Stackable Credentials

Digital Badges

Digital Badges offer a new way to display industry-recognized, employment focused credentials that validate core employability and technical skills for all Industries. Digital badges offered by CCCS are a “web-based, verifiable representation of a skill, mastery of a set of skills and/or recognition of expertise.”

Credit for Prior Learning

Prior Learning Assessment

Prior learning assessment is a set of well-established, researched, and validated methods for assessing non-collegiate learning for college credit. It is a process that allows learners to demonstrate knowledge and skills in a particular field or fields and have that learning evaluated for college credit (CAEL).

In February 2015, the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupation Education (SBCCOE) approved an update to the former Credit for Prior Learning policy which was submitted by the Credit for Prior Learning Subcommittee. The newly named PLA Credit Policy (BP 9-42) and accompanying System Procedures (SP 9-42) are designed to allow students with prior learning acquired outside an institution of higher education to challenge Colorado Common Course Numbering System (CCNS) courses and to earn credit toward a program of study.

This set of resources include the System PLA manual, the PLA Crosswalk, Military Crosswalks, and additional resources from the Department of Higher Education.

Prior Learning Assessment Credit Manual

The Prior Learning Credit Manual is a comprehensive guide to what constitutes Prior Learning, what exams are accepted, and correct policies and procedures to assess them.  

CCCS PLA Credit Crosswalk Matrix 

The PLA Credit Crosswalk Matrix is a comprehensive list of all exams accepted by the Colorado Community College System as prior learning. It includes the Banner codes necessary to accept the exam in the Banner system.

Military PLA Complete Evaluations 

The Military PLA is an exhaustive list of the complete evaluations that the Colorado Community College System accepts as prior learning.

Department of Higher Education PLA Credit Resources 

The following link shows every exam that is accepted by the Colorado Department of Higher Education.