Minimum age for testing and enrollment

[dave042]

[SIZE="3"]Does anybody know the minimum age for taking CLEP, ECE, DANTES testing? What about enrollment in Excelsior, Thomas Edison, or Charter Oak? I would be interested in hearing anyone's opinion or experience in the under 18 year old students getting their associates or undergraduate degree. It doesn't seem unrealistic for one to obtain an associates by age 18 from testing.[/SIZE]

[barcotta]

Not at all. In fact, my local community college offers a program where high school students may complete their HS requirements AND their first two years of college and graduate from HS with their Associate's degree. I believe Charter Oak allows enrollment from 16 yrs. old. Don't really know but that's what I've heard.

[Inwe]

When I researched it Excelsior's minimum age was 18, Thomas Edison's 21 (but there is an exception just call an ask and they will tell you who to send the request to), and Charter Oak is 16.

[cookderosa]

[SIZE="3"]Does anybody know the minimum age for taking CLEP, ECE, DANTES testing? What about enrollment in Excelsior, Thomas Edison, or Charter Oak? I would be interested in hearing anyone's opinion or experience in the under 18 year old students getting their associates or undergraduate degree. It doesn't seem unrealistic for one to obtain an associates by age 18 from testing.[/SIZE]

>>

I'll let you know on the age and testing, My 13 year old son will be attempting the DSST Statistics exam with me next month.

[twosidneys]

Charter Oaks is 16 - I checked. Excelsior is 18 UNLESS you have a high school diploma. In that case, the age 18 is waived.

Sidney

[dave042]

Thanks for the feedback. As a father about to home school my 13 yo son, I find this very interesting that I can get him on the fast track to a degree. I guess the first step is finding a program which allows him to pursue an associates and bachelors degree at the same time. His interests are in computers. As he is testing, does it make any sense to open a credit bank for him? Are there any age limitations to open or time limitations the credit bank stays open? Does anybody have any recommendations on a degree program and school which maximizes the use of CLEP, ECE, DSST, FEMA, and computer certifications (A+, MCP, etc) to apply towards a degree?

[cookderosa]

Thanks for the feedback. As a father about to home school my 13 yo son, I find this very interesting that I can get him on the fast track to a degree. I guess the first step is finding a program which allows him to pursue an associates and bachelors degree at the same time. His interests are in computers. As he is testing, does it make any sense to open a credit bank for him? Are there any age limitations to open or time limitations the credit bank stays open? Does anybody have any recommendations on a degree program and school which maximizes the use of CLEP, ECE, DSST, FEMA, and computer certifications (A+, MCP, etc) to apply towards a degree?

There are many of us who are homeschooling or who are being homeschooled on this board, you should have no trouble finding support. I homeschool my four sons ages 13, 9, 7, and 3. My oldest has started studying statistics with me. I offered him $100 if he could pass the DSST. I also told him that I wouldn't let him study during our regular school day, and I wouldn't do more than let him know when I was about to study- if he joined me fine, if not fine. So, no pressure from me at all. (But he is highly motivated $$) It remains to be seen if he ends up taking the exam, but so far he has kept up with our study schedule and doing fine.

High school is the perfect fit for a homeschooler to use CLEP/ DSST I think. My intentions are to use the exams as a "final exam" for his courses. We study US History 1 anyway...we study US History II anyway.....and so on.
It's entirely possible that there may be a few failed exams, or a few passes that won't necessarily be guaranteed transferrable, but that doesn't concern me in the least. It's excellent experience- and the information is worth knowing and the cost is minimal.

It's of my opinion that your son doesn't need to choose his college major right now. Let him take the subjects you know he needs and be flexible. How many adults are unsure?? Many! Your son will probably start to get a good idea after he starts studying for various exams. I always (literally- my entire childhood) thought I wanted to be a scientist. When I started my TESC degree, I considered science because I fondly enjoy the subject. Well, what I found out is that I fondly enjoy documentaries and exploratory science- I havn't got a fraction of the brain power necessary to major in a hard science. On the flip side, I found out that I am quite interested in anthropology, and should I pursue a PhD, it will be in food anthropology.
I only say all this because if you start him filling degree requirements, there is going to be a lot of pressure to stay the course rather than getting a head start on his own course. (I hope that makes sense and doesn't sound preachy) He may have an undiscovered interest in a subject he hasn't been exposed to. He may get sidetracked during his American Lit CLEP to dive into Twain or James Fenimore Cooper for a month. Maybe he passes College Algebra (fills degree requirement) but wants to study calculus? During humanities he starts to enjoy art. I would encourage these kinds of distractions for a young person.

So, formally, my suggestion is look at the requirements for an AA degree. That is your best bet for transferring into any bachelor program- and when the time comes that he has a solid idea for his major, you just enroll in the program. TESC doesn't require you to earn your AA first- you just switch programs and have at it. In the meantime, you are working from a basic idea of credit distributions.

Credit banking is unnecessary. CLEP holds his score for 20 years. Just take exams, and when the time comes for college, pay CLEP $20 and they will forward the complete transcript.

WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!

[goldpaws]

Hi, and welcome to the board. I am unaware of a CLEP age requirement.
I am 16 and have taken a ton of CLEP tests this year.

In order for students to take the test they must have proper ID. For students who do not have their driver's license or a school ID, I recommend the State ID - it looks just like a driver's license, but it's just an identification card, issued at the same place as driver's licenses are (DMV). This state id card can also be used during the SAT and ACT standarized tests for students who are so young. I am very happy my mother got one because it saved a lot of trouble. (I did have a school id, but it was a correspondence highschool, and ordering school IDs was not required.)

Good luck.

[japhy4529]

Hi, and welcome to the board. I am unaware of a CLEP age requirement.
I am 16 and have taken a ton of CLEP tests this year.

In order for students to take the test they must have proper ID. For students who do not have their driver's license or a school ID, I recommend the State ID - it looks just like a driver's license, but it's just an identification card, issued at the same place as driver's licenses are (DMV). This state id card can also be used during the SAT and ACT standarized tests for students who are so young. I am very happy my mother got one because it saved a lot of trouble. (I did have a school id, but it was a correspondence highschool, and ordering school IDs was not required.)

Good luck.

A U.S. Passport would serve the same purpose (and you can get one at any age).

[dave042]

Goldpaws- Hi, good to hear from you. I'm impressed to see you have completed several CLEPs:
Freshman English w/ essay - 66
Principles of Management - 54
US History I & II - 65 & 53
Analyzing & Interpreting Literature - 62
Natural Sciences & Biology - 59 & 54
Business Law - 47 - Retaking
Govt - 46 - Retaking
Information Systems - 49 - Retaking
College Algebra - 39 - Retaking
Spanish - 44 - Not Retaking
Psychology- 72

And the next tests are:
Principles of Marketing (3 credits)
Government (Retake, 3 credits)
Microeconomics (3 credits)
Western Civilization (3 credits)

Looks like you have 24 hours completed, retaking 12, and 12 more coming up. Have you decided on which college to enroll or what to major in? Do you have a roadmap on what you need to complete? Are you wanting to graduate through testing or transfer your credit to a B&M school? On the tests you are retaking, why do you think you didn't pass? What recommendations do you have for other teenagers in order to pass the CLEPs?