exploring prior learning assessment and individual learner outcomes – findings from a new cael...
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Exploring Prior Learning Assessment and Individual Learner Outcomes – Findings from a New CAEL Study
National Institute on the Assessment of Adult Learning
Judy Wertheim, Ed.D.Vice President for Higher Education Services
CAEL’s History with PLA
CAEL’s origins Workshops and conferences Trainings Studies on policies and practices Assessment Center
Benefits of PLA
What do (we think) we know?
PLA motivates students PLA saves time PLA saves money Portfolio PLA develops skills What else?
CAEL’s PLA Study
What we wanted to know:
Do adults who earn PLA credit have better graduation rates, compared with those who do not earn PLA credit?
Do they have better persistence? Do they earn their degrees in a shorter
period of time?
Who Participated
48 postsecondary institutions that:
• serve many adult learners
• offered PLA credit earning options between 2001 and 2008
The 48 Institutions
41 four-year, 7 two-year 22 public, 24 private not-for-profit, 2 private
for-profit Range in size from under 1,000 students to
more than 20,000 From all regions in the US, with heaviest
representation from Mid East, Great Lakes, Plains and Southeast
46 US institutions, 2 Canadian
What PLA Options Counted?
Standardized exams (e.g., CLEP, DSST, AP, Excelsior)
Externally-evaluated training program (e.g., ACE)
Institutional challenge exams Portfolio assessment And “other”
The Data
Student record data on 2001-2002 adult cohort
Information on PLA policies and practices, reasons for offering PLA, etc.
IPEDS institutional data
The PLA Programs
66% of the institutions had offered PLA since before 1980
64% offered five or more PLA methods 94% offered standardized exams, 88%
offered portfolio assessment
Top Reasons for Offering PLA
To provide a time-saving avenue for degree completion, 92%
To fulfill our mission to serve adult learners, 92% To encourage greater student persistence
towards a degree, 90% To recognize the value of learning that happens
outside of the classroom, 88% To provide a cost-effective avenue for degree
completion, 85% To remove barriers to education, 83% To offer a way for students to avoid class work
that would be redundant, 73%
The Students
62,475 total adult students in our sample (adult = age 25 or older)
15,594 (25%) had earned PLA credit between 2001 and 2008
PLA Students by Size of Institution
28% 33% 36%
17% 23%
72% 67% 64%
83% 77%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Under 1,000 1,000-4,999 5,000-9,999 10,000-19,999 20,000 or more
Earned PLA Credit Did not earn PLA credit
PLA Students by Level of Institution
4%
30%
96%
70%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
At least 2 but lessthan 4
Four or more years
Did not earn PLA credit
Earned PLA Credit
PLA Students by Control of Institution
12%
46%
17%
88%
54%
83%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Private for profit Private not-for-profit
Public
Earned PLA Credit Did not earn PLA credit
PLA and Student Demographics
Higher percent of male (29%) than female students (22%) earn PLA credit
Higher percent of white, non-Hispanic (33%) and Asian (40%), compared to black, non-Hispanic (24%) or Hispanic (15%)
Slightly higher rate of PLA earning among those aged 35-54, compared to younger and older groups
PLA and Academic Outcomes
Graduation rates Persistence
Time to degree
PLA and Academic Outcomes
Graduation Rates
Graduation Rates
6%13%
15%
43%
78%
44%
1%
0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Did not earn PLA credit(n=46,881)
Earned PLA credit(n=15,594)
Did not earn degree orcredential
Other
Earned Bachelor'sDegree
Earned Associate'sDegree
Graduation Rate by Institution Level
13%
53%
24%
55%
87%
47%
76%
45%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Two YearInstitution: Didnot earn PLA
