The UNC Policy Manual
700.10.1[R]
Adopted
12/19/18
Amended
11/20/19
I.
Purpose. The
following regulation (“this regulation”) is designed to provide system-wide
consistency and clarity regarding implementation of the Policy on Awarding
Undergraduate Credit on the Basis of Advanced Course Examination Scores (“the
policy”), Section 700.10.1 of the UNC Policy Manual.
Among
the goals of the policy and this regulation are to enable improvements to
student progression and completion according to student readiness, while
avoiding awarding credit for material that a student has not mastered or
placing a student into a course for which she or he is not prepared.
Faculty representing
relevant academic departments should be engaged in institutional decisions for
the implementation of the policy and this regulation, to ensure that decisions
are informed by the standards of applicable disciplines. Another benefit of
faculty involvement in the implementation of the policy and this regulation
will be to ensure that implementation is in alignment with the standards of the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and of
accrediting bodies for specific disciplines and professions.
II.
Definitions. The following operational definitions apply
to the policy and this regulation:
A.
“Academic
Outcomes.” Results of a student’s
performance in the course aligned with the subject content of the Advanced
Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate, or Cambridge Advanced
International Certificate AS Level or A Level examination scores in question or
in the Subsequent Course.
B.
“Appropriate
Credit.” A determined number of credit hours granted for a particular course or
courses, aligned with the subject content and Academic Outcomes of the AP, IB,
or Cambridge AS Level or A Level examination score in question.
1.
After
achieving a Qualified Advanced Course Examination Score, a student shall be
awarded specified credit hours associated with an institution’s course(s) that
is/are aligned with the subject content of the relevant Advanced Course examination
score.
2.
In
general, equivalents for Appropriate Credit for particular course(s) in a
constituent institution’s course catalog
(and/or other sources of information for students and potential students) shall
be listed for Qualified Advanced Course examination scores. The particular
course(s) shall be listed as equivalent to a particular number of credit hours.
These particular course(s) and credit hours shall contribute to a student’s
progress toward an undergraduate degree.
C.
“Compelling Reasons.” Rationales of sufficient
evidentiary quality, based on Academic Outcomes, as to why scores higher than the
established Qualified Advanced Course Examination Score might be required of an
institution’s students (if those students are to receive Appropriate Credit),
submitted to an institution’s board of trustees in support of an institution’s
petition for an exception to the policy; or rationales of sufficient
evidentiary quality as to why a constituent institution might discontinue
awarding Appropriate Credit on the basis of a Qualified Advanced Course
Examination Score.
D.
“Qualified Advanced Course Examination
Score.” Unless a constituent institution
has been granted an exception whereby a higher score may be required, the
following shall constitute the minimum score required to receive college
credit:
1.
A score of three
or higher on an AP examination;
2.
A score of five
or higher on a Standard Level IB examination;
3.
A score of four
or higher on a Higher Level IB examination; and/or
4. A
score of C or higher on a Cambridge A Level or AS Level examination
E.
“Quantitative Study.” A rigorous analysis based on reliable,
numerical data regarding Academic Outcomes.
F.
“Subsequent Course.” A course in which a student would be unable
to enroll without first obtaining credit in a prerequisite course.
III.
Affected
Students. The requirements of this policy and regulation regarding AP
examination scores shall affect first-time (or “freshman”) undergraduate
students entering constituent institutions for the fall semester of the 2019-20
academic year and thereafter. Other undergraduate students (including but not
limited to transfer students, readmitted students, and upperclassmen) may
benefit from the requirements of the policy and this regulation by electing
into all standards documented in an institution’s catalog (and/or other sources of information
for students and potential students) for the
2019-20 academic year or thereafter.
The requirements
of this policy and regulation regarding IB and Cambridge AS Level and A Level
examination scores shall affect first-time (or “freshman”) undergraduate
students entering constituent institutions for the fall semester of the 2020-21
academic year and thereafter. Other undergraduate students (including but not
limited to transfer students, readmitted students, and upperclassmen) may
benefit from the requirements of the policy and this regulation by electing
into all standards documented in an institution’s catalog (and/or other sources
of information for student and potential students) for the 2020-21 academic
year or thereafter.
IV.
Awarding
Appropriate Credit UNC System constituent institutions shall award Appropriate
Credit to undergraduates who have earned a Qualified Advanced Course
Examination Score. An institution with Compelling Reasons as to why a score
higher than three must be required for a student to receive Appropriate Credit
may petition to have an exception approved by its board of trustees. Compelling
Reasons must be based on analyses of Academic Outcomes.
Constituent
institutions should not deny Appropriate Credit to students on the basis of the
age of Advanced Course Examination Scores that are ten years old or newer, although constituent institutions
may request that a student submit a newer exam score in the event that an older
score reflects course content or testing design for an exam that subsequently
has been revised in a significant manner.
Constituent
institutions are not required to offer Appropriate Credit for every AP, IB,
Cambridge A Level, or Cambridge AS Level exam offered; but, if an institution does offer credit for a
particular AP Exam, it must offer Appropriate Credit in compliance with the
policy and this regulation. If an
institution elects to discontinue the awarding of credit for an AP Exam for
which credit is awarded during the 2018-19 academic year, however, approval
must first be provided by the institution’s board of trustees.
A.
An institution
may offer Appropriate Credit that varies by different scores for the same AP
Exam. For example, an institution may offer a specified number of credit hours
for a course or courses for students who earn an AP Exam score of three, and
may offer credit hours for different courses for AP Exam scores higher than
three.
