WATERTOWN, N.Y. — Jefferson Community College (JCC) says it will build on its prior learning assessment (PLA) program of granting college credits for demonstrated learning outside the traditional classroom. That could include military experience, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and industry certifications, SUNY Chancellor John King, Jr. said in a Feb. 15 announcement at Jefferson Community College. […]
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WATERTOWN, N.Y. — Jefferson Community College (JCC) says it will build on its prior learning assessment (PLA) program of granting college credits for demonstrated learning outside the traditional classroom.
That could include military experience, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and industry certifications, SUNY Chancellor John King, Jr. said in a Feb. 15 announcement at Jefferson Community College.
The news follows the approval by the SUNY board of trustees earlier in the month to expand the system’s (PLA) policy.
The new policy will boost SUNY’s capacity for faculty to evaluate and award credits and “emphasizes the importance that SUNY places on strong implementation to support students across the state,” per a Feb. 7 release on the SUNY website.
For example, an individual completing the required education at the Mohawk Valley Police Academy — plus necessary agency field training results in a state certification as a police officer — can earn up to 17 academic credits toward a criminal justice associate degree at Mohawk Valley Community College, SUNY said.
Historically, JCC has served as a test site for the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) subject standardized test exams. Both are credit-by-exam programs, providing an opportunity for students to earn academic credit for experiences outside the traditional classroom, SUNY said.
“With an on-base location at Fort Drum, Jefferson Community College already has a strong presence and a wealth of expertise in evaluating military training and education for academic credit,” King said in the SUNY announcement. “Their program can serve as a model under the new Prior Learning Assessment policy system wide. The college’s ability to ramp up its Prior Learning Assessment program will help more adult learners and those with a military background translate their earned experience into well-deserved academic credit, which will help those individuals advance their education, and ultimately, their careers.”
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This policy will support students on their educational journey, helping them graduate “more quickly” and reducing the cost of education by “recognizing and leveraging their career and life experiences,” Daniel Dupee, II, administrator-in-charge at JCC, said.
“Our adult students and military students will particularly benefit, as they so often come to us with skills and competencies relevant to their educational and career goals,” Dupee said. “Further, 52 percent of our students attend Jefferson part-time as they juggle work and family commitments, therefore the ability to accelerate their time to graduation while reducing the overall cost can also improve their quality of life. The expansion of prior learning assessment is a win for students and a win for our community. We commend SUNY for taking this important step in helping our students achieve their dream of earning a college degree.”
JCC has been awarding military credit since the 1980s and credit-by-exam since the early 1970s. The new policy will help JCC and all of SUNY to expand to accept demonstrated learning through on-the-job and other educational experiences. About 25 percent of the college’s students are adult learners and about 24 percent are military affiliated.
Already, over 40 percent of students enter JCC with some college credit.
Stephen Todd, district superintendent, Jefferson-Lewis-Hamilton-Herkimer-Oneida Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), called the expansion a “game-changer” for students and for the region.
“This will help countless individuals and families to realize their educational dreams more quickly and more affordably, and it will allow eligible recipients of this credit to enter the workforce sooner, which our region, state, and nation desperately need,” Todd added.
Adult learners can save on average nine to 14 months toward earning a degree when awarded credit for prior learning, according to a 2020 report by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning and the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education. Those students also have the potential to save between $1,500 and $10,000 through the process.
SUNY says it encourages individuals with military experience or learners who have taken published career exams or have years of experience to ask campuses about their process to evaluate credit for prior learning.