Articulation & Credit by Exam: Good for Students & Schools

Kris CostaArticulation Liaison

Statewide Pathways ProjectAcademic Senate for California Community

Colleges

• Statewide Career Pathways Project

• Establishing Inter-segmental Pathways

• Developing Comprehensive Articulation Policy/Procedure

• Student articulation processes and credit by exam

• C-ID and CTE

• Programs of Study

Overview

• A project of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges

• SB 70 (2005) Education Code § 88532.

• Established the CTE Pathways Program

• Focus: Develop and strengthen linkages and CTE pathways between HS and CCC

• Project Includes

• www.whodouwant2b.com

• Counselor Tool Kit

Statewide Career Pathways (SCP)

• It’s the right thing to do – for students, for the state, for employers.

• Significant investments have been made in facilitating the establishment of such pathways – it is critical that they meet their potential.

• Perkins funding…

Why Pathways?

• Local Education Agency (LEA) … must provide at least one program of study that incorporates secondary and postsecondary elements; includes coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant CTE in a coordinated, non-duplicative progression of courses that align secondary education with postsecondary education to adequately prepare students to succeed in postsecondary education; and leads to an industry-recognized credential or certificate at the postsecondary level, or an associate or baccalaureate degree.

Perkins Language

• What pathways are needed?

• HS > CCC

• HS > University

• HS > CCC > University

• HS > CCC > Work

• How do we make these inter-segmental pathways effective?

Establishing Intersegmental Pathways

• Who drafts the agreement and how?

• Who drafts the exam and how is it administered?

• What is the college’s role in granting credit?

• What is the student’s role in earning credit?

• Specificity on the college transcript annotation indicating credit was earned by exam?

• Are there timelines within which credit must be claimed?

• What is the agreement review cycle?

• Is there a limit on the number of credits which may be earned by exam and/or articulation?

Questions to answer through Articulation Procedure

• Similar components to a course outline of record:

• Course description

• Prerequisite

• Course Content

• Competencies and Skills requirements

• Measurement Methods

• Sample Textbook

• End of Course assessment detail is key piece

Articulation Agreements

• Articulation Templates

• SCP convenes faculty to develop templates

• Articulation templates facilitate articulation discussion

• Local agreements also housed in online repository

• C-ID has changed the way articulation discussions occur

• Local agreements are generated based on approved templates between a secondary school and a post-secondary institution, usually a community college

Agreements

What Does C-ID Do?

• Provides a numerical “tag”, a C-ID designation, for courses that match an intersegmentally developed descriptor

• Provides a means of identifying comparable courses and of ensuring course portability within the CCCs

• Addresses the need for “common course numbers”

• When a college submits a course outline to obtain a C-ID designation, they are agreeing to accept other courses with that C-ID designation in lieu of their native course

What Does C-ID Do?

• Provides a process for one-to-many articulation• Any university can opt to articulate C-ID descriptors, effectively

granting articulation to all colleges that have a course matching a given descriptor

• “descriptor-based” articulation

• Offers a quality control and model for required courses in the TMCs (transfer model curricula) that are the basis of the statewide response to SB 1440 (AA-T/AS-T degrees)

• Provides a common metric for course articulation discussions

• A course aligned at one school is similar at another

• Opens conversations for high school partners

• Provides basis for statewide programs of study

• Transfer Model Curricula (TMC)• 60 + 60 – response to SB 1440

• Model Curricula• Certificates and “Terminal” degrees

How Does C-ID Affect Articulation?

• Articulation allows students to receive college credit for high school coursework

• A high school teacher, teaching an articulated course, need not meet the minimum qualifications for the college

• General Education courses can be articulated

• Dual enrollment is just like articulation.

Test Your Articulation IQ…

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• What is articulation?• Only waives local requirements – pre/corequisites, placement, etc.

• Does not earn college credit – but can be the basis for allowing credit by exam (CBE)

• HS-CC Faculty relationships are the basis for articulation

• Communication between instructors ensures mastery of course content

• Title 5 language which allows for articulation

• Why articulation versus other K12 >>> CCC transition pathways?

Articulation Basics

§ 55051. Articulation of High School Courses. 

(a) For purposes of this section, the term “articulated high school course” means a high school course or courses that the faculty in the appropriate discipline, using policies and procedures approved by the curriculum committee established pursuant to section 55002, have determined to be comparable to a specific community college course.

