Online Degrees and CLEP and DSST Exam Prep Discussion
Foreign Language Prior Learning Assessment PLA portfolio - Printable Version

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Foreign Language Prior Learning Assessment PLA portfolio - ladylearner - 03-28-2014

Hi all, I am planning to do a PLA portfolio in Spanish but I'm not sure which way to go. Thanks to a thread here, I found a great database of courses at TESC and there are lots of Spanish classes for which I could do a portfolio. But I find the whole process confusing. I started an account with Learning Counts, but haven't registered in a class yet.

I know a handful of people here have had success with the PLA portfolio process. Any pointers, suggestions, info you could share? I would greatly appreciate it...thank you!

Getting information from these schools (with the exception of COSC) is like pulling teeth!

Foreign Language Prior Learning Assessment PLA portfolio - Saharapost - 03-28-2014

This link below is from an old thread. Check it out as it may answer some of your questions...

http://www.degreeforum.net/general-education-testing-discussion/15114-learningcounts-org.html

Foreign Language Prior Learning Assessment PLA portfolio - ladylearner - 03-28-2014

I read this one...thank you.

I know a lot of people are not in favor of PLAs but they are helpful to people who are interested in particular fields.

Foreign Language Prior Learning Assessment PLA portfolio - publius2k4 - 03-29-2014

ladylearner Wrote:Hi all, I am planning to do a PLA portfolio in Spanish but I'm not sure which way to go. Thanks to a thread here, I found a great database of courses at TESC and there are lots of Spanish classes for which I could do a portfolio. But I find the whole process confusing. I started an account with Learning Counts, but haven't registered in a class yet.

I know a handful of people here have had success with the PLA portfolio process. Any pointers, suggestions, info you could share? I would greatly appreciate it...thank you!

Getting information from these schools (with the exception of COSC) is like pulling teeth!


One thing to remember with Portfolio Assessment is that generally if there's a CBE for the course you're trying to get credit for, they will not give you credit in the portfolio assessment.

Since Spanish is available with CLEP, I don't think you'll be able to get credit for Spanish through portfolio assessment. I could be wrong, but I believe that's the general policy.

Foreign Language Prior Learning Assessment PLA portfolio - ironheadjack - 03-29-2014

Another option is the NYU proficiency language test, with which you can earn up to 16 credits. As opposed to 12 for the CLEP.


NYU Foreign Language Proficiency

Foreign Language Prior Learning Assessment PLA portfolio - cookderosa - 03-30-2014

this isn't a question of being in favor of/not in favor of. This is the exact situation in which someone would NOT use PLA. PLA is not a promise for credit, it's an opportunity for you to demonstrate proficiency. You will be paying full price tuition for that "opportunity" and how you'll do it is up to you- but there will be a requirement of supporting documentation in there as well, plus assembling time, mailing, etc. If they award credit (if) then you'll have credit in the EXACT SAME THING that you could have done with a CLEP multiple choice test, 90 minutes, and 80 dollars. If you are fluent in Spanish, go take the exam TODAY. What would 6 credits PLA cost? Somewhere around $2000?


EDIT - the exact cost is $476/credit (x3) for the PLA "classes" ($1428) then you pay another $350 for 12 credits reviewed = $1778.00


http://www.tesc.edu/tuition/Per-Credit.cfm
How much does PLA cost? Is PLA covered by Financial Aid?
A:
PLA-100 (1 credit) and PLA-200 (2 credits) are OL courses, and the per-credit tuition for those is the same as for other OL courses. Once you successfully complete the PLA-100 and PLA-200 courses and have learned how to write and assemble your portfolio work, there is a Portfolio Assessment fee for the review of your material. The fee is $350 for the first 12 credits reviewed (it is not a per-credit fee—it covers up to 12 credits), and then $200 for each additional 6 credits reviewed.

Foreign Language Prior Learning Assessment PLA portfolio - ladylearner - 03-30-2014

Hi everyone, thanks for the feedback. However, I'm looking for info on the PLA portfolio process for upper level credit. Sorry I wasn’t more specific. I got the idea to do portfolio assessment from a couple of other threads I read, including one that had to do with fulfilling the requirements for a major in Spanish.

Any info you can give me on PLA portfolios (especially in a foreign language) would be greatly appreciated. I haven’t picked a Big 3 school yet but this process will affect my decision.

@Cookderosa: FallingWaters paid $379 for 12 credits, which is less than a 3-credit independent study class at BYU or other RA schools. Is the pricing you mentioned for TESC? Would Excelsior be cheaper since they work with Learning Counts?

Foreign Language Prior Learning Assessment PLA portfolio - sanantone - 03-31-2014

The pricing was for TESC's in-house PLAs, but TESC also accepts Learning Counts. There is just no guarantee that your PLA will be transcribed as intended.

Foreign Language Prior Learning Assessment PLA portfolio - ladylearner - 03-31-2014

sanantone Wrote:The pricing was for TESC's in-house PLAs, but TESC also accepts Learning Counts. There is just no guarantee that your PLA will be transcribed as intended.

So it is possible to get credits through Learning Counts without spending thousands, right?

Also, when you say no guarantee that the PLA will be transcribed as intended - do you mean that it could possibly just go to free electives or lower level credit? And is that only in the case when going through Learning Counts since it is not the target school?

As I mentioned, I haven't selected a transfer school yet so this process will influence my decision.

Foreign Language Prior Learning Assessment PLA portfolio - sanantone - 03-31-2014

ladylearner Wrote:So it is possible to get credits through Learning Counts without spending thousands, right?

Also, when you say no guarantee that the PLA will be transcribed as intended - do you mean that it could possibly just go to free electives or lower level credit? And is that only in the case when going through Learning Counts since it is not the target school?

As I mentioned, I haven't selected a transfer school yet so this process will influence my decision.
TESC will match the course up to what's in their PLA database. If you design your portfolio to match TESC's recommendations and you end up choosing Excelsior, then Excelsior might treat those portfolios differently. You should decide on a school first. Does Excelsior even offer a foreign language degree? Oh, and Learning Counts now charges $125 per 3 credits plus the fee for the instructor-led or self-directed course.