State Experts Join CAEL and ACE to Discuss National Survey of CPL Policies

In December, CAEL and the American Council on Education (ACE) released The National Landscape of Credit for Prior Learning: Effective State and System Policies for Success and Equity, a comprehensive national survey of state and system policies aimed at increasing credit for prior learning (CPL) opportunities. Its analysis includes more than 360 policies identified in a CPL review of all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. Along with the report, CAEL and ACE published a new interactive online database allowing users to query the reporting data to review and create customized comparisons of state and system CPL policies.

On Jan. 30, the organizations co-hosted a webinar to discuss the report's findings. In addition to specialists from CAEL and ACE, the webinar's panel of experts included officials from three state education agencies that offered their insights about policy assessment and implementation. 

Background on CPL and Related State/System Policies

Thanks in large part to the pioneering efforts of CAEL and ACE, data show that CPL has grown in practice over the last five decades. But for much of that time, CPL was more of a niche offering at select institutions who were on their own when designing their policies and practices, said Becky Klein-Collins, vice president of research and impact at CAEL. As several of the panelists attested, siloed efforts within a system can often create inconsistencies that result in students not having access to CPL, variations in quality, and weak buy-in from others in higher education. 

The New ACE-CAEL Inventory

In recent years, with research repeatedly demonstrating the tangible benefits that CPL creates for students and institutions, more systems are developing policies as they strive to make CPL more accessible. The new inventory and report from ACE and CAEL capture the growth in these strategies, cataloging 362 policies across 11 key themes. "This inventory is going to be a great resource for any state or system interested in seeing examples of what others are doing with respect to CPL," said Klein-Collins.

Methods of assessment and military training were the themes most frequently associated with policies, the report found. Data tracking and evaluation of effectiveness were present in the fewest number of policies, reflecting challenges and opportunities raised during the webinar. 

From Policy to Practice: The Experiences of Louisiana, Delaware, and New Jersey

Janet Newhall, assistant commissioner for academic affairs with the Louisiana Board of Regents, noted that beginning with external industry data can be an effective tactic for institutions who may lack metrics specific to their institution. She cited CAEL research that quantifies CPL benefits along several measures of impact. A particularly effective one, she said, was the finding that CPL students earn more credits from traditional courses at their institutions — an average of 17.6 college credits — for which they pay tuition dollars, an increase resulting from CPL's boost to persistence and completion rates. Such concrete evidence of the financial benefit to institutions themselves, said Newhall, can motivate systems to replicate CPL benefits on their own campuses. 

A lack of data can cut both ways, creating uncertainty for CPL champions and skeptics alike. Simply acknowledging the need for data can be a great starting point for institutions interested in implementing CPL policies, said Jonathan Wickert, director of career and technical education and STEM Initiatives for the Delaware Department of Education. 

Wickert recounted his approach to engaging deans and faculty who questioned whether experiences outside of the classroom could really rise to college-level learning. Enlisting the support of executive sponsors at different institutions, he explained the holistic aspect of CPL benefits and their ability to impact enrollment, persistence, completion, and workforce development. 

At the same time, he listened to concerns, using data to illustrate that adding CPL options does not mean seizing control. In fact, the Delaware Department of Education's work with CAEL includes the creation of a statewide credit for prior learning policy framework written by the institutions themselves. The department is now working to operationalize the framework at the practitioner level, said Wickert.

Stephanie Thachick, a senior advisor for the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, said the work of policy implementation becomes more difficult when CPL functions are siloed within different institutions. She also stressed the importance of data collection, noting that the insight it offers is vital to getting a true reading of challenges confronting CPL policy development.

Newhall also spoke about the experience of developing a CPL policy across multiple institutions, which involved collaboration with the state's public postsecondary systems, private colleges and universities, K-12 education, and the Statewide Articulation and Transfer Council. She highlighted a priority on protecting transfer CPL, also a focal point for one of CAEL's working groups. 

The intent is to ensure that when experts determine that a student has completed college-level learning, it should persist on the student's transcript during transfer. But Newhall also acknowledged that cross-functional policy communication across multiple institutions is still a challenge.

To help address the issue, the Louisiana Board of Regents partnered with CAEL to host a Credit Mobility Academy last summer. Practitioners from various institutions attended. The Academy walked attendees through the student experience, including a journey mapping process that raised awareness of CPL’s many potential sources, said Newhall.

CPL is also a priority for higher education in New Jersey, said Thachick. The state's higher education plan includes a call for New Jersey students to have opportunities to earn college credit outside of the classroom, recognizing CPL as a recommended strategy. New Jersey is also home to Thomas Edison State University, a CAEL institutional member and national leader in CPL. TESU helps lead the New Jersey Prior Learning Assessment Network, a consortium of higher ed partners committed to CPL. 

The Larger Themes in Existing State and System Policies

Webinar presenters also called attention to the reports’ five key considerations for CPL policy design and implementation, which are drawn from its more detailed findings. They include:

• Using the 11 CPL policy themes as a possible framework for state or system action. 
• Focusing on standards for data collection and reporting should be a state or system priority.
• Better CPL data can also help with other state or system priorities, such as equity and workforce strategies.
• A comprehensive approach that integrates key policy themes may lead to even greater positive impact for student transfer and mobility. 
• A need to address CPL affordability. 

Klein-Collins urged webinar attendees to consider not just the ramifications of the high-level policy themes identified in the report, but the interplay within them. Some policies fell within multiple themes, reflecting intersecting priorities. "I think it's important to recognize that it's not just one theme that makes a difference; rather, it's that a lot of these are interacting with each other. And part of our policy brief mentions the interplay among the different types of policy themes."

"Ensuring that you're making public the rationale for awarding credit, how you're awarding credit, and the standards that you're adhering to in the awarding of credit … all of that works together and contributes to creating an optimal environment for promoting transfer of CPL credit," she added. 

The report and interactive database are hosted at acenet.edu.