Prior Learning Assessment

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POLICIES FOR PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT (PLA)

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is defined as a process for assessing learning gained outside of a traditional academic environment. This could be learning acquired through military service, credit by examination, or portfolio assessment. PLA is a means of evaluating what a student already knows at the college-level derived from these experiences for college credit, certification, or advanced standing toward further education or training.

General Guidelines

Consistency with Navarro College’s Mission and Role: Credit awarded for prior learning shall be consistent with Navarro College’s educational mission and goals. Navarro College will only award credit for approved, non-developmental, lower division courses and programs that are offered by Navarro College and lie within the scope of its mission and role, as described in the Texas Education Code.

Authority to Award Credit: Credit for prior learning shall be granted only upon recommendation of an Executive Dean and teaching faculty who are appropriately qualified. Individuals participating in the recommendation shall be named therein.

Methods for Awarding Credit: Credit for prior learning shall be awarded in accordance with consistent methods established by the awarding department/division and school and based upon documented learning. Transferability of awarded prior learning credit will be at the discretion of the receiving institution.

Evidence of Extra-Institutional Learning: Credit for prior learning shall be granted only for documented learning which ties the prior experience to the theories and data of the relevant academic fields. Such evidence may take the form of noncredit program documents (syllabi, competency descriptions, textbooks, etc.), competency examinations, skill demonstrations, learning portfolios, and/or other mechanisms approved beforehand by qualified faculty. No credit shall be granted without reliable evidence.

Comparability: Credit for prior learning shall be granted only for demonstrated learning outcomes and/or competencies comparable in nature, content, and extent to those that successful students achieve by participation in Navarro College’s approved non-developmental courses and programs. Comparability shall be based on the officially approved learning outcomes and competencies articulated in Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs).

Timeliness: Credit shall not be awarded for prior learning that is not current in nature and content. Because currency differs by field, the reviewing Executive Dean and teaching faculty shall determine whether the prior learning adequately satisfies current course learning outcomes and competencies.

Appropriateness of Amount of Credit: The amount of credit granted shall be consistent with standards articulated by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

Overall Proportion: As stated elsewhere in these procedures, twenty-five (25%) percent of all coursework required for a degree from Navarro College must be completed at Navarro College. Additionally, twenty-five (25%) percent of all hours in an applied major field must be completed at Navarro College for the student to receive a degree in the specified major. Therefore, credit awarded for PLA shall not exceed 50% of coursework required for a degree or certificate.

Transcript Integrity: To ensure transcript integrity, student transcripts at Navarro College will identify the source of awarded credit.

Grading of Awarded Credit: Credit awarded shall be ungraded course credit unless an adequate basis exists for assigning a grade.

Credit for Audited Courses: Navarro College shall not grant credit for courses taken on an audit basis at any institution.

Partial-Course Credit: Navarro College shall not award partial-course credit for prior learning. Only full course credit will be awarded for qualifying prior learning assessment.

Enrollment Status: Students must be currently enrolled at Navarro College and pursuing a Navarro College credential at the time that they seek credit for prior learning. Students are eligible to apply for awarded credit upon completion of fifteen (15) semester credit hours in residency at Navarro College with a minimum grade point average (GPA) or 2.0 or higher and in good standing.

Financial Aid Eligibility: Credit granted for prior learning is not eligible for financial aid or veterans’ education assistance, and such credits will not be counted toward full-time status for scholarship purposes. However, awarded credit will count toward the maximum time frame to graduation (150% of the credits necessary for graduation) for financial aid purposes.

Fees: Reasonable recording fees may be assessed by the Perkins Career Success Center and/or the evaluating department/division to offset the cost of evaluating prior learning for credit.

Posting of Procedures: Instructions for students wishing to apply for awarded credit and fees to be assessed will be published and kept current by the Perkins Career Success Center.

Applicable Fees

Students eligible to receive credit through Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) must complete and submit the Application for Prior Learning Assessment through the Navarro College Perkins Career Success Center. There is no fee required to submit the PLA application.

TYPES OF PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT (PLA)

Students who have completed courses through military or industrial training, or who feel they should be entitled to college credit based on other non-traditional learning experiences, may be awarded up to fifty percent of a degree or certificate based on the following procedures:

Military Experience (Joint Services Transcript, DANTES Subject Standardized Test)
Credit by Examination
     Departmental Examination
     SAT/ ACT / AP / IB Credit
     CLEP
Departmental Crosswalk Alignment
Portfolio Assessment
     Work Experience
     Community Service Experience
     Evaluated Credit
Industry/Professional Certification

Eligibility

To be eligible to earn course credit for non-credit learning experiences, student must be currently pursuing a Navarro College degree or certificate, have completed at least fifteen (15) semester credit hours, and have a GPA of at least 2.0.