Woodlawn High School is excited to announce that we will once again offer CLEP testing as an opportunity for students to earn college credit for their high school coursework. CLEP is the College-Level Examination Program® offered by the College Board. “CLEP offers 34 exams that cover intro-level college course material. With a passing score on one CLEP exam, you could earn three or more college credits at more than 2,900 U.S. colleges and universities.”
Click here to watch a short video on CLEP exams: https://youtu.be/2Oxc6YOYaRs.
What CLEP Exams will WHS offer? While CLEP has 34 available exams, Woodlawn High has opted to focus our attention on the exams that best align to the coursework our students are completing.
We will offer the following CLEP exams for the 2020-2021 school year:
| CLEP TEST | CORRESPONDING COURSE |
| College Composition | English III, English IV and AP English Language & Composition |
| American Government | AP US Government & Politics or Civics |
| History of the US I | AP US History |
| History of the US II | AP US History and US History |
| College Algebra | Advanced Math |
| Precalculus | Advanced Math |
| Calculus | AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC |
| Biology | AP Biology or Biology II |
| Chemistry | AP Chemistry |
| Spanish Language | Spanish III, Spanish IV and native Spanish speakers |
| French Language | French III, French IV and native French speakers |
Students who wish to take a CLEP exam that is not listed should contact the CLEP Coordinator, Ms. Miller for more information.
Why should students take a CLEP exam? At Woodlawn High School, CLEP tests are optional exams open to any student who wants to test regardless of academic program. Colleges use CLEP test scores to decide if they should give students college credit or placement for their knowledge in the tested subject area. Woodlawn recommends that students take a CLEP test at the end of the term in which they complete a corresponding course. For example, if a student takes US History in the fall term, they should take the History of the US II CLEP test in December. If a student has US History in the spring term, they should take the History of the US II CLEP test in May.
If you are still trying to decide if you should take a CLEP exam, CLEP recommends that you ask yourself these questions:
Does my college or university accept the CLEP exam subject I’m interested in taking?
- Does the CLEP exam I’m interested in taking fulfill a degree requirement?
- Have I already gained knowledge in any of the CLEP exam subjects through a previous course, independent reading and study, work, or other experience?
- Am I looking for ways to reduce my college tuition bill?
- Do I need to earn my degree in a shorter amount of time?
What is the difference between CLEP and AP exams?
· CLEP tests are offered year-round, but AP tests are only offered once a year in May at participating test centers. Woodlawn High is an approved test center for CLEP and AP.
· CLEP exams are computer-based tests with multiple choice questions (except College Composition) that take approximately one to two hours to complete. AP Tests are paper-based tests with multiple choice and free response questions for all subject areas that take two to three hours to complete.
· Students receive CLEP scores immediately after submitting their exams online. The College Composition test is the only CLEP exam with essays; therefore, these scores are not released immediately. AP scores are made available to students two months after the test date; the anticipated score release date is in July each year.
· Students can earn college credit or placement for qualifying scores for both CLEP and AP exams, but the credit awarded may vary based on the test and the college awarding the credit. Students should check college and university websites to see what AP and/or CLEP exams and their qualifying scores are needed to receive credit at that school. Keep in mind that some colleges will not award CLEP credit if a student already took the equivalent course at another college or as a Dual Enrollment class in high school.
· AP exams help determine eligibility for AP Scholar Recognitions. There are no College Board recognitions associated with CLEP scores at this time.
Should students take the CLEP or AP test for their AP classes? There is no right answer to this question. The curriculum taught in the AP class may be different than what is assessed on the CLEP exam. Many AP teachers are working to help prepare students for both AP and CLEP exam options. By preparing for both exams, students that take an AP class in the fall term will have the option to CLEP test in December 2020 instead of waiting until May 2021 for the AP test. Students are encouraged to check with their AP teachers to see what CLEP exam most matches the AP curriculum before signing up for a CLEP test. There is not a CLEP exam available for every AP class that WHS offers, so some students will only have the option to take the AP test in May 2021. Students enrolled in AP classes are automatically signed up for the corresponding AP exam, but students will not be charged an exam fee if they do not test in May 2021. Students always have the option to take both AP and CLEP tests for an additional exam fee of $95 per test.
When is CLEP testing, and how do I sign up? CLEP testing will take place once per term at Woodlawn High School. The fee to take a CLEP test is $95 per test. To take a CLEP test, students must be pre-registered by the registration deadline and pay the exam fee a minimum of one week prior to testing. Please refer to the dates below for CLEP registration and testing dates:
FALL REGISTRATION DEADLINE: November 15, 2020 – FALL TEST DATES: December 10-11, 2020
SPRING REGISTRATION DEADLINE: March 15, 2020 – SPRING TEST DATES: May 10-11, 2021
To sign up, students should submit the CLEP Registration Form by the registration deadlines above. Students will need to submit the form one time for fall term CLEP exams and submit it a second time for spring term CLEP exams. After you register, be sure to stop by Ms. Miller’s office to pick up the 2020 Official CLEP Study Guide book.
CLEP REGISTRATION FORM LINK: https://forms.gle/LfiHHVknMwwL44jk6
Who do I contact for more information on CLEP testing at WHS? For more information, contact the CLEP Coordinator, Ms. Miller at [email protected] or via phone at 225-753-1200. To learn more about CLEP and specific CLEP exams, visit the CLEP website at https://clep.collegeboard.org/.
