This executive order is issued pursuant to Title 5, California Code of Regulations, Sections 40100 and 40102; and Section II (a) of the Standing Orders of the Board of Trustees of the California State University. It supersedes Executive Orders 365 (“Systemwide Credit by Evaluation” for matriculated students) and 366 (“Evaluation of Nontraditional Credits and Grades in Determining Eligibility for Admission” for applicants).
In accordance with the provisions of this executive order, presidents of the California State University campuses or their designees may apply toward admission eligibility and/or the baccalaureate degree, credit earned from (1) examinations, (2) learning, skills, and knowledge acquired through experience, and (3) non-collegiate instruction.
This executive order is issued under the authority granted by the Standing Orders of the Board of Trustees, Section II (a).
Article
1. Credit for Examinations
1.1 Campus-Originated
Challenge Examinations
1.1.1. Students who pass campus-originated challenge examinations (as differentiated from placement examinations) shall earn credit
toward the degree and/or toward the determination of admission eligibility.
1.1.2 Campuses shall develop procedures governing
the awarding of credit for these examinations. Campus policies should be consistent with the
conditions set forth in this executive order.
1.1.3 Information about challenge examinations shall be included in the campus catalogs and web sites.
1.2 Standardized
External Examinations and Systemwide Examinations
1.2.1 Campuses
shall award baccalaureate credit to be applied toward the degree and/or
admission eligibility to students who pass either of the following (or both):
A. Standardized external examinations, such as Advanced Placement (AP) Tests, International Baccalaureate (IB), and College Level Entrance Program (CLEP); or
B. Systemwide examinations that have been
developed and approved by established CSU policy and procedures.
1.2.2 Conditions
of Award of Credit for Standardized External Examinations and Systemwide
Examinations
1.2.2.1 For standardized external examinations and systemwide examinations, the passing score and the minimum amount of credit
awarded for the calculation of admission eligibility and toward the
baccalaureate shall be uniform throughout the system and determined according
to procedures set forth in Section 1.2.4 of this executive order.
1.2.2.2 Credit for passage of standardized external examinations or systemwide examinations shall not be awarded if the student has taken that examination within the previous term.
1.2.2.3 Credit
for passage of standardized external examinations or systemwide examinations shall
not be awarded when equivalent degree credit has been granted for regular
coursework, credit by evaluation, or other instructional processes.
1.2.2.4 Credit
for passage of standardized external examinations or systemwide examinations shall
not be awarded when credit has been granted at a level more advanced than the
content in the examination.
1.2.2.5 Care
shall be taken not to award duplicate credit because of overlapping tests,
college-level courses, or both. Where
there is partial overlap, the amount of examination credit shall be reduced
accordingly as determined by the CSU campus at which the student matriculates.
1.2.3 Application of Credits for Standardized
External Examinations and Systemwide Examinations
1.2.3.1 For their students who enter as freshmen,
campuses shall establish policies specifying whether the credits earned by
passing standardized external examinations or systemwide examinations shall be
applicable as general education, major, or elective credits.
1.2.3.2 For their transfer students who enter
with full or partial certification in GE Breadth, campuses shall honor
certifications that apply credits earned by passing standardized external
examinations as authorized by CSU policy and set forth in Section 1.2.4 of this
executive order.
1.2.3.3 Campuses may establish policies that
allow the granting of additional credits upon matriculation.
1.2.3.4 Except for International Baccalaureate
and Advanced Placement Tests, no more than 30 semester (45 quarter) total units
of credit shall be applied to the calculation of admission eligibility nor to
the baccalaureate degree on the basis of passing externally developed tests. Advanced Placement and International
Baccalaureate are excluded from this limit.
1.2.3.5 The name of the examination, student’s score,
and credit earned shall be identified on the student’s academic record.
1.2.4 Procedures for Evaluating Appropriateness of
Examinations for Systemwide Credit
1.2.4.1 The Office of the Chancellor, in consultation with the
Chancellor’s General Education Advisory Committee, shall maintain a list of standardized
external examinations and their appropriateness for systemwide credit.
1.2.4.2 This list shall include passing scores, minimum credits toward
admission eligibility, minimum credits toward the baccalaureate degree, and,
for transfer students seeking general education certification before
matriculation, placement in GE-Breadth area.
1.2.4.3 The Office of the Chancellor, in consultation with the
Chancellor’s General Education Advisory Committee, shall be responsible for publicizing
and periodically updating the list of examinations appropriate for systemwide
credit.
