The purpose of the study was to supply materials for answers to questions regarding a description of the group of individuals receiving College-Level Examination Program credit including an assessment of the academic progress of the group.Approaching these questions through an examination of related literature revealed common features of other attempts to describe and measure policies and practices of the College-Level Examination Program and similar programs. In the study, consideration was given to the basic values and assumptions that underlie both credit by examination in general and the College-Level Examination Program in particular.The final study population consisted of 246 individuals whose permanent record cards were available at the time the study was made. 284 individuals took College-Level Examination Program General Examinations between December 18, 1969, and January 23,1973.From questions raised by Ball State University Administrators, nine hypotheses were derived.By means of simple manipulation of raw numbers, percentages and extraction of means, and by means of analysis of variance and analysis of covariance techniques, the hypotheses were tested.

Undergraduate enrollment in colleges and universities has grown and changed drastically over the past 2 decades, with a significant portion of this growth coming from the increased number of nontraditional students who have made the decision to make their way onto college and university campuses to pursue a college degree. Due to these changes, many institutions of higher education have had to rethink the way they have historically operated. In an attempt to better meet the needs and demands of adult nontraditional students, colleges and universities have reviewed their existing programs and instituted programs that allow for the awarding of academic credit for prior learning. For those institutions of higher education involved in the prior learning assessment (PLA) process and interested in providing a quality program, an increased emphasis and focus should be on the importance of determining what a learning activity is, and more importantly, what constitutes college-level learning. This study focused on the identification and profiling of prior learning assessment (PLA) processes in Texas public universities offering nontraditional baccalaureate degree programs, the identification of commonalties among such programs, and the determination of program quality based on established standards. The instrument utilized in this study was designed on Urban Whitaker's 10 Standards of Good Practice. The population consisted of those public institutions of higher education in Texas that offer the Texas CIP code 30.9999.40 - Applied Arts and Sciences - baccalaureate degree. A within-stage mixed-model methodology was used. Open-ended questions were used to strengthen the data obtained from the quantitative portion. This research study suggests that, although there are similarities with regards to the types of PLA processes used in the awarding of PLA credit, many of the organizations could benefit from an evaluation of their current policies, procedures, and/or common practices related to the process of awarding credit via prior learning assessment as they relate to overall quality.