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Glite Dictionary
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PLA

PLA

8.1
A process for checking a person's past learning to give school credit
  • noun
  • Formal
: evaluación de aprendizajes previos
  • Before applying for the course, I completed a PLA to evaluate my previous experience and potentially earn credits.

Examples

  • Our panelists were Mary Baykan (legislative officer for the Maryland Library Association), Jan Sanders (chair, PLA Legislation and Advocacy Committee), and Jonathan Miller (chair, ACRL Government Relations Committee).

    Academic text (2015)

  • A prior learning assessment (PLA) is also something prospective transfers should look into before making any decisions.

    Blog text (16)

  • A prior learning assessment, or PLA, can help students receive credit for knowledge they already possess.

  • Many colleges offer a PLA to assess the skills and knowledge acquired outside of traditional classroom settings.

Surface Forms

PLA singular
PLAs plural

Morphology

PLA = P + L + A

PLA here stands for 'prior learning assessment'; as an acronym its letters do not provide a transparent morphological clue to the meaning.

Etymology

The word PLA stands for prior learning assessment. The word prior means 'before', learning is 'knowledge' or 'skill', and assessment is a 'check', so a PLA is a way to check earlier learning to give college credit or recognition.