Student Handbook - Prior Education Evaluation

You, like many students, may have questions in regards to previously earned credits and about credits you will earn at ACE. Below, please find pertinent information regarding the assessment of your courses taken outside of ACE.

• Credit Transfer Requests
• Ed.S/ABD to Ed.D. Completion Pathways
• Florida Modified EL Transcript Evaluation
• General Education Requirement
• Transferability of ACE Credits 

Credit Transfer Requests

You may have earned college credit at another institution and wish to have these credits applied to your current degree program. If so, ACE will review this coursework and assess if credit can be applied in accordance with the Transfer Credit Policy listed in the Catalog. To have your prior classes assessed, the follow procedures are utilized:

• Complete the “Transfer Credit Evaluation Request Form.”
• Requests must be received at least one term prior to the requested course being taken at ACE.
• Submit official transcript(s) for the course(s) requested.
• ACE’s Admissions department will render a decision in accordance with Credit Transfer Policy.
• Decisions will be communicated with you via email.
• To be applied to your degree map and transcript, an official transcript is required. 
• If approved, you will receive a grade of a “TR” for the ACE course(s) on your transcripts. Your course map/schedule for the remainder of your program will be adjusted accordingly.

_{**Please note: Credit transfer does not guarantee an earlier completion/graduation time. As course availability varies, an earlier graduation date may not be possible.}

Ed.D. Completion Pathway Requests

If you have earned your Ed.S. Degree or completed all coursework but the dissertation (ABD) prior to starting at ACE, you may be eligible to enter into a “Completion Pathway” program version. The following procedures are utilized:

• Submission of an official transcript confirming the Ed.S. and/or ABD coursework completed at a 3.0 CUM GPA or better.
• Verified completion of at least six semester credits in the Ed.S. at the doctorate level.
• Review of transcript by ACE Academics team to determine courses needed at ACE for program completion.
• Decisions, which will provide all classes that are needed at ACE, will be emailed to the student.
• An official transcript is not required for the review; however, is needed for the pathway to be applied to the student’s record.
• Once the decision is rendered and the official transcript is received, the required courses will be updated in the student’s degree map (available on the MyACE Portal)

_{**Please note: Students who are not required to take RES6003: Applied Statistics at ACE will be required to successfully complete the Research Competency Assessment in ASMT6010 within a determined five week term. If unsuccessful, RES6003 will be added to the student’s required courses.}

_{***Furthermore if you are not required to take RES6013: Research Methods, an important component is embedded in the course which must still be completed before you apply for candidacy. All students must complete the National Institute of Health (NIH) training and obtain a Certificate of Completion.}

Go to [https://phrp.nihtraining.com/#!/login] and complete the training on Protecting Human Research Participants. You must save a copy or obtain a screen shot of the Certificate of Completion. This certificate is a required component of the Application for Candidacy.

Florida Modified Educational Leadership Program Process

Individuals who hold a master’s degree and are seeking licensure as a building administrator/principal in Florida through the alternative pathway are able to fulfill these requirements at ACE.  ACE will evaluate transcripts by you and provide the courses needed in alignment with Florida Standards. The following steps are required to earn the “Completed Florida Modified EL Program” stamp on your transcript: 

1. Submit a “Transcript Request Review” form with transcript from a master’s degree program. Please note that reviews may be completed with an unofficial copy of the transcript; however, an official one will be needed prior to ACE certifying transcripts.
2. The ACE Admissions department will review your transcript according to Florida’s standards.
3. When the review is complete, ACE will send you the Transcript Review Decision form via email. This will list the courses you will need to complete at ACE.
4. The registration office, after admission to ACE, will register you in the courses required. 
5. After successfully completing all courses, you will need to take and successfully pass the Florida Educational Leadership Examination (FELE) exam in Florida.
6. Submit a Verification Request form to ACE showing proof of FELE completion. Upon receipt of this form, confirmation of official transcripts and course completion, ACE’s Certification officer will certify the transcripts indicating completion of an an approved Florida modified program.

General Education Credit 

ACE’s students enrolled in bachelor’s completion programs are required to fulfill the general education requirements as listed in the ACE General Education Requirement Policy. ACE students can fulfill general education credits prior to enrolling at ACE or while attending ACE. All credits are required to be fulfilled prior to degree conferral unless required as a prerequisite in a course as listed in the College Catalog. If you are enrolled in a bachelor’s completion program, the following steps will be utilized to track your progress in fulfilling this requirement: 

1. Submit a “Request for Transcript Evaluation” form to ACE. In this request, please include all transcripts to be considered, if not already part of your student record.
2.  The ACE Admissions department reviews based on the course content and grade earned in the course. 
   1. Course Content: The Admissions department reviews the course description and content in relation to the competencies required in Indiana STEGC.
   2. Grade Earned: To ensure compliance with the 2.0 GPA expectation for these courses, only courses with a “C” or better will fulfill general education requirements.
3. After reviewing the transcripts, the Admissions department emails the transcript evaluation decision to the applicant. This form contains the number of STGEC requirements that have been met and the remaining courses needed to fulfill this requirement.
4. Each time you complete an additional course, please submit the transcripts to the ACE Admissions department via the process listed above. You will receive an updated evaluation each time to track your progress.
5. This process will continue until are requirements have been fulfilled.

Transferability of ACE Credits

American College of Education is regionally accredited, but it does not guarantee or allege coursework taken at the College will be accepted for transfer to other institutions. The acceptance of transfer credit is entirely at the discretion of the receiving institution according to its policies. Students are responsible for contacting the receiving institution about their transfer credit policies related to coursework taken at American College of Education.