B.
Constituent
institutions may award Appropriate Credit (on the basis of Qualified Advanced
Course Examination Scores) for elective courses, credits toward General
Education requirements, or the requirements of a potential major. Appropriate
Credit awarded for any elective courses should contribute to students’ progress
toward an undergraduate degree.
C.
Constituent
Institutions are not required to modify existing standards that apply to scores
lower than those defined as Qualified Advanced Course Examination Scores.
V.
Policy
Exceptions
A.
Evidence in
support of an institution’s Compelling Reasons for an exception to the policy
shall be supported by the most recently available and practicable data on
Academic Outcomes of that constituent institution’s own students, from the
undergraduate discipline most analogous or relevant to the content area of the Advanced
Course Examination in question, except as outlined below.
B.
In
general, evidence for a Compelling Reason should address whether or not
students who earn a Qualified Advanced Course Examination Score are prepared to
succeed in the Subsequent Course within the relevant discipline. For example,
constituent institutions may demonstrate that students who earn a Qualified Advanced
Course Examination Score would perform significantly better, according to one
or more Academic Outcomes, if those students were required to take the
equivalent course for the Advanced Course Examination Score at the constituent
institution, versus if those students were given credit for said course solely
on the basis of the Qualified Advanced Course Examination Score.
To generate this sort of evidence, institutions should
endeavor to compare the Academic Outcomes of their enrolled students through
Quantitative Study at a conventional level of statistical significance.
Evidence in support of an institution’s Compelling
Reasons for an exception to the policy may be supported by data on the Academic
Outcomes of another institution’s (or other institutions’) students if the
following conditions are met:
1.
Data on Academic
Outcomes available are as recent as possible and practicable, from the
undergraduate discipline most analogous or relevant to the content area of the Advanced
Course Examination in question; and
2.
The other
institution(s) for comparison is/are limited to those peer institutions
approved by the Board of Governors.
VI.
Student Choice
Regarding Undergraduate Credit on the Basis of Advanced Course Examination
Scores. Although an institution is required by the policy to offer Appropriate
Credit, a student may decline to accept the offered credit, audit the course
aligned with the Advanced Course Examination in question, or enroll in the
course aligned with the Advanced Course Examination in question, depending on
institutional practice.
A.
Whenever possible,
institutional academic advisors should inform eligible undergraduates of the
above-described options available to them under the policy and this regulation,
along with the potential benefits and disadvantages of those options.
B.
Institutions may
choose to complement advice from academic advisors with a standardized
communication to incoming students regarding Advanced Course Examination
standards and the potential benefits and disadvantages of the above-mentioned
options.
VII.
Prohibition
Against Additional Requirements for Awarding Undergraduate Credit on the Basis
of Scores for an Advanced Course Examination. A constituent institution shall
not require a student to fulfill additional requirements in order to receive
credit on the basis of Qualified Advanced Course Examination Scores. A
placement test or other assessment may be required, however, to determine
Subsequent Courses for which a student is prepared.
VIII.
Prohibition
Against Discontinuance of Awarding Undergraduate Credit on the Basis of Scores
for an AP Exam. Any institutional policy or practice of awarding credit on the
basis of scores for any Advanced Course Examination in place prior to the
implementation of the policy (during the 2018-19 academic year) shall not be
discontinued thereafter without approval of the institution’s board of
trustees.
IX.
Documenting and
Communicating Institutional Advanced Course Examination Standards to
Undergraduate Students and Potential Undergraduate Students. Institutional Advanced
Course Examination standards, devised to comply with this policy and
regulation, shall be documented and updated annually in institutional course
catalogs, undergraduate student handbooks, and/or online resources for
undergraduate students. Institutional Advanced Course Examination standards
shall likewise be documented and updated annually in online and/or printed
resources for potential undergraduate students. Constituent institutions should
likewise publicize their own policies or practices regarding Advanced Course
Examination scores that may or may not be accepted on the basis of the age of
those scores.
X.
Reporting
Requirements. Initial reports regarding exceptions to the policy and/or
discontinuances of awarding Appropriate Credit on the basis of Qualified Advanced
Course Examination Scores, granted by institutional boards of trustees, shall
be reported to the president by July 1, 2019. Subsequent reports of exceptions,
discontinuances, and/or other alterations relative to this policy shall be
reported to the president annually by July 1. Reports to the president shall
include full documentation of Compelling Reasons considered by boards of
trustees, along with documentation of the board’s approval, for each exception
granted.
XI.
Assessment of
the Policy and this Regulation’s Effectiveness. The effects of the policy and
this regulation, at the level of the UNC System and across its constituent
institutions, shall be assessed by the UNC System Office within three years of
implementation, and then on a period basis. Recommendations for altering the
policy and this regulation shall be made accordingly to the president (for this
regulation) or Board of Governors (for the policy), on the basis of appropriate
evidence.
XII.
Other Matters
A.
Effective Date. The requirements of the policy and this regulation with
regards to AP examinations shall be effective as of the fall semester of the
2019-20 academic year and thereafter; the requirements of the policy and this
regulation with regards to IB and Cambridge AS-Level and A-Level examinations
shall be effective as of the 2020-21 academic year and thereafter.
B.
Relation to Federal and State Laws.
The foregoing regulation as adopted by the president is meant to supplement,
and does not purport to supplant or modify, those statutory enactments,
regulations, and policies which may govern or related to the subject matter of
this regulation.