Hello and welcome.
Today I'd like to share information with you regarding the Prior Learning Assessment Program,
better known as PLA.
What is PLA?
PLA is the evaluation of prior college-level learning or experience-based learning.
Student’s work experiences, workplace training,
professional licensure and certifications, military training and service,
life experiences, credits earned by standardized testing,
and volunteering and community service activities,
to name a few, are often evaluated for PLA credit awards.
Credit Community College prior learning pathways allow
students the opportunity to earn credit for college-level learning,
thus accelerating their progress toward graduation.
Students who participate in the PLA program often
save time and money and avoid having to complete courses already mastered,
so they complete their educational goals at faster rate.
How can I earn PLA credit?
Well, FCC offers seven options for students to earn prior learning credit.
The options available are as follows.
Portfolio assessment and development,
institutional departmental exams,
certificate and licensure evaluations,
credit by examinations to include CLEP DSST, IV and AP courses,
transcript evaluations through the American Council on Education, known as ACE,
transcript evaluations through the National College
Credit Recommendation Service known as NCCRS,
and also military training and service transcript evaluations.
So who is eligible to participate in the Prior Learning Assessment program at FCC?
To be eligable to earn prior learning credit, you must be a student at FCC.
You must have earned a high school diploma or GED.
You must declare a major and a degree or certificate program.
If you are petitioning for portfolio or institutional departmental exam credit,
you must be enrolled at a minimum of three credits
in the same semester you are pursuing PLA credit,
or you must be completing a program through reverse transfer.
Any credit awarded will be applied to student's official program of study.
Students should not have previously taken and received credit
or attempted the course they are petitioning for credit.
So remember, credit for prior learning is not awarded for experience alone
before a combination of experience and college level learning.
In closing, to find out if PLA right for you,
and to get additional information regarding the program,
please feel free to reach out to Dr. Renee Davis at rdavis@frederick.edu.