credit(n=12,117)
Two YearInstitution:
Earned PLAcredit (n=524)
Four YearInstitution: Didnot earn PLA
credit(n=34,764)
Four YearInstitution:
Earned PLAcredit
(n=15,070)
Did not earn apostsecondarydegreeEarned apostsecondarydegree
Graduation Rate by Institution Control
23%
74%
43%
58%
14%
49%
77%
26%
57%
42%
86%
51%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Private forprofit: Did not
earn PLAcredit
(n=6,155)
Private forprofit: Earned
PLA credit(n=858)
Private not-for-profit: Didnot earn PLA
credit(n=9,875)
Private not-for-profit:
Earned PLAcredit
(n=8,387)
Public: Did notearn PLA
credit(n=30,851)
Public: EarnedPLA credit(n=6,349)
Did not earn apostsecondarydegree
Earned apostsecondarydegree
Graduation Rate by Institution Size
42%
64%
44%
79%
21%
54%
58%
36%
56%
21%
79%
46%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Under 1000Students: Didnot earn PLAcredit (n=571)
Under 1000Students:
Earned PLAcredit (n=221)
1000-4,999Students: Didnot earn PLA
credit(n=4,773)
1000-4,999Students:
Earned PLAcredit
(n=2,379)
5,000 to 9,999Students: Didnot earn PLA
credit(n=5,900)
5,000 to 9,999Students:
Earned PLAcredit
(n=3,257)
Did not earn apostsecondarydegree
Earned apostsecondarydegree
Graduation Rate by Institution Size
19%
77%
18%
44%
81%
23%
82%
56%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
10,000-19,999Students: Did notearn PLA credit
(n=8,760)
10,000-19,999Students: Did notearn PLA credit
(n=1,762)
20,000 Or MoreStudents: Did notearn PLA credit
(n=26,877)
20,000 Or MoreStudents: Earned
PLA credit(n=7,975)
Did not earn apostsecondarydegreeEarned apostsecondarydegree
What We Now Can Say
Evidence shows that PLA students, on average, have higher rates of degree earning than do non-PLA students.
This is true at institutions of all sizes, levels and controls.
PLA and Academic Outcomes
PLA, Graduation Rates
& Measures of Academic Strength
12%
38%5%
20%
81%
39%
1%
2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Took Remedial Courses,Non-PLA Student
(n=4,860)
Took Remedial Courses,PLA Student (n=299)
No Degree
Other
Bachelor's Degree
Associate's Degree
Analysis by Grade Point Averages
8%4% 2%
11%3%
44%
28%
66%
35%
10%0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
PLAStudent
Non-PLA
Student
PLAStudent
Non-PLA
Student
PLAStudent
Non-PLA
Student
PLAStudent
Non-PLA
Student
PLAStudent
Non-PLA
Student
0 0 Under1.0
Under1.0
1.0-1.9 1.0-1.9 2.0-2.9 2.0-2.9 3.0 andhigher
3.0 andhigher
Cumulative GPA and PLA Status
No Degree earned
Degree earned
PLA and Retention
Persistence
Ways We Measured Persistence
Credit accumulation towards an associate’s or bachelor’s degree
Number of years in which the student earned credit between 2001-2002 and 2007-2008
Credit Accumulation, No Degree Earners
28%
12%
16%13%
9%
22%
1% 2%
7%
16%18%
56%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Earned few erthan 10% ofcredits for
degree
Earned 10-19% of credits
needed
Earned 20-39% of credits
needed
Earned 40-59% of credits
needed
Earned 60-79% of credits
needed
Earned 80% ormore of credits
needed
Did not earn PLA credit(n=23,101)
Did earn PLA credit(n=1,800)
Total Credits Earned at Institution
Average for All PLA Students
53.7 credits
Average for All Non-PLA Students
43.8 credits
Persistence – Number of Credit-Earning Years
60%
19%
9%
6%3% 3%
37%
23%
14%11%
7% 8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
1 2 3 4 5 6
Number of Years in Which Credit Was Earned (May Be Non-Consecutive)
Did not earn PLA credit(n=34,056)
Did earn PLA credit(n=2,625)
Persistence – Consecutive Credit-Earning Years
56%
18%
11%
7%
4% 4%
21%
29%
23%
14%
7%6%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
1 Year 2 Years 3 Years 4 Years 5 Years 6 Years
Did not earn PLA credit(n=41,469)
Did earn PLA credit(n=7,010)
PLA and Degree Completion
Time to Degree
Time to Bachelor’s Degree
