X
Test Information
Guide:
College-Level
Examination
Program®
2015-16
College Algebra
© 2015 The College Board. All rights reserved. College Board, College-Level Examination
Program, CLEP, and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board.
,CLEP TEST INFORMATION fees. Exams are administered at military installations
GUIDE FOR COLLEGE ALGEBRA worldwide through computer-based testing programs.
Approximately one-third of all CLEP candidates are
military service members.
History of CLEP
Since 1967, the College-Level Examination Program 2014-15 National CLEP Candidates by Age*
(CLEP®) has provided over six million people with
the opportunity to reach their educational goals. Under 18
11%
CLEP participants have received college credit for
knowledge and expertise they have gained through 30 years and older
prior course work, independent study or work and 24%
18-22 years
43%
life experience.
Over the years, the CLEP examinations have evolved 23-29 years
to keep pace with changing curricula and pedagogy. 22%
Typically, the examinations represent material taught
in introductory college-level courses from all areas * These data are based on 100% of CLEP test-takers who responded to this
of the college curriculum. Students may choose from survey question during their examinations.
33 different subject areas in which to demonstrate
their mastery of college-level material. 2014-15 National CLEP Candidates by Gender
Today, more than 2,900 colleges and universities
recognize and grant credit for CLEP.
41%
Philosophy of CLEP
Promoting access to higher education is CLEP’s
foundation. CLEP offers students an opportunity to
59%
demonstrate and receive validation of their
college-level skills and knowledge. Students who
achieve an appropriate score on a CLEP exam can
enrich their college experience with higher-level
courses in their major field of study, expand their Computer-Based CLEP Testing
horizons by taking a wider array of electives and
avoid repetition of material that they already know. The computer-based format of CLEP exams allows
for a number of key features. These include:
CLEP Participants • a variety of question formats that ensure effective
assessment
CLEP’s test-taking population includes people of all
ages and walks of life. Traditional 18- to 22-year-old • real-time score reporting that gives students and
students, adults just entering or returning to school, colleges the ability to make immediate credit-
high-school students, home-schoolers and granting decisions (except College Composition,
international students who need to quantify their which requires faculty scoring of essays twice a
knowledge have all been assisted by CLEP in month)
earning their college degrees. Currently, 59 percent • a uniform recommended credit-granting score of
of CLEP’s National (civilian) test-takers are women 50 for all exams
and 46 percent are 23 years of age or older. • “rights-only” scoring, which awards one point per
For over 30 years, the College Board has worked to correct answer
provide government-funded credit-by-exam • pretest questions that are not scored but provide
opportunities to the military through CLEP. Military current candidate population data and allow for
service members are fully funded for their CLEP exam rapid expansion of question pools
2
, CLEP Exam Development The Committee
Content development for each of the CLEP exams The College Board appoints standing committees of
is directed by a test development committee. Each college faculty for each test title in the CLEP battery.
committee is composed of faculty from a wide Committee members usually serve a term of up to
variety of institutions who are currently teaching four years. Each committee works with content
the relevant college undergraduate courses. The specialists at Educational Testing Service to establish
committee members establish the test specifications test specifications and develop the tests. Listed
based on feedback from a national curriculum below are the current committee members and their
survey; recommend credit-granting scores and institutional affiliations.
standards; develop and select test questions; review
statistical data and prepare descriptive material for Mark A. Crawford, Waubonsee Community
use by faculty (Test Information Guides) and students Chair College
planning to take the tests (CLEP Official Study Guide).
Borislava Gutarts California State University
College faculty also participate in CLEP in other — Los Angeles
ways: they convene periodically as part of Derek Martinez University of New Mexico
standard-setting panels to determine the
recommended level of student competency for the The primary objective of the committee is to produce
granting of college credit; they are called upon to tests with good content validity. CLEP tests must be
write exam questions and to review exam forms; and rigorous and relevant to the discipline and the
they help to ensure the continuing relevance of the appropriate courses. While the consensus of the
CLEP examinations through the curriculum surveys. committee members is that this test has high content
validity for a typical introductory College Algebra
The Curriculum Survey course or curriculum, the validity of the content for a
The first step in the construction of a CLEP exam is specific course or curriculum is best determined
a curriculum survey. Its main purpose is to obtain locally through careful review and comparison of
information needed to develop test-content test content, with instructional content covered in a
specifications that reflect the current college particular course or curriculum.
curriculum and to recognize anticipated changes in
the field. The surveys of college faculty are
The Committee Meeting
conducted in each subject every few years depending The exam is developed from a pool of questions
on the discipline. Specifically, the survey gathers written by committee members and outside question
information on: writers. All questions that will be scored on a CLEP
• the major content and skill areas covered in the exam have been pretested; those that pass a rigorous
equivalent course and the proportion of the course statistical analysis for content relevance, difficulty,
devoted to each area fairness and correlation with assessment criteria are
• specific topics taught and the emphasis given to added to the pool. These questions are compiled by
each topic test development specialists according to the test
specifications, and are presented to all the committee
• specific skills students are expected to acquire and members for a final review. Before convening at a
the relative emphasis given to them two- or three-day committee meeting, the members
• recent and anticipated changes in course content, have a chance to review the test specifications and
skills and topics the pool of questions available for possible inclusion
• the primary textbooks and supplementary learning in the exam.
resources used
• titles and lengths of college courses that
correspond to the CLEP exam
3
Test Information
Guide:
College-Level
Examination
Program®
2015-16
College Algebra
© 2015 The College Board. All rights reserved. College Board, College-Level Examination
Program, CLEP, and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board.
