CPL Glossary

Reference the following glossary if you need additional clarification on a Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) term.

Minnesota State CPL Glossary
Term	Definition
Advanced Placement (AP)	A program created by The College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities use examination scores to determine course placement and award course credit to students.
Advisor	A mentor or guide who is typically available to assist students in things such as course registration degree completion requirements, a variety of campus processes, and more.
American Council of Education (ACE) credit recommendation	ACE validates a wide variety of education and training programs from courses to examinations, including languages, certifications, workplace training, apprenticeship programs, and through a Department of Defense contract, military training courses and occupations.
ACE Military Guide	The ACE Military Guide recommends college credit for formal courses offered by all branches of the military and for military occupations and dates back to 1954. These recommendations appear on the service member’s Joint Services Transcript (JST).
Apprenticeship Programs	Apprenticeship-type programs — ACE evaluated and credit recommended apprenticeship-type programs modeled after registered apprenticeship programs. Typically, these programs are not approved by federal or state regulators. Registered apprenticeship programs — A formal system of employee training that combines structured on-the-job training with related technical instruction. Upon successful completion, participants are fully competent in all aspects of an occupation, including knowledge, skill, and proficiency on the job. With apprenticeship training, there is a written contract between the apprentice and the sponsor, approved by and registered with the state of Minnesota that specifies the length of the training, school hours, an outline of the skills of the trade to be learned, and the wages the apprentice will receive.
The College Board	A non-profit organization that prepares and administers standardized exams used by colleges and universities for student admissions, placement, and the award of credit for prior learning.
College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) examinations	CLEP examinations, prepared and administered by The College Board, are designed to assess student knowledge of lower division college and university course material in specific subject areas.
College Level Learning	Learning that is equal to the level of learning a student would experience at college or university. To evaluate learning college course learning outcomes (what is learned from a course or experience) are compared with the learning outcomes achieved outside of a traditional college setting.
Community College of the Airforce Transcript	The official transcript of Airforce training is used to grant Credit for Prior Learning/Transfer credit to servicemembers.
Credit For Prior Learning (CPL)	Academic credit awarded for demonstrated competence at the college- and university-level gained through learning experiences outside college or university credit-bearing courses and assessed by academically sound and rigorous methods and processes.
Competence	Learning outcomes that demonstrate knowledge and/or skills proficiency in a standardized or individualized subject.
Competence-to-credit comparability	Comparison of competence-based learning outcomes to the scope and levels of credit-hour-based learning outcomes to establish credit measures or equivalencies.
Continuing education	Open-enrollment education and training opportunities offered by colleges, universities, or other education providers that are not for degree/program credit that enhances knowledge and/or teaches new skills.
Customized training	Specially designed noncredit curriculum and instruction tailored to meet the specific needs, goals, and interests of an employer/third party organization offered in a closed-enrollment, contracted service between an employer/third party and college or university.
CPL Xchange	A cooperative arrangement of shared CPL assessors (and resources) that offers qualified students the opportunity to register for assessment of prior learning when their home college or university does not have the subject matter expertise or assessment methods. Students do not go through the admission process at the other institution. Credits earned via the CPL Xchange are resident credits of the student's home college or university.
Documentation/ Evidence	Evidence that supports a claim for prior learning experience, e.g., transcripts, licenses, certificates, job descriptions, articles written, created products, letters, evaluations, etc.
DSST (formerly DANTES)	A nationally recognized, standardized series of tests in college subjects.
External Assessment	Assessment methods and processes at the colleges and or universities of Minnesota State that could result in credit for prior learning achieved and assessed through a nationally recognized third-party assessment agency or organization, regionally or nationally accredited postsecondary institution, or noncredit instruction. Students demonstrate a level of proficiency that is recognized through curriculum, instruction, program, or a standardized exam. CPL external assessment types may include, but are not limited to, AP, IB, CLEP, and other national standardized assessments, world languages seals and certificates, industry recognized credentials, licenses, and certifications, and noncredit instruction in programs such as registered apprenticeships, work-based training, continuing education, and customized training.
Excelsior College Examination Program : UExcel	A series of tests offered by Excelsior College, NY for which students may earn college credit.
Experiential Learning	Skills, knowledge, and values that are learned through work and life experience rather than through formal education (which could include civic engagement, internship, service learning, co-op, etc.)
Home Campus	The college or university in which a student has chosen to complete a degree or program of study.
Internal Assessment	College and university assessment methods and processes used by Minnesota State faculty members to assess students’ demonstrated learning and/or competence. CPL internal assessment types may include, but are not limited to, credit by exam, portfolio assessment, interview, skills demonstration, individualized subject-area assessment, group or seminar assessment, and competency-based assessment.
