California Code of Regulations › Title 5 - Education › Division 6 - California Community Colleges › Chapter 6 - Curriculum and Instruction › Subchapter 1 - Programs, Courses and Classes › Article 5 - Alternative Methods for Awarding Credit › Section 55050 - Credit for Prior Learning

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 28, July 12, 2024
(a)
					 The governing board of each community college district shall adopt and publish
					 policies pertaining to credit for prior learning. The policies shall be
					 transparent and accessible to all stakeholders, published at least in college
					 catalogs. Procedures for students to attain credit for prior learning shall
					 include, but not be limited to, credit by examination, evaluation of Joint
					 Services Transcripts, evaluation of student-created portfolios, evaluation of
					 industry-recognized credential documentation, and standardized exams.
(b) The governing board may grant credit to
					 any student who satisfactorily passes an assessment approved or conducted by
					 proper authorities of the college. For purposes of this section, "assessment"
					 means the process that faculty undertake with a student to ensure the student
					 demonstrates sufficient mastery of the course outcomes as set forth in the
					 course outline of record. "Sufficient mastery" means having attained a level of
					 knowledge, skill, and information equivalent to that demonstrated generally by
					 students who receive the minimum passing grade in the course.
(c) The nature and content of the assessment
					 shall be determined solely by faculty in the discipline who normally teach the
					 course for which credit is to be granted in accordance with policies and
					 procedures approved by the curriculum committee established pursuant to section
					 55002. The faculty shall determine
					 that the assessment adequately measures mastery of the course content as set
					 forth in the outline of record. The faculty may accept an assessment conducted
					 at a location other than the community college for this purpose.
(d) Credit may be awarded for prior
					 experience or prior learning only for individually identified courses with
					 subject matter similar to that of the individual's prior learning, and only for
					 a course listed in the catalog of the community college. Colleges shall
					 consider the credit recommendations of the American Council on Education
					 pursuant to Education Code section
					 66025.71.
					 Upon a student's demonstration of sufficient mastery through an examination or
					 assessment, an award of credit should be made, if possible, to California
					 Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum, California State
					 University General Education Breadth, and local community college general
					 education requirements or requirements for a student's chosen program. Award of
					 credit may be made to electives for students who do not require additional
					 general education or program credits to meet their goals.
(e) Credit by Examination: The determination
					 to offer credit by examination rests solely on the discretion of the discipline
					 faculty. A separate examination shall be conducted for each course for which
					 credit is to be granted. Credit may be granted only to a student who is
					 registered at the college and in good standing and only for a course listed in
					 the catalog of the community college.
(f) The student's academic record shall be
					 clearly annotated to reflect that credit was earned by assessment of prior
					 learning.
(g) Grading shall be
					 according to the regular grading system approved by the governing board
					 pursuant to section
					 55023, except that students shall
					 be offered a "pass-no pass" option if that option is ordinarily available for
					 the course.
(h) Units for which
					 credit is given pursuant to the provisions of this section shall not be counted
					 in determining the 12 semester hours of credit in residence required for an
					 associate degree.
(i) A district
					 may charge a student a fee for administering an examination pursuant to this
					 section, provided the fee does not exceed the enrollment fee which would be
					 associated with enrollment in the course for which the student seeks credit by
					 examination.
(j) The policies and
					 procedures adopted by the governing board of a community college district
					 pursuant to this section shall require that a student, upon completion of their
					 educational plan pursuant to California Education Code Section
					 78212,
					 shall be referred to the college's appropriate authority for assessment of
					 prior learning if the student is a veteran or an active-duty member of the
					 armed forces, holds industry-recognized credentials, or requests credit for a
					 course based on their prior learning.
(k) The policies for assessments adopted by
					 the governing board of a community college shall offer students an opportunity
					 to accept, decline, or appeal decisions related to the award of credit, and in
					 cases of credit by exam, pursuant to sections
					 55021 and
					 55025.
(l) The governing board of each community
					 college district shall review the credit for prior learning policy every three
					 years and report findings to the Chancellor's Office. Findings shall include
					 data disaggregated by gender and race/ethnicity including the number of
					 students who received credit for prior learning, the number of credits awarded
					 per student, retention and persistence rates of students earning credit for
					 prior learning, completion data (for certificate, degree, and transfer) for
					 students earning credit for prior learning, and qualitative assessments by
					 students of the policies and procedures.
(m) The governing board of each community
					 college district shall incorporate policies pursuant to section
					 55052 on College Board Advanced
					 Placement examinations and any other districtwide policies governing the award
					 of credit for prior learning to create a comprehensive credit for prior
					 learning policy.
(n) By December
					 31, 2020, the district shall certify in writing to the Chancellor of the
					 California Community Colleges that the policies required by this section have
					 been adopted and implemented.
1. New
						article 5 (sections
						55050-55052) and section filed
						7-17-2007; operative 8-16-2007. Submitted to OAL for printing only pursuant to
						Education Code section
						70901.5
						(Register 2007, No. 35).
2. Amendment of section heading, section
						and NOTE filed 2-20-2020; operative 3-21-2020. Submitted to OAL for printing
						only pursuant to Education Code section
						70901.5
						(Register 2020, No. 12).
Note: Authority cited: Sections
						  66025.71,
						  66700 and
						  70901,
						  Education Code. Reference: Sections
						  70901 and
						  70902,
						  Education Code.