How High School Language Study Can “Translate” into College Credit for Your Students

Kirsten Halling, OFLA Public Relations and Advocacy Chair
Professor of French, Wright State University

Did you know that college credit can be earned in traditional high school language classes? No, I don’t mean through AP or College Credit Plus. I’m talking about credit for prior learning, which can mean credit for learning a language prior to enrolling in a college or university. The Ohio Department of Education explains that “Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) provides a chance to earn college credit for skills and knowledge you may have gained outside of a classroom setting, usually through on-the-job training and additional work experience (Transfer Credit).” While public colleges and universities are not required to provide credit for prior learning, many do indeed have policies that facilitate the awarding of credit based on placement tests and the successful completion of upper-level classes. Given that most colleges prefer that students take classes that correspond to their level, the awarding of credit for prior learning is seen as a win-win: students are properly placed, and they can minor or major in a language faster thanks to their high school studies.

For an example of how this works, take the case of Wright State. Students take a placement test online and receive a score which usually places them in an appropriate level based on their experience with the language. If they place into Intermediate French I (FR 2010), for instance, they take the course, receive a C or better, and are thus able to earn ungraded credit for Elementary French I (FR 1010) and Elementary French II (FR 1020) on the same transcript as their FR 2010 course, thus earning 9 credits in one fell swoop. (Foreign Language Placement & Proficiency Training, WSU).

If your students attend a public college in Ohio, it is to their advantage to look up the Prior Learning Credit policy before taking the “easy A’ in a lower-level language class. The rule of thumb is one year of high school French is the equivalent of one semester of college French. Taking a language in high school can save your students a lot of time and money. Your upper-level students could earn as much as 12 credits – or a semester’s worth of classes – by placing into an advanced-level class. Further, they can easily add a certificate in the language, a minor or a major by bypassing classes that they do not need.

References: 

Transfer Credit of Ohio. The Ohio Department of Education https://transfercredit.ohio.gov/students/student-programs/Prior-Learning-Assessments Retrieved Sept. 15, 2023.

Foreign Language Placement and Proficiency Testing. Wright State University School of Social Sciences and International Education. https://liberal-arts.wright.edu/social-sciences-and-international-studies/foreign-language-placement-and-proficiency-testing Retrieved Sept. 15, 2023.