Dive Brief:

• Pennsylvania’s 14 community colleges will allow adult learners to receive credit for prior workforce and life experiences.
• The Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges is calling its prior learning assessment, College Credit FastTrack, the first such statewide initiative in the country.
• Students who receive credit for prior experiences have better academic outcomes, including better degree completion rates, persistence, and shorter completion times, according to the commission.

Dive Insight:

The Pennsylvania program should provide a track record that other states and higher ed administrators can study when implementing alternative measures of prior learning credits. Montgomery County Community College has already been using a prior learning assessment for credit, and the college will serve as the lead institution for the state program. The program is funded by a $2.5 million Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.