Penn Foster will a D transfer for ACE credit?

[skyfall123]

I will answer my own question for any person that finds themselves in this position down the road. My son was one of those impatient persons who didn't wait for his books to arrive before taking his Penn Foster chapter exams. He scored a 70% on his final and ended with a 71% overall average for his course. A 71% is both passing and a D at Penn Foster. Any of you fine people familiar with ALEKS, SL, etc...know that a 70% is all that is needed to earn ACE credit, since ACE is pass/fail. Right? According to PF, no. When my son submitted the course for ACE credit, the person at PF would not approve the course because it was a D, despite the fact that he passed with a 71% and PF has no written policy that says otherwise.

Mary Ann at PF is awesome, but the other people at PF are not. Eight emails and appeals all the way up to the VP of Academic Affairs (an old goat) were met with ignorant, uninformed, and condescending replies. The good news is that the very, very courteous and professional people at ACE responded by agreeing that a 71% passing grade IS all that is needed to earn approval for ACE credit and they added the course to his transcript.

Lesson learned, if you get a D in a Penn Foster course, immediately appeal to ACE directly and they will add the course to your transcript.

[BrandeX]

As a PFC student, tbh I think their modified grading scale (although often not in my best interest) is fair. All exams are open book, you can look up the answers as you are doing the tests, so the harsher scale is appropriate imo.

[skyfall123]

As a PFC student, tbh I think their modified grading scale (although often not in my best interest) is fair. All exams are open book, you can look up the answers as you are doing the tests, so the harsher scale is appropriate imo.

My point is not to whine or try and justify my son's lack of preparation or foresight, it is to inform others that if by chance they do get a D, bypass PF and go straight to ACE for credit. The people at PF act as if they are Harvard and miss the concept entirely that some people take PF courses strictly for ACE credit and that ACE merely requires a 70% or above to pass. It is not PF's call as to what ACE's requirements are, even though they impose their particular arbitrary set of criteria and refuse to submit a passing score to ACE. The fact that ACE happily took it says it all.

There are posts from a long time ago on IC where students with D's took PF's word as gospel and wasted $300. This new post is for others who might find themselves in that same situation. Go straight to ACE.

[BrandeX]

My point is not to whine or try and justify my son's lack of preparation or foresight, it is to inform others that if by chance they do get a D, bypass PF and go straight to ACE for credit. The people at PF act as if they are Harvard and miss the concept entirely that some people take PF courses strictly for ACE credit and that ACE merely requires a 70% or above to pass. It is not PF's call as to what ACE's requirements are, even though they impose their particular arbitrary set of criteria and refuse to submit a passing score to ACE. The fact that ACE happily took it says it all.

There are posts from a long time ago on IC where students with D's took PF's word as gospel and wasted $300. This new post is for others who might find themselves in that same situation. Go straight to ACE.

I'll most likely end up using my PFC credits as ACE credits, I'm glad you found this out for those of us whom it may be an issue for.

[momtomany5]

Thanks Geezer for the information. Not that I plan on my students/children making a D, some things that we plan just don't happen so it's nice to have a back-up or be informed as in this case.

[rickyjo]

Hey geezer, I'm getting a pretty low grade in my art appreciation class at the moment. Who did you talk to at ACE? Are you aware of any other people who have had this experience? I fully intend to get the minimum required to pass this class, so...I'm a bit annoyed at the bureaucracy you dealt with.

[rickyjo]

I just called ACE and they told me that if Penn Foster refuses to approve the course that they will not put it on a transcript no matter what :confused:. This kind of BS annoys me. Nobody knows what they are talking about. Now I don't know what my minimum passing grade is and nobody seems to know.

[irnbru]

Informative and dignified. Nice combination, Geezer Good job.

Hang in there, Ricky. You are so close!

[skyfall123]

Who did you talk to at ACE?

You have to know the system better than anyone and be prepared. You can't ask open ended questions or else anyone and everyone will blow you off. FACT: ACE is pass/fail, there are no grades. You either pass or fail. ACE only needs for a participating college to give a passing grade of 70% or more for it to give credit for a course and generate a transcript. FACT: ALEKS, STRAIGHTERLINE require a 70% for a passing ACE credit. FACT: 70% is passing at Penn Foster. PF won't submit a 70% passing grade to ACE because they have an unwritten rule that they don't submit grades below a C... But since ACE is pass /fail only and 70% is passing, Penn Foster College - The Learning Experience ACE will accept it.
Have your facts in order and start here CREDIT@ace.nche.edu

Below is the letter I received in response to my factual letter....


Good Afternoon,

As stated in my voicemail left moments ago, I wanted to follow-up with how we can assist you with your issue. I have good news and bad news for you. The bad news is that, unfortunately, we cannot tell Penn Foster how they choose to run their operations, processes and procedures. The good news is that we CAN help you. In order to receive ACE college credit recommendations, you simply need to complete and pass the course. According to the attached Penn Foster grading policy and according to the grade that you shared with us – you are eligible to receive that credit recommendation on an ACE transcript.

Please have your transcript forwarded directly from Penn Foster to my attention at the address below. Once I receive that transcript, I will add the course and inform you that the course has been added so that you may then order your transcript to be sent to Thomas Edison. If you have any further questions or concerns, please email or call me directly.

Thank you!

Best regards,


Operations Manager, Program Evaluations

American Council on Education

[rickyjo]

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. If it is no trouble could you PM me the contact information for this fellow just in case I need it? I'm so grateful for your personal response to my question.

Irnbru: Thanks! I'm hoping these two classes complete my requirements for an A.S. from EC ^_^