ADVANCED STANDING: POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THAT GOVERN THE ASSESSMENT OF PRIOR LEARNING

Since the degree program is central to the awarding of advanced standing at Empire State College, its development is a task on which students and mentors spend considerable time and thought. Each student is expected to engage in degree program planning under a learning contract, or section of one, for at least 4 credits and up to 8 credits. The degree program describes studies done at previous colleges, college level learning from life or work experiences and contracts to be undertaken at Empire State College. The emphasis on degree program planning provides students with an opportunity to design their program of study at Empire State College in light of both their long-range goals and their previous education. Another reason for the importance of degree program planning derives from the college's perspective on assessment. Each student's request for advanced standing is evaluated in the context of the student's goals and the nature of the whole degree program. This orientation precludes a piecemeal approach to the granting of advanced standing. THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS A. Stage One -- Planning the Degree Program and Developing the Portfolio The process of assessment begins with degree program planning, which takes place in the context of one or more learning contracts. This contract may take many forms -- it might include autobiographical reflection, career exploration, study of the content or philosophy of a subject, or interdisciplinary study of a given theme or problem. The goal is to help the student conceptualize and plan a degree program which meets his or her educational goals. The learning involved in this contract process is evaluated by the student's mentor in a contract evaluation. After the student plans the program, he or she prepares a portfolio which includes: the degree program in which the student lists prior learning for which advanced standing is requested and contract studies to be pursued at Empire State College. a rationale essay in which the student defines the educational objectives that have guided the design of the degree program; describes the nature, level and scope of the various areas of learning included; and discusses the patterns of integration and progression of the proposed program. an appendix of supporting materials in which the student presents documents attesting to the learning for which advanced standing is being sought. Since the design of a degree program may extend over several contracts and since the completed portfolio must be submitted to an assessment committee before the student begins the last 16 credits in his or her proposed program, many students begin the process of degree program planning and portfolio preparation early in their Empire State College study. When a student seeks advanced standing for prior learning within the context of his or her proposed degree program, the student, in consultation with a mentor, identifies each area of significant prior learning and analyzes and describes its nature, level and scope. During this process, the student may define learning through the use of titles of traditional college courses or may use terms consistent with Empire State College learning contracts. Where prior learning has been gained through formal study at regionally accredited colleges, a student supports the requests for advanced standing with official college transcripts. Credits indicated on such transcripts are accepted with the following limitations: When transferring credits from regionally accredited colleges, students may transfer in all credits that are appropriate to their Empire State College degree program and that conform to general college policies, such as those related to course credit limitations and D grades. A student with an Associate in Arts, Associate in Science or Associate in Applied Science degree from: a regionally accredited institution, or a degree granting institution on the NYSED list at the time of the student's attendance, or an institution with which Empire State College has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) may transfer in the entire degree earned, including all of the courses completed and college credits awarded for the degree. This includes any courses that were applied toward the degree and for which a D grade was earned. The assessment committee determines whether the associate degree credits are appropriate to the student's degree plan and consistent with other Empire State College academic policies. If the student transfers part but not all of the credit earned in an associate degree, Empire State College does not accept courses in which the student earned a grade of D. A student with an Associate in Occupational Studies (A.O.S.) degree from: a regionally accredited institution, or degree granting institutions on the NYSED list at the time of the student's attendance, or from an institution with which Empire State College has a Memorandum of Understanding may transfer in any credits with a C grade or higher grade that the center assessment committee determines are appropriate to the degree program and which are consistent with other Empire State College academic policies. Associate in Occupational Studies degrees are evaluated by the center assessment committee on a course-by-course basis. D grades earned as part of an A.O.S. degree are not transferable, even if the student completed the A.O.S. In determining how to use any transferred credit in an Empire State College degree program, students should consider seriously the following points: "Appropriate to their Empire State College degree program" means that credit is usable only if it makes sense within the context of their Empire State College degree (e.g., a block of 22 credits in commercial art might not make sense in a human services degree). Thus, credit that is transferred from another institution to Empire State College is most often evaluated for appropriateness to the student's degree plan, not as a whole, but on a course-by-course basis. Courses taken at two-year colleges almost always are designated as introductory (i.e., freshman or sophomore level) credit. Professional or vocational courses generally yield non-liberal credit. Credit cannot be used twice for the same learning (e.g., management principles learned in a training program or on the job may be used as a Principles of Management course