International Baccalaureate Programs (IB)	The International Baccalaureate Foundation offers the internationally recognized IB program through which a secondary student completes a comprehensive curriculum of rigorous study and demonstrates performance on IB examinations. A student may present a full IB diploma or a certificate recognizing specific higher-level or standard-level examination scores.
Industry-recognized credentials, licenses, and certifications	Industry-developed and endorsed assessments that demonstrate a level of mastery of competencies
Joint Services Transcript (JST)	JST is the Joint Services Transcript that has replaced the Coast Guard Institute Transcript, the Army/American Council on Education Registry Transcript System (AARTS), and the Sailor/Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript (SMART). JST is an academically accepted document approved by the American Council on Education (ACE) to validate a service member’s military occupational experience and training along with the corresponding ACE college credit recommendations.
Learning Outcomes	The measurable knowledge, skills, and capacity for judgment that a person achieves through a course of study, also described as what a person knows and can do
Military Occupation(s)	A service member’s job(s) while in the military.
Military Courses	Curriculum with measurable outcomes, rubrics, and validated student assessment instruments. Courses may include lectures, small group work, case studies, skills lab, clinical work, practical exercises, computer-based delivery, and discussion boards.
Military Transcript	The Joint Services Transcript (JST) provides documented evidence to colleges and universities of professional military education, training, and occupation experiences achieved by service members and veterans. Air Force members will have a Community College of the Air Force transcript.
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities	Minnesota State Colleges and Universities - 26 colleges (associate degrees, diplomas, and certificates) and 7 universities (bachelor and graduate degrees)
National standardized exams	Standardized proficiency examinations administered and scored by nationally recognized third-party assessment organizations. Examples include, but are not limited to: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL); Advanced Placement (AP) examinations; International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations; College Level Examination Program (CLEP) examinations; Cambridge International examinations; DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST); Excelsior College UExcel examinations; The National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) assessments; New York University Foreign Language Proficiency (NYUFLP) examinations; and Thomas Edison College Examination Program (TECEP).
NCCRS – National College Credit Recommendation Service	NCCRS (National College Credit Recommendation Service) evaluates training and education programs offered outside of the traditional college classroom setting and translates them into college credit equivalencies.
NOCTI (National Occupational Competency Testing Institute)	Most NOCTI credentials offer college credit recommendations. Experienced industry experts and professors working with the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS), have evaluated the rigor of NOCTI credentials to translate the content into college credit equivalencies. College credit equivalents for NOCTI’s credentials may be found on the NCCRS website.
NYU (New York University) Language Exams	The New York University Foreign Language Proficiency Testing program is an examination program. Each examination tests four basic areas: comprehension of the spoken language; the written language in composition; translation from English into the language; and translation from the language into English.
Prior Learning	Learning gained in life, community and/or work-based settings, and through experiences outside of the college or university credit-bearing course, including but not limited to independent study, life experience and reflection, non-credit study programs, career education, continuing education, online learning or instruction, and training or certificate programs. The learning occurs “prior to” the student’s request for assessment at a college or university.
Rubric	A standardized grid that is used to evaluate, in this case course equivalencies, to help ensure an equitable review across departments, and campuses.
StarID	It is a username that replaces many login IDs with one ID, one password, everywhere. You only need one StarID: you can use the same StarID across Minnesota State to log into many services like email, D2L Brightspace, and more.
Syllabus	An outline and summary of topics to be covered in a college or training course that includes a course description and learning outcomes
Transferology	Transferology is a nationwide network designed to help students explore their college transfer options. Participating campuses provide transfer equivalencies for students to access. Students should be aware that not all courses or exams may be displayed in Transferology and should inquire with their home campus if they do not see an equivalency.
UExcel/Excelsior College Examination Program	An array of proficiency exams that allow students to earn credit by taking a test after a period of supported independent study. Free content guides are provided to provide information on which topics tests will cover and include recommended textbooks, learning resources, and other materials to help prepare for the exam.
(VETS) - Veterans Education Transfer System	VETS is an online application that helps past, present and future servicemen and servicewomen determine how their military training can count for credit at the colleges and universities of Minnesota State.
Visiting student	A non-degree seeking student attending a Minnesota State college or university in visiting student status.
World Languages seals and certificates	Minnesota high school issued bilingual and multilingual certificates and seals that recognize high school students who demonstrate an advanced-low level or an intermediate high level of functional proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English.