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ArticlesTake Credit for What You Know!Using College-Level Exams to Get a Jump-Start on College
Credibility: Prove What You Know
So how can a student measurably and credibly demonstrate his learning? A parent-created high school transcript is a start, but it doesn't tell the whole story. When an admission officer sees on a transcript that a homeschooled student has taken English Literature and earned a ?B,' he has no way of knowing the scope and depth of the student's work. However, if the transcript lists a CLEP score along with the grade, the admissions officer immediately understands what the student has studied and how well he understood the material. This gives him an objective point of reference, and as a bonus, may also impress him. Time: A Minute Saved is a (Credit) Hour EarnedI recently read a study reporting that it's taking longer than ever to earn a four-year college degree. Some students are juggling jobs and school, while others have had difficulty settling on a major. Imagine what an advantage a student would have if he or she entered college with a year or two of college credit accumulated during the high school years! This credit cushion would provide the student with several wonderful options: The student could:
By learning deeply and purposefully, and investing some time in testing during high school, a student can make the most of the high school years, and open up many interesting options for his or her future. The beauty of the CLEP exams is that they don't cause a lot of extra work. Any high-school subject can be broadened and deepened to college-level, especially a subject in which the student has a natural interest. The exams measure whether a student has acquired knowledge and understanding that is approximately comparable to what he would learn in an introductory-level college course. If a student loves a subject and has read extensively on his own, he may be ready to pass a CLEP without much further study. My two oldest sons took their first CLEPs at sixteen and fourteen. The oldest enjoys history, so he chose to take the "History of the United States I" exam, while the 14-year-old took the "Analyzing and Interpreting Literature" exam. Neither did any special studying before the exams, but both passed with remarkably high scores and percentile rankings. This doesn't mean that the exams are easy; it just means that it's possible to learn at a very high level by reading and studying independently. They each went on to accelerate their bachelor's degree through additional college-level exams. When a student feels ready, it's convenient to take CLEP exams. They are offered at hundreds of test centers on college campuses nationwide. Most test centers are open to the public and offer a testing session at least once a month. The test itself lasts ninety minutes, and is taken on a computer. An hour and a half is not a bad time investment for 3-6 college credits. I especially loved the days when I spent three hours in a testing center and walked out with twelve credits for less than $150. You just can't beat that! Money: A Penny Saved is a Dollar EarnedCLEP exams are an incredibly cheap way to earn college credit. Each exam costs $50 plus a test center fee of $15-20. That works out to less than thirty dollars per credit hour for three-credit exams, and less than twenty dollars per credit for six-credit exams. Compared with other credit-earning options such as distance learning or community college classes, CLEP exams come out way ahead! If a student happens to not score high enough to earn credit, the exam can be retaken again in six months. It's not nearly as expensive or time consuming as having to retake a whole class. So What's The Catch?It's true that the best things in life are free, but some of the cheap things are pretty good too. CLEPs are convenient - you can take them when you're ready. They're cheaper than most other ways of earning college credit. They're objective, they're widely accepted (most, though not all colleges accept at least some of the CLEPs - check first if you have your heart set on a particular college), and they make the most of your time. And your scores are maintained on a CLEP transcript for twenty years so that you can have them sent to any schools you wish at any time during those years. The only potential downside I see is the pain of missing out on all the introductory-level college courses that your fellow freshmen have to take, and starting out in more advanced classes. Wait? that's actually another asset. Higher-level classes are usually more specialized and interesting than the survey-level (introductory) courses. As you can tell, I'm sold on the benefits of college-level exams, and CLEPs in particular. As outsiders in the education establishment, homeschoolers often face a credibility gap. While this needn't affect our educational choices, it's nice to be able to provide objective proof of learning in a way that is non-intrusive. CLEP exams are a cheap, accessible way of earning college credit and proving that homeschoolers can teach themselves nearly anything they want to know. If you would like to reprint this article in a support-group newsletter or magazine, you may do so, as long as the article is printed in its entireity, including the copyright notice and credit paragraph. I just request that you send me a copy of the printed article for my files. Thanks! © 2002-2006 Janice Campbell
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