency-based.
Statewide and National Efforts
State or Agency
Pennsylvania

University of
Wisconsin
System

Description of Initiative
The Pennsylvania PLA Consortium is a group of higher education
institutions that have agreed to abide by, fully implement, and oversee the
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) General Guidelines developed by the
Department of Education with cooperation from over 30 higher education
institutions, non-profit groups, and the Department of Labor and Industry.
The categories they use are (1) local training (portfolio, evaluation, ACE
guides), (2) challenge exams, (3) AP exams, (4) CLEP exams, (5) excelsior
exams, (6) DSST exams and (7) licensure/certification.
The University of Wisconsin System Prior Learning Expansion Initiative
will contribute to Systems Growth Agenda More Graduates initiative by
expanding Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) opportunities available to
returning non-traditional adult students. The initiative, funded through the
Lumina Foundation, is undergoing implementation in 18 colleges statewide.

Resources/Links
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/po
rtal/server.pt/community/prior_l
earning_assessment/13463/pla_
consortium/598109

https://www.wisconsin.edu/und
ergraduateeducation/expansion/

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Ohio

The Ohio Board of Regents has working groups to codify the methods of
PLA that should be implemented at all institutions. They include: (1) credit
by examination, (2) credit for military service, and (3) credit by portfolio.
There will be appropriate written criteria and process steps for the review
and granting of credit via all three PLA methods, which will be agreed upon
by all University System of Ohio (USO) institutions (Ohio Board of
Regents, n.d., p. 22).

https://ohiohighered.org/PLA
Working groups:
https://ohiohighered.org/PLAmeetings

Institutions and Organizations You Need to Know About

Institution/Organization
Council for Adult and
Experiential Learning
(CAEL)

Terminology
Prior
Learning
Assessment

Learning Counts by
CAEL

College
Credit for
What You
Already
Know
Prior
Learning
Assessment

Prior Learning
Assessment Inside Out
(PLAIO)

American Council on
Education (ACE)

Credit for
Prior
Learning
(CPL)

Description
CAEL is a nonprofit that works with higher
education, public and private institutions in
education to codify and create alternative
credentialing beyond the Carnegie Credit Hour.
LearningCounts assists students in building an
undergraduate portfolio so that students can
demonstrate their knowledge and expertise (learned
outside the classroom) to earn college credit.
(Loosely quoted from: www.learningcounts.org/.)
PLA Inside Out (PLAIO): An International Journal
on Theory, Research and Practice in Prior Learning
Assessment is the first scholarly online journal
entirely devoted to the recognition and assessment
of prior experiential learning.
ACE has evaluated educational and professional
experiences for college credit for 60 years. Credit
for Prior Learning (CPL) provides a range of
options from recognition of military and workforce

Resources/Links
http://www.cael.org/

http://www.learningcounts.org/

http://www.plaio.org/index.php/
home/article/view/67

http://www.acenet.edu/highereducation/topics/Pages/Creditfor-Prior-Learning.aspx

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Learn on Demand at
Kentucky Community &
Technical College System

CBE program
with PLA

Delaware County
Community College

Credit for
Prior
Learning

American Public
University

Prior
Learning
Assessment
for Academic
Credit
Prior
Learning
Assessment

Anne Arundel
Community College

Boise State University

Prior
Learning
Credit

training to national examinations and portfolio

development.
Their model: If you score high on the pre-test,
you have the option to immediately take the posttest, the equivalent of a final exam. If you score
well on the post-test, you can choose to accept that
score as your final grade and receive full credit for
the class.
Delaware County Community College has several
methods for students getting PLA. These methods
include (1) Portfolio Development, (2) College
Level Examination Program (CLEP), (3) Credit by
Examination, (4) Credit for Military Training
Schools, (5) American Council on Education
(ACE), (6) Advanced Placement (AP), and
(7)Students Occupationally and Academically
Ready (SOAR).
The Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) portfolio
program provides students an opportunity to earn
credit for learning outside the confines of a
traditional classroom.
The program includes several ways in which
learning can be evaluated including the use of
CLEP/DSST exams, AACC departmental exams,
ACE evaluations of business, industry and military
training, and PLA through the use of portfolios.
Achievements can be evaluated by completing
standardized tests, challenging courses or
completing a prior learning portfolio Credit for

http://learnondemand.kctcs.edu/
About/Prior-Knowledge

https://www.dccc.edu/studentservices/new-students/creditprior-learning

http://www.apu.apus.edu/admis
sions/generalinformation/pla.htm

http://www.aacc.edu/priorlearni
ng/
Re: portfolio development:
http://www.aacc.edu/priorlearni
ng/faqs.cfm
http://registrar.boisestate.edu/tra
nsfers/prior-learning-credit/

