interesting info on TESC website

[sanantone]

Interesting. As I assumed, most people don't like tests. We just have to accept that we're weird.

[Ace_King]

My friend took his Excelsior capstone a couple months ago, and he said 99% of his class didn't know what CLEPS meant.

[rebel100]

I used to be surprised by this, but not anymore. The great majority of students really only know the one way to go to school. Even when I link people to the CLEP/DSST page at their institution they don't seem to buy the idea that it's meant for them.

It's sort of confusing when you consider that there are even tests to qualify for the next grade in High School (in Florida). You would think this would breed an understanding or at least a high comfort level with the concept of "high stakes" testing.

[Tampamom3]

Yes, I also noticed that the majority of my classmates at COSC did not seem to be aware of the testing option. Both my husband and I graduated from COSC. When I met him he was working as an engineer at a medical device company when human resources sent around a sheet wanting everyone to list what degrees they held. Since my husband had not finished his last semester, he did not have a degree. We went back to his private (and very expensive) university to see what he would need to complete his degree. We were shocked to discover that they would not give credit for many of the courses he took with them! He then had all of his records transferred to Charter Oak where he found that he needed one gen ed course (history) to graduate. I remember him coming home from the test center mad as a hornet and convinced he failed the exam. He passed and graduated with high honors from COSC and even more importantly kept his job! So, does this mean he is inferior to those he works with because his degree is from Charter Oak and not University of Hartford?
I, on the other hand, love to test and used as many as I could toward my degree. Every student has a different story to tell and should be evaluated on what they bring to the table as far as experience, attitude, motivation, ect rather than just the school they graduated from. Just something to keep in mind you hiring managers....

[sanantone]

It's sort of confusing when you consider that there are even tests to qualify for the next grade in High School (in Florida). You would think this would breed an understanding or at least a high comfort level with the concept of "high stakes" testing.

They are really trying to fight this in Texas. First, they complained about the general reading, writing, and math tests saying that teachers had to spend too much time teaching the test instead of focusing on the curriculum. Really, you shouldn't have to teach the tests. The students should already have the basic reading, writing, and math skills for their grades. These tests were insanely easy. So now Texas has gone to end of course exams, which teachers already required, but now they are standardized across the state and have more weight in graduation and moving on to the next grade. All you have to do is teach the curriculum for students to pass these tests, but teachers and some politicians are complaining about this too. With so many people graduating high school without being able to read at even the middle school level, how else are teachers and students supposed to be evaluated? No one seems to offer an alternative. If a student doesn't know that George Washington was the first president and that Lincoln was president during the Civil War, there is something really wrong.

[IrishJohn]

Interesting. As I assumed, most people don't like tests. We just have to accept that we're weird.

I prefer quirky, thrifty and a tad eccentric myself...

[Prloko]

My husband (now a big shot university chef-instructor lol) and I attended a small college party this past weekend. One of his co-workers JUST finished his MA in Liberal Arts from the University of North Carolina. This co-worker was also a chef, so I asked him why he earned his masters in liberal arts. (you can already tell I'm fishing lol) He explained that he had also earned his BA in liberal arts, and only his associate degree was in culinary. So NOW I'm really interested, because this has CLEP testing and big three written all over it- I'm getting ready for him to tell me all about CLEP....after all, this was/is exactly the path I took. Nope. All classes, most face to face, a few online, but he said he'd taken one CLEP (English Comp) and it was the WORST EXPERIENCE OF HIS LIFE, he'd never EVER take a CLEP again, and wouldn't suggest them to ANYONE! I mentioned the tuition savings (both degrees were from state universities, no not hugely expensive- but still) and he said he'd rather pay the loans than take the exams. <shrug> He isn't a stupid man. He just graduated with a master's degree! I think we (IC forum) live in a forum that isn't really reflective of the edu-world and so sometimes I'll have conversations like that one and it just reminds me of how my world is in a 'hole nuther place.

I can relate to this. As most of us here know, being in the military, our CLEP/DSST tests are funded by DANTES. I have been able to test out of well over 60 credits. I recommend these to my co-workers/subordinates till I'm blue in the face. My experience is that these same people come back failing the exam and not wanting to take another one afterwards. One person went as far as to tell me he prefers to sit in class not because he learns any better or worse, but because he can kiss up to the professor and squeeze out a few extra points, and finds it easier. Go figure.

We truly are an anomoly.

[bluk30]

I had a friend that needed three semesters of Spanish to graduate from a state university.

I told her to just spend the $2000+ she would spend on the classes, rent an apartment in
Mexico for a few months and immerse herself. Then she could come back, take the CLEP, and
graduate. She told me I was crazy, that she "actually wanted to learn" Spanish and that CLEP
was B.S.

This Christmas she had to ask me what the words to Feliz Navidad meant.

I never took a Spanish class, but I passed the CLEP with 12 credits and had a great time traveling
around Mexico. :-)

[rebel100]

I had a friend that needed three semesters of Spanish to graduate from a state university.

I told her to just spend the $2000+ she would spend on the classes, rent an apartment in
Mexico for a few months and immerse herself. Then she could come back, take the CLEP, and
graduate. She told me I was crazy, that she "actually wanted to learn" Spanish and that CLEP
was B.S.

This Christmas she had to ask me what the words to Feliz Navidad meant.

I never took a Spanish class, but I passed the CLEP with 12 credits and had a great time traveling
around Mexico. :-)

That's AWESOME!!!

[sklineho]

Wow, yeah this is shocking. Although even I only will have taken about 24 hours worth of tests but still, I assumed most everyone was doing it. They really don't advertise it at all. none of the brick and mortar schools I've been to ever advertised it either.