Relevant Title 5 Language – Articulation

(b) The governing board of a community college district may adopt policies to permit articulated high school courses to be applied to community college requirements in accordance with this section. Articulated high school courses may be accepted in lieu of comparable community college courses to partially satisfy:(1) requirements for a certificate program, including the total number of units required for the certificate; or,(2) The major or area of emphasis requirements in a degree program.

(c) Articulated high school courses used to partially satisfy certificate or major/area of emphasis requirements shall be clearly noted as such on the student's academic record. Notations of community college course credit shall be made only if community college courses are successfully completed or if credit is earned via credit by examination.

(d) Except through credit by examination, as defined in section 55753, high school courses may not be used to satisfy:(1) The requirement of section 55063 that students complete at least 60 semester or 90 quarter units in order to receive an associate degree; or,(2) Any general education requirement for the associate degree established by the district.

Best Practices– Articulation

Student High School Instructor College Faculty CTE Transitions

Coordinator

Student receives verification (certificate) after completing the articulated HS course.Not enrolled at the college while taking the courseStudent enrolls at CC and meets with CC Counselor, student is placed in the next course in the sequenceNo credit nor grade is awardedNo student fees.

Student is enrolled for HS credit Student names are given to CC through automated system (CATEMA) or through hand written documentation.The teacher distributes the certificates of articulation to each student. Does not need to meet CCCCO minimum qualificationsHS receives ADA.

Review HS outline to determine similarities in content and rigor to CC CourseCommunicate with HS Teacher to ensure that students are prepared for the next course in the sequence.

Prepares the Articulation Agreement on an annual or biannual basis and secures signatures. Prepares certificates of articulation.Facilitates HS to CC Faculty relationships.

• In order for a student to receive credit on their transcript for articulated courses, they must take an EOCA.

• A high school teacher can determine the appropriate assessment for the articulated course

• The high school final is an appropriate measure of a student’s mastery of the course content.

• In order for a student to receive credits/grades for an articulated course, they must be a currently enrolled students with units in residence.

Test Your Articulation with Credit By Exam IQ…

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• Students complete proficiency/mastery exam for college credit.

• Evaluation must be developed by appropriate college faculty

• Evaluation may be proctored by a designee

• Process and procedures must be clear

Credit By Exam (CBE) for Articulated Courses

§ 55050. Credit by Examination.

(a) The governing board of each community college district shall adopt and publish policies and procedures pertaining to credit by examination in accordance with the provisions of this section. 

Relelvant Title 5 Language – Credit by Exam

(b) The governing board may grant credit to any student who satisfactorily passes an examination approved or conducted by proper authorities of the college. Such 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.

(c) The nature and content of the examination 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 examination adequately measures mastery of the course content as set forth in the outline of record. The faculty may accept an examination conducted at a location other than the community college for this purpose.

(d) A separate examination shall be conducted for each course for which credit is to be granted. Credit may be awarded for prior experience or prior learning only in terms of individually identified courses for which examinations are conducted pursuant to this section.(e) The student's academic record shall be clearly annotated to reflect that credit was earned by examination.

Best Practices– Articulation with Credit By Exam

Student High School Instructor College Faculty CTE Transitions

Coordinator

Students “opt-in” for college creditStudents apply to the college but are NOT enrolled in a CC course.Upon successful completion of the End of Course Assessment (EOCA), students receive a letter grade on the transcript with credits awarded.No student fees.

Student is enrolled for HS credit Student names are given to CC through automated system (CATEMA) or through hand written documentation.The teacher may proctor the EOCA Does not need to meet CCCCO minimum qualificationsHS receives ADA.

Review HS outline to determine similarities in content and rigor to CC CourseCommunicate with HS Teacher to ensure that students are prepared for the EOCAAdminister exam or approve HS exam or determine appropriate EOCA

Prepares the Articulation Agreement on an annual or biannual basis and secures signatures. Prepares EOCA student credit data via CATEMA or paper methods.Facilitates HS to CC faculty relationships.

• Students not getting credit – Why?

• Difficulty with assessment – Why?

Credit By Exam – Issues and Challenges

• White Paper on best practices available:

http://asccc.org/publications/academic-senate-papers

Best Practices

• What are the best practices from today that can most impact our students in the HS - CC pipeline?

• What are practices currently in place that are counter to student success that may need adjustment?

• What are the barriers to creating a best practice policy/protocol on my campus? How can those issues be resolved?

Questions to Consider Today

• http://www.statewidepathways.org

• http://whodouwant2b.com/student/pathways

• http://www.asccc.org/

• For papers and this presentation

For more information

Kris CostaArticulation Liaison

Statewide Career Pathways Project

Academic Senate for California Community Colleges

kris@asccc.org