Alternative Credit Project closing down

[allvia]

This is too bad (even for the Big 3) Saylor offered the cheapest of all credits; a large % of their credit courses where through this program.  Here is the link of courses https://www.saylor.org/credit/#available-courses - if it in in the ACE only column and starts with the prefix of ACPE it is part of this expiring program  

Time to study up and test out on these! We've got one month to earn credits for less than $10 per credit - I know there are people out there up for the challenge! In other words if you need the credit and know the subject - now if the time.  Hopefully Saylor will look to add the ACPE courses under their own approval group

All of the ACP courses were also ACE-recommended, and probably will continue to be so.  This is NOT saying anything about ACE, so nobody should be panicking!  ACP is separate from ACE, but really it's own little world within ACE.

Unfortunately that is not the case, I thought so too at first when I looked at the Saylor ACE listing.  I do agree that there is no need to panic, but like when ALEKS was always nearing their expiration date for credits - none of us knew if 'this was the last opportunity with them for this, or that' (Many of us thought those two month extensions would never end).

So what I am saying is that if there is something you planned on testing out of through these courses, now would be the time if you want get them.  Many of the credits that were ACE recommended for Saylor through the Alternative Credit Project (ACPE) where never offered as ACE credit as Saylor, and the few that were expired when the ACPE went into effect.   In example - I sure don't know of a course other than Saylor's ACPE-0007 ACE approved course to test out for credit in the subject of Electromagnetism  (& defiantly not for $25). Will Saylor get these courses/exams approved under their own ACE list, maybe - maybe not.  Listed below is a breakdown of those courses - note I did not list any that were covered by being credit approved through NCCRS.

BIO101: Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology         ACPE-0023
BUS101: Introduction to Business                                        ACPE-0107
BUS103: Introduction to Financial Accounting                      ACPE-0113
CHEM101: General Chemistry I                                            ACPE-0034
MA121: Introduction to Statistics                                         ACPE-0017
PHYS101: Introduction to Mechanics                                   ACPE-0008
PHYS102: Introduction to Electromagnetism                       ACPE-0007
POLSC221: Introduction to Comparative Politics                  ACPE-0071

ABOVE - ACE as Alternative Credit Project Ecosystem 4/1/2015 - 3/31/2018

SAME LIST BELOW = ACE as Saylor Academy    

BIO101B: Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology* EXPIRED 4/1/2014 - 3/31/2017
BUS101: Introduction to Business                                    NEVER OFFERED    
BUS103: Introduction to Financial Accounting                   NEVER OFFERED
CHEM101: General Chemistry I                                         EXPIRED 4/1/2014 - 3/31/2017
MA121: Introduction to Statistics                                      NEVER OFFERED
PHYS101: Introduction to Mechanics                                NEVER OFFERED
PHYS102: Introduction to Electromagnetism                    NEVER OFFERED
POLSC221: Introduction to Comparative Politics              NEVER OFFERED

[cookderosa]

This is too bad (even for the Big 3) Saylor offered the cheapest of all credits; a large % of their credit courses where through this program.  Here is the link of courses https://www.saylor.org/credit/#available-courses - if it in in the ACE only column and starts with the prefix of ACPE it is part of this expiring program  

Time to study up and test out on these! We've got one month to earn credits for less than $10 per credit - I know there are people out there up for the challenge! In other words if you need the credit and know the subject - now if the time.  Hopefully Saylor will look to add the ACPE courses under their own approval group

All of the ACP courses were also ACE-recommended, and probably will continue to be so.  This is NOT saying anything about ACE, so nobody should be panicking!  ACP is separate from ACE, but really it's own little world within ACE.

Unfortunately that is not the case, I thought so too at first when I looked at the Saylor ACE listing.  I do agree that there is no need to panic, but like when ALEKS was always nearing their expiration date for credits - none of us knew if 'this was the last opportunity with them for this, or that' (Many of us thought those two month extensions would never end).

So what I am saying is that if there is something you planned on testing out of through these courses, now would be the time if you want get them.  Many of the credits that were ACE recommended for Saylor through the Alternative Credit Project (ACPE) where never offered as ACE credit as Saylor, and the few that were expired when the ACPE went into effect.   In example - I sure don't know of a course other than Saylor's ACPE-0007 ACE approved course to test out for credit in the subject of Electromagnetism  (& defiantly not for $25). Will Saylor get these courses/exams approved under their own ACE list, maybe - maybe not.  Listed below is a breakdown of those courses - note I did not list any that were covered by being credit approved through NCCRS.

