The at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½–West Oʻahu has been certified as a (CLEP) test site that can administer exams to students hoping to obtain college credit for what they already know.
The center was certified earlier this year after two years of effort to make the modifications and investment necessary to meet CLEP test site standards. On October 1 it began offering the tests, which are designed to determine whether someone has a college-level understanding of the material.
The test site designation is seen as a positive step for the UH West Oʻahu campus, students, and community members. UH West Oʻahu is the only Oʻahu campus in the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ System certified for the testing. Â鶹´«Ã½ Community College¡¯s and are certified as test centers on the neighbor islands.
“It¡¯s a good option for students,” said Lokelani Kenolio, director of the Noʻeau Center, which offers peer-tutoring, testing, workshops and other student success services. “It¡¯s another way for them to get their college credits.”
CLEP is a program operated by The College Board that offers an opportunity to receive college credit through tests on different subject matter. The 90- to 120-minute exams are administered at test centers, with those scoring high enough earning college credit that can be transferred from The College Board to schools participating in the program.
Besides providing a service for students to earn college credits quickly, the program also fits with UH System efforts to attract students who “stopped out” back to school. The Returning Adult Initiative program seeks to boost enrollment while helping the state meet a goal of having 55 percent of adults earning college degree by the year 2025. UH West Oʻahu¡¯s recently released Strategic Action Plan also calls for the implementation of Prior Learning Assessments to provide nontraditional students college credit that can be used toward degree attainment.
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—By Greg Wiles