CENTRAL OREGON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION PROGRAM

LIFE EXPERIENCE SURVEY

According to the Requirements and Procedures for the High School Completion program, you may combine high school completion classes with up to seven credits from life experience (an educational experience you have already had). All such credits must be approved by the director of the program; not all educational experiences will be eligible for credit.

This survey is designed to help you determine if your experience qualifies for credit.  A general rule is that 30 hours in an instructional program with assessments or 60 hours in a private learning experience is the equivalent of a 0.5 high school credit; however, the learning experience must be at high school level and where there are content standards, must meet secondary standards.  All life experience credits must be thoroughly documented through copies of forms and letters, written essays, multiple choice tests, oral presentations, video or audio tapes, photographs, and art work. A rubric (attached) will be used to evaluate the information you supply.

If the writing projects are difficult for you, please see an ABE instructor for assistance in improving your writing skills. 

Please be sure that you have submitted a transcript from the school you last attended.  If you do not feel this is a complete list, obtain additional transcripts as necessary.  Conferring of credit is at the discretion of the director of the program.

In the attached survey, choose the area in which you wish to earn life experience credit.  Answer the questions you can in that area.  Include your name, date, social security number, and date of birth on all the material you submit for credit.  Discuss your plan with an Adult Basic Education staff member before beginning your work.

CONTENTS:

1.      Language Arts

2.      Mathematics

3.      Science

4.      Social Science:  U.S. History, Government, Economics, Global Studies

5.      Workplace and Life Skills:  Art, Second Language, Physical Education, technology, Workplace Skills

6.      Electives:  family, community, work, critical thinking, crafts and skills

LANGUAGE ARTS

Writing

1.      Have you completed any writing projects for publication such as articles, short stories, or books?  If so, please describe your project and submit either a manuscript or a published copy of your work.

2.      Have you been responsible for writing reports, manuals, performance evaluations, or correspondence for your job or business?  If so, enclose a summary of your writing responsibilities, a letter from your employer evaluating your writing, and at least five samples of your writing work.

1.       Have you done extensive reading on your own?  If so, provide a list of the books you have read during the last year and write a comprehensive report on the nature of your reading, the knowledge and insights you have gained as a result of your reading, and a detailed report on one of the books that has made an impact on you.

2.      Have you researched business practices, operations, or other aspects of your company or business as part of your job?  If so, attach a copy of your sources, samples of your reports, and the changes that were made in your company as a result of your research.

Communication

1.       Have you been responsible for chairing meetings, running seminars or workshops, or organizing and presenting information in some way for your job or company?  If so, enclose copies of graphs or charts you presented, data analysis you did, Power Point presentations you created or other methods you used to communicate information.  Describe the changes that were made as a result of your presentation.

2.      Have you belonged to a speaking organization, like Toastmasters?  If so, describe your experiences with the organization, and include copies of your evaluations or certificates of mastery. 

    2.Have you created plans for a construction or landscaping project.  If so, enclose plans  and  photos of the completed project, a description of the mathematical skills you used to plan and implement your project, and a journal describing the project phases.

SCIENCE

1.      Have you pursued the study an area of science (physical, earth and space, life, general) that is of interest to you?  If so, list the books, articles, or web sites you have read with summaries of the content.  Describe the impact your study has had on you and/or your family.

2.       Have you participated in any community project dealing with environmental or health issues?  If so, enclose a report describing the nature of your participation, the research you did, the results of your project, and the impact it had on the community.

 SOCIAL STUDIES

U. S. History

1.       Have you studied aspects of U. S. History?  If so, enclose a list of the books you read, web sites you visited, people you interviewed, and include summaries of each.  Describe what lessons you learned from your study that apply to today’s world and how your study has impacted you and/or your family.

Civics and Government

1.      Have you taken a course in citizenship to become a U.S. citizen?  If so, enclose a description in either written, oral, or video form of what you learned in your course, a summary of one discussion you found interesting, and a statement of how earning your citizenship ahs affected you and/or your family.

2.      Have you served on a jury?  If so, enclose a description in either written, oral, or video form of the nature of your case, how long you served, the judicial process you observed, and the impact your experience has had on you and/or your family.

3.      Have you run for political office or participated in a political campaign?  If so, enclose an explanation of the office or campaign, a journal of your experience, and the impact it has had on you and/or your family.

4.      Have you been a part of a community group, volunteer organization, or business that required you to research and to interact with political or governmental organizations?  If so, enclose a description of your involvement, the goals you hlepd to achieve, and the impact your involvement had on you and your community.

Economics

1.       Have you studied the economics of our country or of other countries?  If so, enclose a description of the focus of your study, the research you have done including a list of sources and/or non-credit classes taken, and the impact your study had on you and/or your family.

2.      Have you invested in the economy?  If so, enclose a description of the nature of your investments, you investment strategy, the impact your investments have had on you and/or your family, and include any charts or graphs that illustrate the nature of your portfolio. 

3.  Have you prepared a business plan to start a small business?  If so, enclose a copy of your plan, the financial institutions you worked with, the governmental agencies you contacted to obtain approval, and a journal describing the opening of your business.

Global Studies

1.      Have you ever hosted a foreign exchange student?  If so, enclose a biography of your student, a presentation in either written, oral or video form of the geography, politics, and socio-economic structure of the country your student was from, and a statement describing the impact your student had on you and/or your family.

2.      Have you traveled extensively in foreign countries?  If so, present in either written, oral or video form the geography, government, and socio-economic structures of these countries.  Write and opinion paper on the advantages and disadvantages of each country you visited, and include a description of how your travel impacted you and/or your family.