taken in college). There is no statute of limitations regarding the age of acceptable learning substantiated by transcript except in some areas, technologies and science for instance, where that learning may be outmoded and may not be accepted if it is crucial to the structure of a concentration. Letters of verification indicating the source of learning are necessary in cases where a student lists a specific institution, organization or job on the degree program. Materials that may be useful to demonstrate that the occasion for learning did indeed exist include: letters from employers or supervisors, certificates obtained for completion of non-credit workshops or classes, programs of performances and newspaper clippings. Where prior learning has been gained through experience, work or attendance at a noncollegiate institution, Empire State College retains the responsibility for selecting qualified experts to evaluate individual requests for advanced standing. These evaluators may be selected from within or from outside the college. Evaluators often use several means to examine a student's knowledge: past association and firsthand knowledge of the student's learning; the student's portfolio including the degree program, rationale essay, letters of verification, student produced materials, structured interviews, and oral or written examinations. Evaluator's judgments about the nature, level and scope of a student's prior learning in a given area, and their recommendations concerning appropriate credit toward advanced standing, are communicated to the college in a written report. The narrative evaluation for prior experiential learning credit can be encapsulated in a short paragraph which briefly describes or lists the student's skills and knowledge. The evaluator should also indicate the title of the component, level (introductory or advanced), amount of credit, methods of investigation, and description of evidence. The evaluator's credentials should be indicated if the individual is not on the staff of Empire State College. Resumes of outside evaluators should be on file and available to reviewers. B. Stage Two -- Regional Center Review The complete portfolio is submitted to the appropriate assessment professional, who reviews it for clarity of presentation, completeness of the documentation and adequacy of primary evaluations in light of college policy. If the portfolio is judged to be incomplete, questions are raised and shared with the student and mentor. The student may then redevelop the portfolio or submit it without further revision to the center assessment committee. If the assessment professional finds the portfolio complete, it is submitted to the center assessment committee. The center assessment committee, which usually consists of three or more mentors and may be augmented by an academic administrator or assessment professional, approves degree programs and grants advanced standing. When a committee meets, it has access to the student's contracts and evaluations. Committee decisions take into consideration: The total degree program -- its coherence and balance in light of the student's educational goals. The way in which the degree program meets college policy regarding degree designation, progression and integration of studies in the concentration, amount of advanced studies, liberal arts and sciences and general learning. The evidence and evaluations presented in support of requests for advanced standing for each learning component. The maximum advanced standing allowed toward a bachelor's degree is 96 credits; toward an associate degree the maximum is 40 credits. Committee decisions about amounts of credit are guided by how much credit this learning would have been awarded had it been part of an Empire State College learning contract. Considerations are given to the content examined, competencies gained, level of learning identified and evidence that led to the conclusion. In cases where the committee does not approve the degree program or grant the expected level of advanced standing, the student and mentor are informed in writing and offered suggestions for improvement. The revised portfolio must be resubmitted for review. When the committee approves the degree program and grants the advanced standing, the portfolio is sent to the Office of College-wide Academic Review. Besides making decisions on individual portfolios, the committee reports regularly to the center faculty on recurring assessment questions and issues. It is the assessment professional's responsibility to help maintain consistency of judgment and to inform the assessment committee of precedents, models and guidelines which help in decision making. He or she also provides technical information and can offer an interpretation of college policy if appropriate. The assessment professional is also responsible for the administrative details of scheduling, portfolio circulation, and communication with the Office of College-wide Academic Review and the Office of Academic Affairs. C. Stage Three -- Review by Office of College-wide Academic Review After approval by the center assessment committee, the portfolio (which includes the degree program) is sent to the Office of College-wide Academic Review which raises questions if there are technical errors or an incomplete portfolio. The assessment professional will be informed within 30 days after the portfolio has been received by the Office of College-wide Academic Review whether the portfolio has been cleared. Once the Office of College-wide Academic Review clears the portfolio, the center decision becomes official. D. Appeals If a student has reason to appeal a decision of the center assessment committee, he or she may do so in accordance with the college's Academic Appeals Policy and Procedures found in the Undergraduate Catalog. OTHER ASSESSMENT POLICIES Center assessment committee decisions about individual degree programs are based on the college policies described above and the evidence presented in the student's portfolio. Committees are also guided by conventions circulated by the Office of College-wide Academic Review which gathers and disseminates information about accepted college practices and generic evaluations. The college faculty through the governance structure of the college, approve academic policies which add to or supplement the statements made in this document and therefore affect committee decisions. Approved: October, 1978 Supersedes April, 1975 Policy Revised: February, 1996