My TESC Evaluation

Well guys I just received my unofficial evaluation from TESC. I was pretty upset at first until I realized that they had placed me in the AAS in Aviation so I only received 15 credits. They did however send me a second evaluation for the AAS in Environmental, Safety and Security Technologies which leaves me with English 102 (3 hours), Humanities (3 hours), Social Sciences (3 hours), and General Ed Elective (6 hours) for a total of 15 hours left for the degree. Pug, do you remember our credit breakdown from earlier? It actually shows on the printout that they only accept 25 credits from FEMA which is fine but I swore we had figured I was 12 hours shy and not 15. Either way it seems to be a pretty decent deal since I'm still doing those Penn Foster courses. When I get home I'll post more detailed info on how credit was applied.

 

Ok here goes the evaluation:


Required Earned
Engl 101 and 102 6 hours Engl 101- Grade A
Humanities 3 hours needed 0 earned
Social Science 3 hours needed 0 earned
College Math 3 hours needed College Algebra- Grade A
(General Ed Electives (6 hours) from humanities
social science or natural science) 0 earned



Career Track Envir , Safety and Security Tech (21 hours)

Drug Investigations (3 hours) Grade--A
Career Enhancement (3 hours) Grade--A
Initial Invetigations (3 hours) Grade--A
Officer Survival (3 hours) Grade--A
General Biology (3 hours) Grade--B
Law Enforcement Professionalism (2 hours) Grade--A
4 hours from FEMA courses - No Grades


Free Electives--- 18 hours from FEMA credits



So like I said I need 15 hours from Engl 102, a 3 hour Humanity (Penn Foster Art Appreciation in progress), a 3 hour Social Science (suggestions?), and 6 hours in General Ed Electives (suggestions as well). What do you guys think?

 

Let me start with the caveat that my knowledge of TESC's policies is seriously out of date. With that said......

For the ENG102, you could take the CLEP exams English Composition or Freshman College Composition, both of which are 6 credits. The 3 credits for ENG102 would be satisfied, and the other 3 credits could be applied to your General Education requirements.

For the Social Science credits, one of the CLEP History exams could fit the bill; TESC used to accept History as a Social Science, but I don't know if that's the case now.

For the remaining 3 hours Gen Ed, I recommend the DANTES exam Here's To Your Health.

 

Here is the breaksown we discussed, taken from an email you sent to me:

A. English Composition 6 (CLEP of English from a RA school)

B. Humanities 3 (Art Appreciation Penn Foster or CLEP)

C. Social Sciences 3 (Psychology Penn Foster or CLEP)

D. College Mathematics 3 (LSU College Algebra)

E. General Education Electives 6 (Biology from LSU and a CLEP or something else)

II. Area of Study 21 (FEMA Courses)

III.Free Electives 18 (12 North Idaho College and Fema Courses)

Total 60 credits

 

If you take the english comp CLEP it's worth 6 hours. I just passed it (it wasn't that bad). As far as the remaining classes needed, TESC considers anything from humanities/social sciences/natural sciences to be general ed. You also need a social science. I would consider, either through CLEP or Penn Foster:

psychology (I took this with PF and it wasn't bad)
sociology
any math course or exam at any level (as long as it is college, not remedial)
any religion course (God and Angels from Global University is interesting and easy)
any literature (PF is NOT easy)
any additional english/writing class
any history courses or exams will count as general ed

Pug

 

Soupbone -

As I recall, you were kind of banking on a forestry class to be accepted for credit and I didn't think it would be. Could this be the difference between the 12 credits you thought you'd need and the 15 you really need?

Pug

 

They actually applied Forestry as a free elective over taking a few of the FEMA credits.

 

Pug and the rest of my DL friends here. It's been a while since I've posted and due to several issues such as not having the time, drive, and everything else under the sun to complete my degree. I found this thread which is where I left off last. I did enroll in the Penn Foster courses but was unable to complete them so I'm still sitting 15 hours from the TESC AAS IF the TESC evaluation still holds true. I'm not sure how long it lasts but it was completed on 5/27/08.

Anyway here I sit with now finally being able to start over again (so to speak) and I again need advice. From my previous posting from TESC I need a English 102 (worth 3 hours), 3 hours for Humanities, 3 hours of Social Science, and 6 hours of General Education Electives for a grand total of 15 hours for completion of the AAS. Like I said I'm not even sure if the TESC eval is still good and I will probably check with them tomorrow and see if it is. So I recently got interested in CLEP's, DANTES, etc. since it seems to be the fastest route to complete this degree.

Any suggestions on which ones you personally would take for each one? I read some of the posts above and I still am unsure which CLEP would apply to which area.

Also on my eval I noticed that they applied a Dairy Science course (D grade) and a Forestry course (C grade) to the Free Electives section which lowered my GPA quite a bit. I haven't reached the 25 credit limit for FEMA credits so should I try and get them to take the FEMA credits which are no grades versus those two courses?

Pug and I last discussed completing this AAS then moving on to Bellevue since they accept the full transfer of credits toward their bachelors degrees. Do any of you have any direct information in regards to other Universities accepting full credit transfers from an AAS?

Lastly thanks again for all the encouragement I see on this site. I had almost given up on finishing my degree but things finally settled down again and I'm back where I was 6 months ago. You guys are great!