BIO101: Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology         ACPE-0023
BUS101: Introduction to Business                                        ACPE-0107
BUS103: Introduction to Financial Accounting                      ACPE-0113
CHEM101: General Chemistry I                                            ACPE-0034
MA121: Introduction to Statistics                                         ACPE-0017
PHYS101: Introduction to Mechanics                                   ACPE-0008
PHYS102: Introduction to Electromagnetism                       ACPE-0007
POLSC221: Introduction to Comparative Politics                  ACPE-0071

ABOVE - ACE as Alternative Credit Project Ecosystem 4/1/2015 - 3/31/2018

SAME LIST BELOW = ACE as Saylor Academy    

BIO101B: Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology* EXPIRED 4/1/2014 - 3/31/2017
BUS101: Introduction to Business                                    NEVER OFFERED    
BUS103: Introduction to Financial Accounting                   NEVER OFFERED
CHEM101: General Chemistry I                                         EXPIRED 4/1/2014 - 3/31/2017
MA121: Introduction to Statistics                                      NEVER OFFERED
PHYS101: Introduction to Mechanics                                NEVER OFFERED
PHYS102: Introduction to Electromagnetism                    NEVER OFFERED
POLSC221: Introduction to Comparative Politics              NEVER OFFERED

Right- so that's "the list" of courses that may be lost under the closure. I have asked for feedback from Saylor, we'll see what we learn. I know Saylor likes to use NCCRS, so it's also possible that they'll seek NCCRS instead of ACE... hard to say. Previously, there was a financial incentive to be evaluated under ACPE (ACP) and now that they'll lose it, I know ACE hopes they'll pay to keep playing.

[dfrecore]

Sorry, I misspoke. Those 8 courses are not ACE or NCCRS approved, so they will probably be gone. Luckily Intro to Statistics is easily replaced by Business Stats (as far as price goes). Financial Accounting, Biology and Chemistry are all available through CLEP, which is free if you use Modern States. That leaves Intro to Business, Physics I & II, and Comparative Politics, which are all available through other means. Not for $25, obviously, but available for about $100 if you want/need them.

[cookderosa]

Sorry, I misspoke. Those 8 courses are not ACE or NCCRS approved, so they will probably be gone. Luckily Intro to Statistics is easily replaced by Business Stats (as far as price goes). Financial Accounting, Biology and Chemistry are all available through CLEP, which is free if you use Modern States. That leaves Intro to Business, Physics I & II, and Comparative Politics, which are all available through other means. Not for $25, obviously, but available for about $100 if you want/need them.

I'm hoping they won't be gone. Not having to go to a testing center is a benefit, and though it's not a huge deal, saylor's bio and chem are both 3 credit (1 semester) options which is a lot less content to cover than the CLEPs.

On a side, I didn't know until recently that Modern States also pays testing center fees, has that always been the case??? For some reason, I thought it was only the CLEP fee, but I've heard 2 different people tell me it was covered. **Free** beats $25 all day long

---

Just heard from Saylor Academy's Executive Director!! GREAT NEWS!!!

Hi Jennifer- We are submitting ALL of our "ACPE" courses to ACE for re-review this month. I suspect ACE will not allow a "lapse" for those courses if they are unable to complete the review by 3/31, but I can not 100% definitely guarantee that. I would be shocked if there was a lapse, so I'm 95% confident there will not be. So please express that super high level of confidence.

Let me know if that fully answers your question.

thanks!

Jeff

[quigongene]

On a side, I didn't know until recently that Modern States also pays testing center fees, has that always been the case??? For some reason, I thought it was only the CLEP fee, but I've heard 2 different people tell me it was covered. **Free** beats $25 all day long

It's been the case since I started dealing with them (so make me #3 :-P ).

[jsd]

Just heard from Saylor Academy's Executive Director!! GREAT NEWS!!!

Hi Jennifer-   We are submitting ALL of our "ACPE" courses to ACE for re-review this month.  I suspect ACE will not allow a "lapse" for those courses if they are unable to complete the review by 3/31, but I can not 100% definitely guarantee that. I would be shocked if there was a lapse, so I'm 95% confident there will not be. So please express that super high level of confidence.

Let me know if that fully answers your question.

thanks!

Jeff

This is awesome! Thanks for the update Jennifer.

[Mamalady]

It's sad that ACP is closing down. Hopefully, some of the schools signed on will update their info. Some are a bit ambiguous, like State University of New York, which lists ACE via ACP.  Schools like City University of New York and State University of New York are good alternatives for New York state homeschoolers / returning adults, as we have a state scholarship program that offers free tuition for those earning under $100k per year. 

I've included the link below (I could just be misreading it, but it is a bit confusing for me).

https://www.esc.edu/degree-planning-acad...t-project/

I'll do a little digging and give them a call to see what the situation is--for any NY folks out there considering it.

[cookderosa]

The list would be too hard to build, but I'd like to know *because I'm nerdy like that* which specific courses / providers are going to be shut out. I can only speak of 1 college because I spent a lot of time unwinding the program as a target school for my son - Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. It's our only school in the state that was a partner, and without the partnership, they will not even review Straighterline or Sophia courses. I don't know about the other 4, but I'm sure it's similar since it's all ACE. It would be WONDERFUL if companies like SL and Sophia went after those accounts since the bridge exists, I feel like the hard work has been done- they just have to finalize it away from ACP. Come to think of it, I'm going to ask SL to consider it for Fayetteville. Nothing to lose.

[Ideas]

Yes, Modern States pays the test center fee, but you have to pay it and wait for reimbursement. You upload a receipt, and they send a check, which can take a couple months. It's much better than having to pay the fee!

[bezzina]

Apologies in advance if this is an obvious question. I've been thinking about using Saylor for College Algebra. Will this have any effect on me being able to transfer credit from Saylor to WGU? Alternatively, has Saylor provided an update on the ACPE courses that they submitted to ACE for review?