Hi folks, You may already have seen this, but in case not -- an interesting new study from CAEL (and WICHE) on the use of Prior Learning Assessment at the postsecondary level. Bottom line: Few adults take advantage of PLA, but those that do see a VERY sizeable increase in their likelihood of completing a credential. It's a 22-percentage point increase. That's not 22%, but 22 actual PERCENTAGE POINTS (from 27% of overall students completing a credential during the specified time period to 49% of students-with-PLA completing a credential within the same time period). More details in the report (or if you're short on time, the exec summary or the 1-page overview are also useful). All linked below in this blurb from CAEL: CAEL is pleased to share a new research report on the impact of PLA on adult student outcomes: The PLA Boost: Results from a 72-Institution Targeted Study of Prior Learning Assessment and Adult Student Outcomes <https://www.cael.org/e2t/tc/VWm6WH16jZ9TW4bd7n-1tvZslW7qxXbD4hbWjnN3hBC613p_8SV1-WJV7CgN6sW7w-GVM4_PgR9Vpj4ms5WbbrkVj4T9r4SZVdvW90JTSz3C4HPqW3pPKxS2wH9ScW9l0X9r6HMsDdVjYKnl4m_YlPW5VjJM02xX_5fN3VskhY9wf69W2RjRym74QKqCW5RR75y5ZthbtW7SP5YL8vydBnW8kZ5d-6MVh3LW7sG-qZ31kc92VqsLxV2t0kHRV-dWR61gcXTSN4vMLVbPn0N0W8VKQPX8_VbQMW3q4csl5S1WlJW17S7pb2mYWnkW34J7ll30jz6xN5GD5pcC9kBc3kZ41>. Through detailed data analysis of more than 230,000 adult postsecondary students, the report confirms that PLA reduces barriers to postsecondary education and improves credential completion, representing an opportunity for meaningful progress in closing equity gaps. And yet, only about one in ten students in our sample had any PLA credit. PLA cannot benefit the students who need it most if they aren't using it. -- *Amanda Bergson-Shilcock*, Senior Fellow *National Skills Coalition* Pronouns: she/her/hers 1250 Connecticut Ave, NW Suite 200 Washington, D.C. 20036 215-285-2860 (mobile) *www.nationalskillscoalition.org <http://www.nationalskillscoalition.org/>* [image: GuideStar Member]

Hi colleagues, ICYMI - CAEL has just sent out a pretty sizeable set of error corrections to this report. Hi Amanda, We recently discovered that a small subset of the data that informed our recent report “The PLA Boost” had been duplicated. The good news is that our updated calculations do not affect any of our topline findings; adult students with PLA are more likely to complete credentials, and, whether measured in time, money, or both, PLA reduces their cost of college completion. In fact, it turns out that time savings were greater than originally calculated. Meanwhile, the number of PLA credits associated with improved completion is lower, showing that PLA’s benefits occur at even smaller “doses.” We’ve updated the report and its supporting documents, which you can find on our website here <https://www.cael.org/e2t/tc/VVG5w-4J73dtW5V2Dsh5-Q92MVcSh174knxRwN4bXfJ35nxGrV3Zsc37CgVk9W17TjF67kFgb1W17Wbsr2RP3GNW5vS0C-3crKxvW3V9VBt3PBz9RW7Dc2j_3trXNJW17R3r55kMWhGW6-k03T2HKy9QW2-KtP34ClxDKW6CkN7t9gNjGqW90LDQ399nf9JW6k6TjX5CYhqDW3Kdb3Y8rkMBjW8ywkKH776JMBW5W-r9P84jzJ5W5B7psp6F-9dqW6cZ1dv7xd9DjW8q2R8t28BG-9N2yHVGH3vDf_W45t56n4YK8gwVDnjdd3jcpmKW3zb3vk6L1bJFW2wNK6V8th9DNW89j2Qf4TBQRxW5sgvrX4dXvZWW4_2dBn7FhT9fW4Hg55x5QC-m5W6p0XZF5Z7ZN0VhWPSm2ZhW_lW9fTnQ93n5QgTW1zWXDb2f1dS-W6SKMgM2rnlnfW3mqLGS8zMz3KW2DXkkg3MPtscN3xt5qgWQbV137NX1>. I’ve also summarized the quantitative adjustments below: - Average number of PLA credits earned—the corrected data indicate a lower average number of PLA credits earned by all adult students in the sample (15, compared to the original 24) as well as for the subgroups analyzed - Cost savings for adult students—the corrected data indicate slightly smaller cost savings for each sector ($1,500 to $10,200, instead of the original $2,200-$11,600) - Time savings for adult students with PLA credits—the corrected data indicate a greater range of time savings for adult student completers with PLA credits (9 to 14 months, instead of the original 7 to12 months) - “Tipping point” analysis for PLA completers—the corrected data indicate that adult students see increased effects with 15 or more PLA credits (the tipping point in the original report was at 30 PLA credits) We regret the data error but think you’ll agree that “The PLA Boost” continues to highlight PLA’s benefits to institutions and adult learners as access to postsecondary education is a critical component to the nation’s recovery from the pandemic’s socioeconomic crises. Thanks for your understanding, and please let me know if we can answer any questions. Sincerely, Becky Klein-Collins AVP, Advancement & Impact, CAEL On Wed, Oct 28, 2020 at 1:13 PM Amanda Bergson-Shilcock < amandabs@nationalskillscoalition.org> wrote: > Hi folks, > > You may already have seen this, but in case not -- an interesting new > study from CAEL (and WICHE) on the use of Prior Learning Assessment at the > postsecondary level. Bottom line: Few adults take advantage of PLA, but > those that do see a VERY sizeable increase in their likelihood of > completing a credential. It's a 22-percentage point increase. > > That's not 22%, but 22 actual PERCENTAGE POINTS (from 27% of overall > students completing a credential during the specified time period to 49% of > students-with-PLA completing a credential within the same time period). > > More details in the report (or if you're short on time, the exec summary > or the 1-page overview are also useful). All linked below in this blurb > from CAEL: > > CAEL is pleased to share a new research report on the impact of PLA on > adult student outcomes: The PLA Boost: Results from a 72-Institution > Targeted Study of Prior Learning Assessment and Adult Student Outcomes > <https://www.cael.org/e2t/tc/VWm6WH16jZ9TW4bd7n-1tvZslW7qxXbD4hbWjnN3hBC613p_8SV1-WJV7CgN6sW7w-GVM4_PgR9Vpj4ms5WbbrkVj4T9r4SZVdvW90JTSz3C4HPqW3pPKxS2wH9ScW9l0X9r6HMsDdVjYKnl4m_YlPW5VjJM02xX_5fN3VskhY9wf69W2RjRym74QKqCW5RR75y5ZthbtW7SP5YL8vydBnW8kZ5d-6MVh3LW7sG-qZ31kc92VqsLxV2t0kHRV-dWR61gcXTSN4vMLVbPn0N0W8VKQPX8_VbQMW3q4csl5S1WlJW17S7pb2mYWnkW34J7ll30jz6xN5GD5pcC9kBc3kZ41>. > Through detailed data analysis of more than 230,000 adult postsecondary > students, the report confirms that PLA reduces barriers to postsecondary > education and improves credential completion, representing an opportunity > for meaningful progress in closing equity gaps. And yet, only about one > in ten students in our sample had any PLA credit. PLA cannot benefit the > students who need it most if they aren't using it. > > -- > *Amanda Bergson-Shilcock*, Senior Fellow > *National Skills Coalition* > Pronouns: she/her/hers > > 1250 Connecticut Ave, NW > Suite 200 > Washington, D.C. 20036 > > 215-285-2860 (mobile) > > *www.nationalskillscoalition.org <http://www.nationalskillscoalition.org/>* > > [image: GuideStar Member] > -- *Amanda Bergson-Shilcock*, Senior Fellow *National Skills Coalition* Pronouns: she/her/hers 1250 Connecticut Ave, NW Suite 200 Washington, D.C. 20036 215-285-2860 (mobile) *www.nationalskillscoalition.org <http://www.nationalskillscoalition.org/>* [image: GuideStar Member]