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Rio Salado College

Credit for
Prior
Learning

Lorain County
Community College

Credit for
Prior
Learning
Assessment
Get Credit for
What You
Already
Know

Ivy Tech Community

College

prior learning is awarded for verifiable skills and

learning gained through the experience.
Rio Salado groups their PLA methods into 2
categories: 1) Credit by Exams and 2) Credit by
Evaluation (Armed Services and Learning
Portfolio).
Lorain County Community College groups their
PLA into three categories: 1) military service and
training, 2) exams, and 3) portfolio evaluation.
In addition to portfolios and exams, Ivy Tech
acknowledges certification credentials by providing
a "certification crosswalk." This means that
certifications may also qualify for college credit.

http://www.riosalado.edu/testin
g/priorlearning/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.lorainccc.edu/Curre
nt+Students/PLA/

http://www.ivytech.edu/pla/

Does it Work?
According to the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (2010) "The data from 62,475 students at the 48 postsecondary
institutions in our study show that PLA students had better academic outcomes, particularly in terms of graduation rates and
persistence, than other adult students. Many PLA students also shortened the time required to earn a degree, depending on the number
of PLA credits earned" (p. 7).
In 2012, ACE et al. completed their second assessment of the current state of programs and services for veterans and service
members on campuses across the nation. The data, based on survey results from 690 institutions, included information about the
awarding of PLA credit for military members.
83% of the colleges and universities with programs and services for veterans and military personnel awarded evaluated credit
for military training;
63% awarded evaluated credit for military occupational experience (from https://ohiohighered.org/PLA)

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How Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Intersects with Digital Badging, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Open
Educational Resources (OER).
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) intersects and interacts with other new learning models in a variety of ways. Understanding what
those other learning models are is key to understanding their overlap and interaction. Find definitions below:
Term
Digital Badges

MOOCs

Open
Educational
Resources

CompetencyBased Education

Definition
A digital badge is a virtual and visual representation of a competency, skill,
achievement, or membership. Digital badges can be verified by the issuing
organization, and used as micro-credentialing for lifelong learning and
workforce skill development.
MOOCs are Massive Open Online Courses. They are free online courses that
can enroll tens, or even hundreds of thousands of learners. Their formats and
pedagogies are constantly evolving. There is no one size fits all MOOC. The
salient components are 1) free (though there may be a charge for certificates,
micro-credentialing, or proctoring), 2) huge enrollment numbers and potential,
3) online (though blended models are being developed with institutions), and 4)
courses, not just resources. There are two primary types of MOOCs cMOOCs
(connectivist based), and xMOOCx (more like traditional online courses).
Open Educational Resources (OERs) are any type of educational materials
that are in the public domain or introduced with an open license. The nature of
these open materials means that anyone can legally and freely copy, use, adapt
and re-share them. OERs range from textbooks to curricula, syllabi, lecture
notes, assignments, tests, projects, audio, video and animation from the
UNESCO website: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-andinformation/access-to-knowledge/open-educational-resources/what-are-openeducational-resources-oers/
Competency-based education bases credentialing like degrees and certificates
on demonstrated skills and knowledge. This is different than the traditional
method of earning credentials (primarily college credit) through seat time
based on the credit hour. Competency-based education is modular, self-paced,

Resources
http://openbadges.org/about/
http://www.macfound.org/pr
ograms/digital-badges/
http://www.educause.edu/lib
rary/massive-open-onlinecourse-mooc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Massive_open_online_cours
e

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Open_educational_resources
http://www.unesco.org/new/
en/communication-andinformation/access-toknowledge/openeducational-resources/whyshould-i-care-about-oers/
Learn more at the
Competency-Based
Education Network:
http://www.cbenetwork.org/
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and often (though not always) involves elements such as Prior Learning
Assessment (PLA), Open Educational Resources, partnerships with employers,
subscription-based funding, and student success coaching.

Additional Resources
Council for Adult and Experiential Learning. (2010). Fueling the race to postsecondary success: A 48-institution study of prior
learning assessment and adult student outcomes.
Ganzglass, Evelyn; Bird, Keith; Prince, H. (2011). Giving credit where credit is due: Creating a competency-based framework for
postsecondary education and training. Washington, D.C.
Klein-Collins, R., Sherman, A., & Soares, L. (2010). Degree Completion Beyond Institutional Borders, (October), 60.
Ohio Board of Regents. (n.d.). PLA with a purpose: Prior Learning Assessment & Ohios college completion agenda. Retrieved from
https://www.ohiohighered.org/sites/ohiohighered.org/files/uploads/PLA/PLA-with-a-Purpose_Report_FINAL_041614_0.pdf
Programs, A. (2012). Employer Views on the Value of PLA, (February), 14.

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Prior Learning Assessment the Snapshot Version by Sasha Thackaberry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialShareAlike 4.0 International License.