Article 2. Credit
for Demonstrated Learning, Knowledge, or Skills Acquired Through Experience
2.1 Designation
of Authority
Each campus shall have the
discretion to determine whether or not enrolled students may earn credit toward
the baccalaureate for learning, knowledge, or skills acquired through
experience. However, credit for
learning, knowledge, or skills acquired through experience shall not be used in
determining eligibility for admission.
2.2 Conditions of Award of Credit for
Demonstrated Learning, Knowledge, or Skills Acquired Through Experience
Credit for
documented learning, skills, and knowledge acquired through experience shall be
subject to the following conditions:
A. The
student seeking credit for experiential learning shall be matriculated at the CSU
campus granting credit.
B. The
assessment of experiential learning shall be made in the context of the
institution’s mission and degree programs and shall be appropriate to the
applicant’s degree objectives.
C. Credit
for such experiential learning shall be awarded only when it is academically
creditable and verifiable as higher education credit.
D. Before
credit for experiential learning becomes a part of the student’s academic
record, the student shall complete at the undergraduate credit-granting campus
a sufficient number of units to establish evidence of a satisfactory learning
pattern. Decisions about the number of
units and performance level shall be made in accordance with campus procedures.
2.3 Verification and Evaluation of Learning,
Knowledge, or Skills Acquired through Experience
If campus policy permits award of
such credit, the experience must be verified through written examinations,
portfolios, personal interviews, demonstrations, and/or other appropriate means
of documentation and must be evaluated in accord with legitimate academic
standards by faculty who are competent in the appropriate disciplines. Supporting information may be supplied by a
field supervisor and/or employer.
2.4 Application of Credit for Demonstrated
Learning, Knowledge, or Skills Acquired Through Experience
Each campus shall
have the discretion to determine the extent to which units earned for
demonstrated learning, knowledge, or skills acquired through experience shall
be applied either as major, general education, or elective credit. Decisions shall be made according to campus
procedures.
2.5 Documentation
2.5.1 The student’s academic record shall include
and accurately describe the evidence and evaluation of demonstrated learning,
knowledge, or skills acquired through experience.
2.5.2 Credit
earned for demonstrated learning, knowledge, or skills acquired through
experience shall be clearly identified in the student’s academic record.
2.5.3 The
objectives, policies, procedures, and bases for the awarding of credit for
demonstrated learning, knowledge, or skills acquired through experience shall
be fully described in the campus catalog and web site.
Article
3. Credit for Formal Instruction in Noncollegiate
Settings
3.1 Types of Instruction Approved for the Awarding of Credit
Students shall be granted credit toward
admission eligibility and toward the baccalaureate degree for the following
types of formal instruction in non-collegiate settings:
A. Completion of formal instruction in
non-collegiate settings, (either civilian or military) as recommended by the
American Council on Education publication Guide to the
Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services.
B. Lower-division baccalaureate degree credit
courses that are comparable to courses offered on most CSU campuses. (Credit
should not be allowed for occupationally oriented courses designed to enable a
student to function only as a technician.)
C. Upper-division baccalaureate degree credit
courses
D. Graduate
degree credit courses
3.2 Application of Credit for Formal
Instruction in Noncollegiate Settings
3.2.1 Campuses shall allow the number of units
recommended by the Council in its current
publications, Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experience in the Armed
Services and the National Guide to Educational Credit for Training
Programs.
3.2.2 Every effort shall be made to award credit for specific
university coursework and/or category of university degree requirement, as
opposed to elective credit. Campuses are
encouraged to use the completion of basic military training toward satisfaction
of Area E in the university’s general education requirements, Title 5, Section
40405.1. No such exemption, however,
should be granted from health courses required to earn a teacher credential.
3.2.3. Each campus shall have the discretion to
determine the extent to which units earned for formal instruction in
noncollegiate settings shall be applied either as major, general education, or
elective credit. Decisions shall be made
according to campus procedures.
3.3 Conditions of Award of Credit
Award of such
credit shall be subject to the same conditions as those outlined in Article
1.2.2 of this executive order.
3.4 Documentation of Formal Instruction in
Noncollegiate Settings
3.4.1 Both the completed military courses and the schools at which the work was completed must be documented on forms DD214, DD295, or other official documents such as the Army/ACE Registry Transcript System (AARTS), Sailor/Marine/ACE Registry Transcript (SMART), Community College of the Air Force, or United States Coast Guard transcript.
3.4.2 The objectives, policies, procedures, and bases for the awarding of credit for documented prior learning shall be fully described in the campus catalog and web site.
3.4.3 Credit earned for formal instruction in
noncollegiate settings shall be clearly identified in the student’s academic
record.
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