HB 17-1004 Summary

• Requires each governing board of Colorado state institutions of higher education to adopt and implement a prior learning assessment policy by January 1, 2018 that awards academic credit for college-level learning acquired during military service.

• Each campus must use the American Council on Education's recommendations on the Joint Services Transcript to evaluate military education and assign appropriate prior learning assessment credit at the campus's discretion.

• Institutions must provide specific guidance to active duty and veteran military members in selecting programs of study and optimizing prior learning assessment credit to accelerate degree or certificate completion.

• Requires campuses to accept in transfer prior learning assessment credit awarded for guaranteed-transfer courses beginning June 1, 2018, unless the Colorado Commission on Higher Education adopts a different transfer policy by that date.

• Prior learning assessment credit must be granted free of tuition, though institutions may charge a reasonable assessment fee; applies to state institutions of higher education, local district colleges, and area technical colleges.