Purpose:
The purpose of this policy is to define Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) and place a maximum of 30 semester hours credit allowable to be earned through Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) towards the completion of degree requirements. Exceptions to the 30-hour maximum may be made in cases of veterans receiving education benefits.
Scope:
This policy applies to the entire college student body.
Policy:
In an effort to increase graduation rates and promote the “Drive to 55,” the following are additional means of earning credit through Prior Learning Assessment.
- Advanced Placement
- Armed Services Credit
- Cambridge International Examinations
- College Level Examination Program
- Credit for Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) Rating
- Credit for Emergency Medical Technician Courses
- Credit for Advanced Emergency Medical Technician Courses
- Credit for English Composition Based on ACT Scores
- Credit by Department Examination
- Credit for Tennessee Law Enforcement/Corrections Academy
- Credit for Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology
- International Baccalaureate Examinations
A maximum of 30 semester hours credit will be allowed towards degree requirements. The 30 hours awarded are not included in the total of hours required to fulfill the 25% residency requirement.
In order to be awarded credit, official documentation must be presented to the Office of Records. Credit will be assessed and awarded according to the criteria in each area as outlined below.
- Advanced Placement
- Official scores of 3, 4, or 5 on the Advanced Placement Test must be submitted to the Office of Records. AP credit that is listed on an official academic transcript from another regionally accredited institution will be honored.
- Armed Services Credit
- Army – DD214 & AARTS transcript or DD295 or JST transcript
- Air Force – DD214 & Community College of the Air Force Transcript or DD295
- Army National Guard – DD214 & AARTS transcript
- Marines – DD214 & DD295 or DD2586 or Joint Service Training (JST) transcript
- Navy – DD214 & DD295 or DD2586 or the Sailor/Marine Corps American Council on
- Education Registry Transcript (SMART) or Joint Service Training JST transcript
Cambridge International Examinations
- Credit will be awarded for the following AS (Advanced Subsidiary) and A (Advanced) Levels
| Examination | Level | Grade | DSCC Equivalent Course | Credit Hours Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting | A | A,B,C | ACCT 1010, 1020 | 3, 3 |
| Biology | A | A,B,C | BIOL 1110, 1120 | 4, 4 |
| Chemistry | A | A,B | CHEM 1110, 1120 | 4, 4 |
| Chinese-Language | A | A,B,C | CHIN 1010, 1020 | 3, 3 |
| Economics | A | A,B,C | ECON 2100, 2200 | 3, 3 |
| English-Language | AS | A,B,C | ENGL 1010 | 3 |
| English-Literature | A | A,B,C | ENGL 2310, 2320 | 3, 3 |
| English-Literature | AS | A,B,C | ENGL 2310 | 3 |
| French | A | A,B,C | FREN 1010, 1020 | 3, 3 |
| German | A | A,B,C | GERM 1010, 1020 | 3, 3 |
| Mathematics | A | A,B,C | MATH 1910 | 4 |
| Physics | A | A,B | PHYS 2010, 2010 | 4, 4 |
| Psychology | A | A,B,C | PSYC 1030 | 3 |
| Sociology | A or AS | A,B,C | SOCI 1010 | 3 |
| Spanish | A | A,B,C | SPAN 1010, 1020 | 3, 3 |
- College Level Examination Program
- Credit will be given for acceptable scores in Subject Examinations only.
- Credit will not be given for scores in CLEP General Examinations
- The English Composition CLEP examination must include a written essay for credit to be awarded
- To receive credit for a CLEP examination, a student must attain a score of at least 50 as recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE). Official test scores from Educational Testing Service or CLEP credit posted on an official academic transcript from another regionally accredited institution must be submitted to the Office of Records before credit can be awarded. CLEP examinations may be taken on the Dyersburg campus by appointment.
- Credit for Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) Rating
◦ Sixteen (16) hours of college credit for successful completion of the CAP Examination will be awarded to students enrolled at DSCC. These student can choose 16 semester hours of credit from the following list: - AOM 205 – Records and Information Management – 3 semester hours
Or AOM 239 – Administrative Office Management – 3 semester hours - AOM 221 – Business and Office Communication – 3 semester hours
- ACCT 1010 – Principles of Accounting I – 3 semester hours
- BUSN 2330 – Principles of Management – 3 semester hours
- BUSN 2370 – Legal Environment of Business – 3 semester hours
- ECON 2010 – Macroeconomics – 3 semester hours
- Credit for English Composition Based on ACT Scores
- DSCC awards six hours of credit for ENGL 1010 and ENGL 1020 to students with an ACT English sub score of 32 or above. Students who have previously taken ENGL 1010 and/or ENGL 1020 and earned a passing or failing grade are not eligible. Credit awarded by other regionally accredited institutions on the basis of ACT scores for ENGL 1010 and/or ENGL 1020 will be honored.
