Advanced Placement Program

Georgia Highlands College

Georgia Highlands College’s Advanced Placement Program awards credit by examination or by experience, enabling advanced students to bypass introductory level courses and adult learners to obtain recognition for the learning they have acquired through life experience, military service, and job-related training.  A number of examinations developed on campus as well as nationally-known testing programs are currently available to Georgia Highlands College students seeking advanced placement. 

1. On-Campus Exams
1. Mathematics:  Students who have satisfied CPC requirements and score 550 or better on the SAT-Math, 24 or better on the ACT-Math, or 70 or better on the COMPASS-Math are eligible to take the advanced placement test in Math.  Credit for MATH 1001 or MATH 1111 is awarded to students passing the corresponding test.  In addition, exemption by examination of MATH 1113 and/or MATH 2261 may also be determined on an individual basis.  Students may not receive credit by examination if they have already received credit for a sequentially higher level Mathematics course.  Credit for MATH 1111 and MATH 1113 is not awarded on the basis of the CLEP General Examination in Mathematics as distinct from subject exams.  Students should contact Lavinia Heaton, lheaton@highlands.edu, 706-368-7521. 
2. English:  Students who score 580 or better on the SAT-Verbal, 27 or better on the ACT-English, or 90 or better on the COMPASS English are eligible to take the advanced placement test which consists of an essay on an assigned topic.  The essay, written in a 60 minute time period, is evaluated by two or three Georgia Highlands College English professors; if the essay receives a passing rate, the student will receive three hours credit for ENGL 1101.  Exam must be taken upon admittance to institution.  Continuing and/or transfer students are not eligible.  Student should contact Carol Souders, csouders@highlands.edu, 678-872-8064 on the Cartersville campus or Gloria Barnett, gbarnett@highlands.edu, 706-295-6300 on the Floyd campus
3. Foreign Language:  Students who have completed two or more years of high school Spanish or who have extensive experience in the use of this language are eligible to take departmentally administered placement tests.  This is the final exam of the course the student wishes to exempt.  Credit will be awarded for any course(s) exempted.  Students should contact Kathryn Garcia,  kgarcia@highlands.edu, 678-872-8075 on the Cartersville campus or Mark Greger, mgreger@highlands.edu, 706-368-7620 on the Floyd campus
4. All divisions allow eligible students to challenge courses by taking final exams or other designated tests.  In most cases, a student must receive permission from the division chair (or a designated faculty member) before any exams will be given.  Credit hours are awarded with a grade of K for the exempted course(s) entered on the student’s transcript.

                                                              i.      Health, Physical Education, and Recreation provides a series of comprehensive exams.  Students should contact the Division Chair, Donna Daugherty, ddaugher@highlands.edu, 706-295-6306, for more information.  Georgia Highlands College follows the Board of Regents Policy 2.20 in awarding credit for military service.   Students requesting academic credit should consult with the transfer admissions specialist in the Office of Enrollment Management. 

                                                            ii.      Business has an exemption policy for ACCT 2101, ACCT 2102, ECON 2105, and ECON 2106 which involves a comprehensive final exam. Students should contact the Division Chair, Dr. Rob Page, rpage@highlands.edu , 706-368-7615, for more information. 

                                                          iii.      The Natural Science faculty is willing to discuss the possible course exemptions and arrange testing for any qualified applicant based on substantial documentation. Students should contact the Division Chair, Donna Daugherty, ddaugher@highlands.edu, 706-295-6306, for more information.  Credit for BIOL 2121K or BIOL 2122K is historically not given. 

                                                          iv.      Nursing permits Licensed Practical Nurses to choose to exempt the first two semesters of the Nursing sequence (NURS 1101 & NURS 1102).  This policy is fully described in the current College catalog under LPN-RN Career Mobility Program. Students should contact the Division Chair, Dr. Barb Rees, brees@highlands.edu, 706-295-6322 for more information. 

                                                            v.      The Human Services credit for prior learning, offered by the Human Services Program differs from the other testing programs in that credit is awarded on the basis of learning through prior experience rather than on the results of any one exam.  A student who feels he/she is qualified first has an interview with an assigned faculty member who determines if the student’s experience meets the program’s specifications.  The student then assembles a portfolio in which he/she relates his/her past experiences to his/her educational goals and presents documentation that shows his/her prior learning to be equivalent to the material covered in the classes to be exempted.  The portfolio is evaluated by a faculty committee which may then award up to 17 hours credit.  An exam may or may not be required.  For more information than this brief outline allows, contact Susan Claxton, sclaxton@highlands.edu, 706-368-7618,  Coordinator of the Human Services Program.

                                                          vi.      The Division of Social Sciences awards credit to eligible CLEP or AP students in accordance with the College and University System policies.  For more information on class exemption, contact the Division Chair Dr. Rob Page, rpage@highlands.edu,706-368-7615. 

2. Off Campus Exams
1. CLEP:  Georgia Highlands College is primarily concerned with four of the five Subject Examinations offered by College Level Examination Program (CLEP) –English Composition, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social Science and History.  These subject exams cover material usually encountered in the core curriculum.  Scores needed to receive advanced placement in these areas are in line with those used at many other University System schools, including the University of Georgia, and also follow the guidelines suggested by the American Council of Education.
2. AP:  The Advanced Placement Program, also created by the College Board, is made up of college-level courses and exams taught on secondary school campuses by secondary school faculty.  Although, the College Board provides booklets describing the essential content of each course and containing sample exam questions, the form of the course is left to the faculty teaching it, so that an AP course may be a regular course, an honors course, or even an independent study course.  The standardized exams, except Art, contain both multiple-choice questions and free-response questions that require essay writing or problem-solving.  Every exam receives an overall grade on a five-point scale:  5 (extremely well qualified), 4 (well qualified), 3 (qualified), 2 (possibly qualified), and 1 (no recommendation)  Georgia Highlands College generally follows the policy of the University of Georgia, which now awards credit for scores of 3 or better on most AP exams.