39.7
36.134.5
35.8
29.6
33.1
37.2
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
No PLACredit
(n=5,342)
1-6 PLAcredits(n=860)
7-12 PLAcredits(n=782)
13-24 PLAcredits
(n=1,170)
25-36 PLAcredits(n=668)
37-48 PLAcredits(n=161)
49 or morePLA credits
(n=219)
Mo
nth
s t
o B
ac
he
lor'
s D
eg
ree
Time to Associate’s Degree
44.6
47.4
45.4
40.1
42.9
36.0
38.0
40.0
42.0
44.0
46.0
48.0
No PLA Credit(n=1,906)
1-6 PLA credits(n=230)
7-12 PLA credits(n=176)
13-24 PLA credits(n=78)
25-36 PLA credits(n=55)
Mon
ths
to A
ssoc
iate
's D
egre
e
Time to Degree: Summary
PLA students earning bachelor’s degrees saved an average of between 2.5 and 10.1 months of time in earning their degrees, compared to non-PLA students earning degrees.
PLA earners with associate’s degrees earned their degrees between 1.5 and 4.5 months faster, on average, compared to non-PLA students earning degrees.
Do Institutional Policies Matter?
The greater the flexibility the student has for using the PLA credit, the better the academic outcomes.
Institutional Policies on PLA
PLA credit can be used to obtain advanced standing at the institution
PLA credit can be used to waive course prerequisites
PLA credit can be used to meet general education requirements
PLA credit can be used to meet program/major requirements
Additional Findings: Student Demographics
Gender Age
Race/ethnicity
Demographics: Gender
Both male and female students showed
similar patterns of degree-earning, with
PLA students of both genders earning
degrees at a rate that was almost three
times higher than the rate of non-PLA
students.
Demographics: Gender
With even small numbers of PLA credits,
female students’ time to degree decreased
more than male students.
Demographics: Age
PLA earners in every age group had higher graduation rates than non-PLA students.
The difference in graduation rates was highest for those aged 55 and older.
Even the youngest learners (aged 25-34) with PLA credit had graduation rates that were more than twice those of non-PLA students in the same age group.
Demographics: Race/Ethnicity
For each racial/ethnic group, graduation rates for
PLA students were higher than non-PLA
students.
The most dramatic difference was for Hispanic students at the bachelor’s degree level. Hispanic PLA students earned bachelor’s degrees at a rate that was almost eight times higher than that of Hispanic non-PLA students
Demographics: Race/Ethnicity
For time to degree, we had sufficient data to analyze only black, Hispanic and white students at the bachelor’s level.
Decreases in average time to degree were apparent for all three PLA subgroups.
Black PLA students showed the most dramatic decreases in time to degree.
Summary – Graduation Rates
PLA students in this study had better graduation rates than non-PLA students:• Regardless of institutional size, level (two-year
or four-year) or control (private for-profit, non-profit, or public)
• Regardless of the individual student’s academic ability or grade point average
• Regardless of the individual student’s age, gender, or race/ethnicity
Summary - Persistence
PLA students have higher rates of persistence compared with non-PLA students.• In terms of credit accumulation/progress
towards the degree• In terms of number of years of credit-earning
Summary – Time to Degree
PLA students earned bachelor’s degrees in a shorter periods of time compared with non-PLA students – a difference of between 2.5 and 10.1 months, depending upon the number of PLA credits earned.
PLA earners with associate’s degrees saved an average of between 1.5 and 4.5 months of time in earning their degrees, compared to non-PLA students earning associate’s degrees.
Want to Read More about This?
Visit the CAEL Web site: www.cael.org
Executive summary:www.cael.org/pdf/PLA_Executive-Summary.pdf
Full report:www.cael.org/pdf/PLA_Fueling-the-Race.pdf