Prior Learning Assessment
(PLA) Pilot Project At VSU
Prepared by the PLA
Assessors Group
PLA Fit with VSU
Strategic Goals
 From VSU’s Strategic Planning Goals: 5 Goals in 5
Years
 Enrollment & Retention
 Assess and implement changes in faculty load, facilities,
course offerings & class scheduling to enhance the use of
university resources in support of planned growth.
 Increase number of students seeking certification and
licensure renewal.
 Develop a proposal for programs and program delivery
strategies that meet the needs of non-traditional degree
seeking students.
 Financial Support
 Improve profile in the Valdosta community, by continuing to
develop external/community partnerships.
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Explanation of PLA
At VSU
VSU now offers six ways to receive college
credit from Prior Learning Assessment:
 CLEP (The College-Level Examination Program®)
 AP (Advanced Placement)
 DANTES Testing (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional
Educational Support)
 ACE Credits
 Departmental Examinations
 Prior Learning Documentation
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Explanation of PLA
Documentation
 Documentation provides
alternative formats
for candidates to provide evidence
they have the knowledge and skills
for a specific course’s learning outcomes.
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Evidence of Prior Learning
Many ways to provide evidence of learning:
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Work products
Performance simulations
Interviews
Oral or written exams
Skills demonstrations
Original fine art
Computer software
Poems, books, stories
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Explanation of PLA
Documentation
Learning
 Assessment
focuses on
learning – not just
experience
 Learning is based
on experience and
academic theory
Experience
Theory
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Learning Outcomes Are Critical
Learning outcomes:
 Define expectations for the target course
 Must be clear and explicit
 Should include all valued components
(including process skills)
If learning outcomes are not explicit,
students cannot be held accountable.
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What Students Do
Students convince assessors that
 They have relevant and appropriate experiences
 They learned from those experiences
 The learning is aligned with learning outcomes
for the target course
 The learning is grounded on relevant theory
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Evidence of Relevant Experience
Students provide evidence to document
relevant experiences.
Relevant experiences could include:
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Courses
Training programs (e.g. military)
Work experience
Community service
Personal study
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Evidence of Learning From
Experience
 Assessment approach depends on the
course
Traditional
Performance-based
Exam e.g. Mathematics
Essay e.g. English
Portfolio e.g. Science
Performance e.g. Education
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Examples
 Mathematics
 Science
 Education
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Assessment of open-ended
mathematical tasks
 Mathematical Knowledge: Knowledge of
mathematical principles and concepts
 Strategic Knowledge: Identification and use
of important elements of the problem that
represent and integrate concepts (e.g., models,
diagrams, symbols, algorithms).
 Explanation: Written explanation of the
rationales and steps of the solution process. A
justification of each step is provided.
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Process Standards for the
Mathematics courses
 Students will solve non-routine problems and
construct knowledge through problem solving.
 Students will investigate, develop, and
evaluate mathematical arguments.
 Students will understand how mathematical
ideas interconnect and build on one another
and will apply mathematics in other content
areas.
 Students will create and use technology,
pictures, manipulatives, models, and symbols
to organize, record, and communicate
mathematical ideas.
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Possible Scoring Categories
 Sources of Learning (Experiences)
 Evidence of Competencies (aligned with
learning outcomes)
 Competencies aligned with Experiences
 Competencies aligned with Theory
 Breadth / Depth / Significance
 Introduction / Conclusion
 Citation of Source Material
 Documentation
 Sentence Structure, Mechanics, and Overall
Presentation
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Possible Scoring Categories
 Sources of Learning (Experiences)
 Evidence of Competencies (aligned with
learning outcomes)
 Competencies aligned with Experiences
 Competencies aligned with Theory
 Breadth / Depth / Significance
 Introduction / Conclusion
 Citation of Source Material
 Documentation
 Sentence Structure, Mechanics, and Overall
Presentation
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