 

Can TESC leave off transfer credits from your transcripts if you received a D? I wouldn't want those courses on my transcripts. I know Excelsior does this.

 

I actually spoke to a TESC advisor this morning and she said that there is NO GPA listed on your transcripts unless they are courses taken specifically from TESC.

I went ahead and re-applied this morning and she said the re-evaluation doesn't take nearly as long as the initial since they already have the information needed. So all I need to do at this point is enroll and figure out which CLEP's would apply to the remaining 15 hours. I just have no idea which ones to look at. Like any normal person the easiest ones that would fit in place would be the best. I'll have to keep reading and try and figure it out. I should be able to finish these 15 hours rather quickly now that i finally have the time to commit to finishing it.

 

A piece of cake You can be done this month.

CLEP English with Essay, worth 6, TESC will award you 3
CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, worth 6, TESC will give you 3 for humanities and 3 for gen ed.
CLEP Social Science and History, worth 6, TESC will give you 3 for social science and 3 for gen ed.

If English is your first language, google "5 paragraph essay" and use that to prepare for the essay portion. Do a handful of essays, and then I'd suggest sitting both the English and A&IL next week. You could do them on the same day, take an hour break in between to stretch, you'll use all the time. The A&IL exam is a comprehension exam, no study necessary. You can google "literary terms" since you'll find a few vocab words that you might not otherwise know (prose, alliteration, stanza)

Then, give yourself a week or two using the REA General CLEP study book. Buy at amazon or get from your library (anything 2000 or newer) Their material for the SS&H is dead on. If you went to K-12 in the USA, you really only need a solid week- if not, give yourself a couple weeks. Use the practice tests, shoot for 60% and you are all set.

 

That definately looks doable. Tonight I'm going to research the Social Science and History exam and try to knock it out first. I've never taken a CLEP exam so I think I would feel more comfortable trying it first since I feel that I'm better at History. A&IL class really requires little to no study? Is it more reading comprehension based? If so I think I would do fine in that type of test since my career puts major emphasis on attention to detail. The only one that concerns me is knocking out that English. It's been a long time since I've had any formal English classes. Thanks for the advice!

 

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I wouldn't lie to you

Do spend a few minutes here: www.collegeboard.com to get an official outline of the exams. Also, your library might have the CLEP OFFICIAL GUIDE which you should get- it has practice tests. Don't worry about the year of the book for the exams you are using- there has been no change in 4 years I know, and little change in 8 years ...so anything in the 2000s is fine. If you think you might use CLEP for your gen eds in your bachelor's degree, you could buy the book, it's only $20 new. For now, find the REA book. (it also has study material for the English Comp with essay, so it will do double duty for you!)

 

Thanks again! I am researching these exams through this site as well and several members offer great advice as well. I am getting more comfortable with the idea of testing out of these remaining 15 hours.

Now my next hurdle is making sure I find an RA school that will accept the transfer of the 60 credit hours. Through my discussions with Pugbelly I know Bellevue will accept them but I want to explore all of thos options as well.

Thanks again for the advice! I hope to have a final gameplan by weeks end.

 

Would this be the correct REA book you were referring to? I also see that it covers the English Composition. Is that also one of the exams I should consider? If so then $30 buck seems like a bargain.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Best-Test-Prep-for-the-CLEP-General-Examinations-with-CD/Joseph-A-Alvarez/e/9780878912759/?itm=9

If so I do not mind purchasing it since my local library likely (Alliteration) does not carry it.

 

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That's it. You don't need the CD. If you buy last year's edition you can get it for about $10 +/-
Yes-take English Comp with essay in addition to Analyzing and Interpreting Lit (not in that book) and Social Science & History (in the book)

 

I actually purchased it yesterday and started studying. I will definately need a little work on one specific section of English Comp. Otherwise I don't think it will be all that difficult.

I was thinking last night about my ultimate goal which is to obtain a masters or and equivalent advanced degree. Since I'm trying to complete a bachelors in the quickest way possible I was wondering if staying with TESC for the bachelors would be smarter. Would it be more beneficial to not pursue the AAS and just enroll seeking the bachelors instead? I just don't want to waste any more time than I already have this past year.

My thoughts are that I should still get the AAS since I'm 15 hours away from it and then using it to continue on the road to the bachelors. Either way I'm about to destroy these CLEPS.

 

Well I've been using the practice exams on the REA cd and I've been doing ok on the English Composition. I also signed up for the IC flashcards and I am destroying the English Comp. questions. I'm not sure if the IC flashcards are easier or if they just put it in a way that I understand better, but I am literally missing only 1 question per section on average. I feel really good about it but I'm still not sure I'm ready. I plan on taking it maybe next Thursday along with Analyzing literature if I can study a few more literary terms. Thanks again! Just wanted to give an update.

 

Are you taking it with or without essay?

Pug

 

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Good job! Like Pug said, be sure to take the essay portion.
Doing your associates on the way to your bachelor's will add the cost of a graduation fee ($225 I think). I can't see any advantage you would gain by removing it and changing to the BA. TESC can add (even today) the BA in X to your degree plan, and when you open myEdison, you have the option of looking at both your degrees- your current credits would be evaluated for both degrees and as you collect credit, both degrees are updated. In other words, you'll get the evaluation and can progress seamlessly.

P.S. let me know how you do, and I'm glad you like to book.