Improving access to Prior Learning Assessment is a must for education equity








Written by Dick Senese, President of Capella University



This content was paid for and created by Capella University. The editorial staff of The Chronicle had no role in its preparation. Find out more about paid content.

Education has the power to transform lives and communities whether through career progression, socio-economic status, or quality of life. Too often, however, these benefits aren’t obtainable for communities of color, first-generation students, and those from lower socio-economic groups. Longstanding disparities have only been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Pell Institute, one of the determining factors of whether or not a student will attain a bachelor’s degree is their family’s income. In fact, in 2018 just 16 percent of Americans from the bottom income quartile received a bachelor’s degree by the age of 24, compared to 62 percent for the top income quartile.  

It’s no secret that the odds of economic advancement without a degree can be challenging. And to compound this steep climb, older, working adults can often face insurmountable barriers in the pursuit of a degree that include time and financial constraints.   

The good news is that higher education has a promising way to increase access and graduation rates among those groups: giving students credit for prior work and life experience through Prior Learning Assessments (PLA). In a recent research study, students who received such credit were more likely to graduate and do so in a shorter amount of time.

Here are three ways we can help close the higher education achievement gap through PLA:

  1. Make PLA available to more students. Today, PLA is primarily applied to military service and Advanced Placement (AP)/International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. To ensure greater access, states should expand what is credit-eligible through a more inclusive lens. For example, community organizing or service-oriented projects could be considered prior learning. States can also expand PLA offerings to community colleges and non-traditional learning institutions.
  2. Build awareness of PLA. Many adults who are considering returning to school to complete their degree don’t even know PLA is an option. Higher education institutions, especially those with a large adult student population, should train admissions staff and guidance counselors to effectively and regularly communicate the process and benefits to potential and enrolled students.
  3. Track PLA usage to ensure the uptake in PLA across all demographics. We can’t know what we don’t measure. Schools should collect data that is aggregated at the state and federal level to ensure greater equity in PLA and to better understand the educational outcomes of students who take advantage of it.

Earning credits faster through PLA can not only reduce the time and cost of earning a degree, but also helps students realize that they have a head start and their degree is more attainable.

For example, at Capella University we have found that bachelor’s degree students who enrolled with PLA credits saved an average of $10,000 in the total cost of their degree, compared with students who didn’t bring in prior learning. Master’s-level students with PLA on average saved $9,000 in the total cost of their degrees. This is important because cost can be a key barrier to completing a degree.

Despite the obvious benefits of PLA, not all students benefit equally. Black students, Pell Grant recipients, and students living in lower-income communities are least likely to have earned PLA credit — often because of rules around how federal financial aid can be used for PLA.

A few years ago, the Department of Education conducted an experimental sites initiative (ESI) where it piloted the use of federal financial aid to cover the cost of PLA, looking at, among other questions, whether students who use Title IV federal financial aid for PLA showed higher persistence in coursework. As the new Department of Education settles in and begins to tackle issues like PLA and its benefits for postsecondary students — especially minorities and first-generation college students — it should review the data collected from the ESI, specifically initial findings that show that allowing Title IV funds for PLA has the potential to save students time and money. 

As students and universities begin to emerge from the economic turmoil and COVID-19 pandemic, adult-serving online institutions are in many ways at the center of our nation’s response. Improving the effectiveness of practices such as PLA is one way that institutions can reduce barriers to access and affordability and offer educational experiences that are tightly-coupled with the needs of the students we serve.

The benefits of PLA are clear. Now, as colleges and universities commit to greater equity, we must ensure that the PLA process is readily available to all students.  We also need to promote and embrace policies and practices that value the unique previous experiences that students of color, students with low incomes, and adult learners bring to the classroom. Every step we take toward making higher education more accessible and affordable is well worth the effort.

Dr. Richard Senese is President of Capella University, an online university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission that is dedicated to providing flexible, professionally-aligned degree programs designed to help working adults advance in their careers. Dr. Senese has served in leadership roles with the University of Minnesota Extension for 13 years and most recently served as the Extension's Senior Associate Dean, where he oversaw research, program evaluation, international partnerships, and faculty development. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota and is a licensed psychologist and active in community affairs in his native Minnesota.

TopBuilt with Shorthand