3.      Can you draw maps with political boundaries of the countries you visited?  Can you draw maps that show population distributions and economics? 

4.      Have you studied world religions?  If so, enclose a description of the books, articles, web sites, or work shops you used in your research, a list of courses and institutions, a list of conferences you attended, a summary of your findings, and a description of how your study affected you and/or your family

 WORKPLACE AND LIFE SKILLS

Art

1.      Have you taken any art courses that were not for credit at a college, art institute, or through community education)?  If so, describe each course and the nature of your participation in each.  Include photos of your projects and/or copies of your receipts.

2.      Have you publicly displayed and sold your work?  If so, please provide photos or videotapes of your work and enclose a description of the techniques you used to create your work and of who or what has influenced you as a artist.

3.      Do you use art in your job or business?  If so, enclose photos or videos of your work and an explanation of the role art plays in your company, how you create your work, and the impact it has on your company.

4.      Have you visited major art museums in this country or in other countries?  If so, enclose a list of museums, a description of the works you viewed, a short research paper on one of the artists including a bibliography, and a discussion of how the masterpieces you saw impacted you.

Personal Finance and Career

1.      Have you ever searched for a job using the following procedure:  prepared a resume, written a cover letter, completed a job application, done market labor research, obtained letters of recommendation, been interviewed?  If so, enclose copies of each document and a journal describing the phases and results of your job search.

2.      Have you completed a non-credit career information course?  If so, enclose verification of the location and dates, samples of the work you did, and a written description of your experiences in class and how the class impacted you and/or your family.

3.      Do you have a long-range and short-term financial plan?  Do you prepare a budget for yourself and/or your family?  Do you have a checking account?  Savings account?  Debit card?  Credit card?  If so, describe your financial planning and explain and document the ways you use your financial plan?

4.      Have you ever received a loan from a financial institution to make a major purchase such as a home, car, appliances, computers?  If so describe and document the steps you took to obtain the loan and your responsibility in owning these items.  Compute the total cost to you for each item including all fees and interest payments.

5.      Have you ever paid state and federal income taxes for yourself and/or a business?  If so, explain and document the steps you took to complete your tax forms.

Health

1        Have you completed a non-credit courses on a specific illness?  CPR?  Wellness?  Alcohol diversion? Sessions on mental health?  Stress reduction Birthing Techniques?  If so, describe the course, explain the impact the course had on you and/or your family, and include verification of your participation.

2        Have you ever taken care of a person with a long term illness, or suffered such an illness yourself?  If so, explain the skills you needed to learn, the methods you used to obtain them, and the research you did to learn about that illness.  Include a description of how the experience has impacted you and/or your family.

3        Do you have a long- and short-term plan for maintaining your health and the health of your family?  Do you have a special diet, exercise program, parenting strategy, wellness plan, method for lowering cholesterol or blood pressure, dealing with stress, immunization for your children, coping with allergies?  If so, explain and document your plan and the methods you sue for making health decisions.

Second Language

1.      Do you speak another language besides English?  How well do you listen in your other language?  How well do you read in your other language?  How well do you write in your other language?  Where do you use your other language?  Present in written, oral, or video form evidence of your skills in this language.  Provide any documentation you can to verify your fluency.

Physical Education

1.      Have you had a physical fitness assessment?  If so summarize your results and present a fitness plan with the types of exercises you are using, your goals in aerobic and strength training, your progress, and documentation of the time spent pursuing your goals

2.      Do you participate in, complete in or coach a physical activity or sport?  If so, describe your sport, discuss your participation and your goals (both long and short term) , and document your achievements.

Technology

1.      Please use the computer technology levels checklist to determine your level of achievement in technology.

2.      Have you identified social, ethical, and human issues related to technology?  Your work should investigate human, legal, and civic rights and responsibilities in personal and social contexts.  Please present documentation that verifies your study. 

3.      Do you use technology in your job or business?  If so, describe the ways you use technology, the skills you have, and a description of how you acquired those skills.  Attach one document you created at your job or business.

4.      Do you use technology in your every day life?   Describe your use of  calculators, telephone centers, remote controls, and other common household technologies.

Workplace Skills

1.      What appropriate workplace behaviors have you learned on the job?  Consider the roles of responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, self-control, integrity, and honesty in the workplace.

2.      Describe the workplace problems you have faced.  What plans of action did you initiate to solve these problems? Describe the success or lack of success of your efforts and determine what you would do differently now.

3.      Describe the decision making skills required in your work.  Specify goals and constraints, how you generate alternatives, consider risks, and evaluate options when making decisions.

4.      Has your work involved roles and responsibilities of being a member of a team?  If so, describe you work with others and how you contributed to group effort, how you exercised leadership, negotiated complicated situations, and worked effectively with diverse populations.

5.      How was your work part of a larger system, process, and organizational structure?  What did that mean to you as a worker?

ELECTIVES

Electives can include a wide variety of topics; a list appears below.  While learning experiences often involve repetition until a skill is perfected, the repetition alone cannot qualify as credit.  If you are not sure that your experience qualifies, please contact an ABE staff member for advice.

Remember that a general rule is that 30 hours in an instructional program with assessments or 60 hours in a private learning experience is the equivalent of a 0.5 high school credit; however, the learning experience must be at high school level.  Elective credits must also be documented through copies of forms and letters, written essays, multiple choice tests, oral presentations, video or audio tapes, photographs, and art work.

Describe the time and effort you have devoted to each learning experience.  Provide documentation of your activity including non-credit class receipts, research, achievements, photos or videos for your work, number of hours, classes that you have taught.

SOME ELECTIVE TOPICS