ACE - What is it?
By Kathy J. Saint, PP, PLS
NALS Certifying Board
ACE, American Council on Education, was founded in 1918
and has become a unifying voice for higher education. And,
for the last 31 years, has provided recommendations to
colleges and universities regarding the number of college
credits individuals may receive for formal courses and
examinations taken outside traditional degree programs. What
does this mean to us? It means that we enjoy the
possibility of receiving college credits for passing the
ALS and PLS exams (PP exam is under review).
Why should we be proud of our ACE designation?
NALS certifications are the only ACE accredited exams
dedicated to the legal industry! And, you ask, how
did our exams become ACE accredited? They underwent
a review by an ACE-appointed team which consisted of content
and technical experts selected from college faculty. When
that team concurred that the exams were eligible for college
credit, recommendations were made as to what areas that
credit could be earned in and the number of hours which
could be received in each of those areas. And, just
in case you thought “What’s the big deal,” know that the
exams are reevaluated every five years following the initial
review. While the ALS and PLS exams are currently
being reviewed for reaccreditation, the PP exam is undergoing
its initial review. A lot of time and effort has
gone into these projects as the NALS Resource Center and
the Certifying Board have been working on preparations
for the reviews for over a year!
How does ACE work?
ACE makes recommendations as to credit hours to be awarded
and areas, but colleges and universities make the final
decision as to whether they will accept all or some of
the credit hours. That decision may be based on their
policies and procedures, the course of study the individual
is engaged in, and other transfer credits the individual
has received. Also, the minimum score for awarding
of credit hours is determined by the college or university. While
some may only require a score of 65 for each part, others
may require scores up to 70 in order to receive credit.
How many credits may be awarded?
An individual may earn up to 6 semester hours for passing
the ALS exam and up to 27 semester hours for passing the
PLS exam, as indicated below.
(1) ALS Credit Recommendation – For a baccalaureate/associate
degree, an individual might receive 3 semester hours in
Business Procedures and 3 semester hours in Business Communications.
(2) PLS (one day, 4 part exam) Credit Recommendation
– For a baccalaureate/associate degree, an individual might
receive 3 semester hours in Office Management, 3 semester
hours in Computer Literacy, 3 semester hours in Ethics,
3 semester hours in Business Communications, and 3 semester
hours in either Introduction To Law or Business Law.
(3) PLS (two day, 7 part exam) Credit Recommendation
– For a baccalaureate/associate degree, 3 semester hours
in Business Communications, 2 semester hours in Legal/Business
Ethics or Professional Responsibility, 3 semester hours
in Legal Office Procedures, 1 semester hour in Computer
Literacy, 3 semester hours in Office Accounting or Introductory
Accounting, 3 semester hours in Legal Terminology, 3 semester
hours in Legal Methods or Legal Bibliography, 3 semester
hours in Legal Secretarial Capstone or Legal Secretarial
Judgment, 3 semester hours in Applied Legal Office Skills,
and 3 semester hours in Legal Document Formatting and Preparation.
How do I get college credit for passing the ALS or PLS
exam?
Contact the college admissions office (or other designated
person) to find out who makes decisions on the awarding
of college credits. Follow up with that individual
to determine what documentation or other information may
be required prior to their making a decision on the awarding
of credits. More information regarding tips on gaining
college credit acceptance can be found at www.nals.org/certification/collegecredits/index.html.
To learn more about ACE, check out the information at www.acenet.edu.
An
individual may receive only 3 semester hours in Business
Communications even if they pass both the ALS and PLS
exams.