,CLEP TEST INFORMATION fees. Exams are administered at military installations
GUIDE FOR COLLEGE ALGEBRA worldwide through computer-based testing programs.
Approximately one-third of all CLEP candidates are
military service members.
History of CLEP
Since 1967, the College-Level Examination Program 2014-15 National CLEP Candidates by Age*
(CLEP®) has provided over six million people with
the opportunity to reach their educational goals. Under 18
11%
CLEP participants have received college credit for
knowledge and expertise they have gained through 30 years and older
prior course work, independent study or work and 24%
18-22 years
43%
life experience.
Over the years, the CLEP examinations have evolved 23-29 years
to keep pace with changing curricula and pedagogy. 22%
Typically, the examinations represent material taught
in introductory college-level courses from all areas * These data are based on 100% of CLEP test-takers who responded to this
of the college curriculum. Students may choose from survey question during their examinations.
33 different subject areas in which to demonstrate
their mastery of college-level material. 2014-15 National CLEP Candidates by Gender
Today, more than 2,900 colleges and universities
recognize and grant credit for CLEP.
41%
Philosophy of CLEP
Promoting access to higher education is CLEP’s
foundation. CLEP offers students an opportunity to
59%
demonstrate and receive validation of their
college-level skills and knowledge. Students who
achieve an appropriate score on a CLEP exam can
enrich their college experience with higher-level
courses in their major field of study, expand their Computer-Based CLEP Testing
horizons by taking a wider array of electives and
avoid repetition of material that they already know. The computer-based format of CLEP exams allows
for a number of key features. These include:
CLEP Participants • a variety of question formats that ensure effective
assessment
CLEP’s test-taking population includes people of all
ages and walks of life. Traditional 18- to 22-year-old • real-time score reporting that gives students and
students, adults just entering or returning to school, colleges the ability to make immediate credit-
high-school students, home-schoolers and granting decisions (except College Composition,
international students who need to quantify their which requires faculty scoring of essays twice a
knowledge have all been assisted by CLEP in month)
earning their college degrees. Currently, 59 percent • a uniform recommended credit-granting score of
of CLEP’s National (civilian) test-takers are women 50 for all exams
and 46 percent are 23 years of age or older. • “rights-only” scoring, which awards one point per
For over 30 years, the College Board has worked to correct answer
provide government-funded credit-by-exam • pretest questions that are not scored but provide
opportunities to the military through CLEP. Military current candidate population data and allow for
service members are fully funded for their CLEP exam rapid expansion of question pools
2
, CLEP Exam Development The Committee
Content development for each of the CLEP exams The College Board appoints standing committees of
is directed by a test development committee. Each college faculty for each test title in the CLEP battery.
committee is composed of faculty from a wide Committee members usually serve a term of up to
variety of institutions who are currently teaching four years. Each committee works with content
the relevant college undergraduate courses. The specialists at Educational Testing Service to establish
committee members establish the test specifications test specifications and develop the tests. Listed
based on feedback from a national curriculum below are the current committee members and their
survey; recommend credit-granting scores and institutional affiliations.
standards; develop and select test questions; review
statistical data and prepare descriptive material for Mark A. Crawford, Waubonsee Community
use by faculty (Test Information Guides) and students Chair College
planning to take the tests (CLEP Official Study Guide).
Borislava Gutarts California State University
College faculty also participate in CLEP in other — Los Angeles
ways: they convene periodically as part of Derek Martinez University of New Mexico
standard-setting panels to determine the
recommended level of student competency for the The primary objective of the committee is to produce
granting of college credit; they are called upon to tests with good content validity. CLEP tests must be
write exam questions and to review exam forms; and rigorous and relevant to the discipline and the
they help to ensure the continuing relevance of the appropriate courses. While the consensus of the
CLEP examinations through the curriculum surveys. committee members is that this test has high content
validity for a typical introductory College Algebra
The Curriculum Survey course or curriculum, the validity of the content for a
The first step in the construction of a CLEP exam is specific course or curriculum is best determined
a curriculum survey. Its main purpose is to obtain locally through careful review and comparison of
information needed to develop test-content test content, with instructional content covered in a
specifications that reflect the current college particular course or curriculum.
curriculum and to recognize anticipated changes in
the field. The surveys of college faculty are
The Committee Meeting
conducted in each subject every few years depending The exam is developed from a pool of questions
on the discipline. Specifically, the survey gathers written by committee members and outside question
information on: writers. All questions that will be scored on a CLEP
• the major content and skill areas covered in the exam have been pretested; those that pass a rigorous
equivalent course and the proportion of the course statistical analysis for content relevance, difficulty,
devoted to each area fairness and correlation with assessment criteria are
• specific topics taught and the emphasis given to added to the pool. These questions are compiled by
each topic test development specialists according to the test
specifications, and are presented to all the committee
• specific skills students are expected to acquire and members for a final review. Before convening at a
the relative emphasis given to them two- or three-day committee meeting, the members
• recent and anticipated changes in course content, have a chance to review the test specifications and
skills and topics the pool of questions available for possible inclusion
• the primary textbooks and supplementary learning in the exam.
resources used
• titles and lengths of college courses that
correspond to the CLEP exam
3
