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

5

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

7

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

8

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

9

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

10

11

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

12

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

13

Research Findings on the Value of PLA

14

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

17

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

18

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

19

CAEL’s PLA Research

Boots on the Ground:A Developing Program with IBEW

20

• 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

26

Holly MooreGeorgetown/South Seattle Community College

Holly.Moore@seattlecolleges.edu

Lauren HadleyGeorgetown/South Seattle Community College

Lauren.hadley@seattlecolleges.edu

27