- Credit by Department Examination
- Students who have achieved competence equivalent to that offered in course of instruction at DSCC through on-the-job training, previous instruction, or other methods may receive credit by challenge examination. Student must complete 12 credit hours prior to having Credit by Examination credit hours placed on their transcript. Department examinations may not be taken in the elementary level of a field in which the student has received credit for advanced work. A student may challenge a course only one time, and a challenge may not be used to remove any grade previously recorded. The students will receive a grade of “Pass” or “Fail”.
- Credit for Learning through Life Experience
- Life Experience credit may be awarded to a student who demonstrates that he/she has gained proficiency in learning outcomes related to a specific course through work experience. Credit for Life Experience is not awarded for the work that one has done but rather for the knowledge gained through work. DSCC has a partner agreement with LearningCounts.org, which is a component of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). Through this agreement, students can pursue credit through various methods including the development of a portfolio which addresses knowledge gained on-the-job. Eligibility for credit under this policy requires that the student must have completed all Learning Support courses and 12 semester hours of college-level courses with a Grade Point Average of 2.0 or higher. More information is available at www.learningcounts.org.
- Credit for Tennessee Law Enforcement/Corrections Academy
- Students completing the prescribed training in 1991 or thereafter at the Tennessee Correction Academy may receive the following credit: CRMJ 1010 – Introduction to Criminal Justice, and three semester credit hours of JST electives. Students completing the prescribed training in 1989 or thereafter at the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy may receive the following credit: CRMJ 1010 – Introduction to Criminal Justice and six semester credit hours of JST electives. This credit may be awarded once the student has completed a minimum of 12 college-level semester credit hours of at DSCC.
- Credit For Tennessee College of Applied Technology
- Students who complete certain courses, certificates and/or diplomas at the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology may be eligible to receive credit in specific DSCC courses. Statewide articulated courses offered at DSCC are listed in the table below. For more information, contact the President of the applicable College of Applied Technology; the DSCC Office of Admissions and Records; or the Dean of Business, Technology and Allied Health.
| Industry Credential Awarded through tcat Training | DSCC Equivalent Course |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Expert Word | ADMN 1311 Word Processing I |
| Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Expert Excel | BUSN 1370 Spreadsheet Applications |
| Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Expert Word, and MOS Expert Excel, and/or MOS Access, and/or Power Point | INFS 1010 |
- International Baccalaureate Examinations
◦ DSCC recognizes the International Baccalaureate diploma and individual IB courses by awarding the following credit on International Baccalaureate standard or higher level examinations.
| Standard Level IB Courses | Minimum Required Score | DSCC Equivalent Course | Credit Hours Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art A (SL) | 5 | ART 1035 | 3 |
| Art B (SL) | 5 | ART 1035 | 3 |
| Economics (SL) | 6 | ECON 2100, 2200 | 3, 3 |
| French (SL) | 6 | FREN 1010, 1020 | 3, 3 |
| 7 | FREN 2010, 2020 | 3, 3 | |
| German (SL) | 6 | GERM 1010, 1020 | 3, 3 |
| 7 | GERM 2010, 2020 | 3, 3 | |
| Language A1 (SL) | 6 | ENGL 1010 | 3 |
| 7 | ENGL 1010, 1020 | 3, 3 | |
| Mathematics (SL) | 5 | MATH 1710 | 3 |
| 6 | MATH 1710, 1830 | 3, 3 | |
| Music A (SL) | 6 | MUS 1030 | 3 |
| Psychology (SL) | 5 | PSYC 1030 | 3 |
| Spanish (SL) | 6 | SPAN 1010, 1020 | 3, 3 |
| 7 | SPAN 2010, 2020 | 3, 3 | |
| Theatre Arts (SL) | 5 | THEA 1030 | 3 |
| Higher Level IB Courses | |||
| Chemistry (HL) | 5 | CHEM 1110, 1120 | 4, 4 |
| Economics (HL) | 5 | ECON 2100, 2200 | 3, 3 |
| French A1 (HL) | 5 | FREN 1010, 1020 | 3, 3 |
| 6 | FREN 2010, 2020 | 3, 3 | |
| German A1 (HL) | 5 | GERM 1010, 1020 | 3, 3 |
| 6 | GERM 2010, 2020 | 3, 3 | |
| Language A1 (HL) | 5 | ENGL 1010 | 3 |
| 6 | ENGL 1010, 1020 | 3, 3 | |
| Mathematics (HL) | 5 | MATH 1910 | 4 |
| Philosophy (HL) | 5 | PHIL 1030 | 3 |
| Physics (HL) | 5 | PHYS 2010, 2020 | 4, 4 |
| Spanish A1 (HL) | 5 | SPAN 1010, 1020 | 3, 3 |
| 6 | SPAN 2010, 2020 | 3, 3 | |
| Theatre Arts (HL) | 5 | THEA 1030 | 3, 3 |
Compliance:
All faculty, staff and students must comply with this policy.
Definitions:
N/A
Revision History:
Policy; approved by Administrative Council on 6/25/2014; revision approved 11/30/2018. Policy revision approved 6/18/2019. Approved by Admin Council on 10/27/2022.