subject: How Parents Of High School Students Can Help Their Children Succeed On Clep Exams [print this page] CLEP, the College Level Examination Program, offers current and future college students the amazing ability to bypass general education college courses by taking computerized examinations. In fact, high school students can use CLEP to earn college credits before ever stepping foot on a college campus. Parents can play a key role in helping their high-school aged children experience maximum success on CLEP exams.
Parents have a vested interest in assuring their childs success on CLEP tests. Considering that each CLEP test costs only $72 to take plus a small administration fee, the savings are obvious when compared to the price of public or private college tuition. Passing even one CLEP exam can result in a savings of hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Because parents are often the ones footing the tuition bill, the prospect of financial savings associated with CLEP can be very inviting to parents. Because of the potential financial savings, parents may want to use a variety of motivators to encourage their children to take CLEP tests. For example a parent may offer to pay their child $150 for each passed CLEP exam. OR, a parent may offer to take the child on a high school graduation trip of his choice if he completes five or more CLEP tests while still in high school. External motivators can play a huge role in getting a high school student to prepare for and take an exam that is not part of the normal high school curriculum.
In addition to providing motivators, parents can give plenty of support and encouragement as their child prepares for the CLEP. For example parents may relieve their children of chores or household duties while the child prepares for the CLEP exam. Parents need to help their children develop long-term thinking and goal planning. These life skills will offer numerous benefits in the short term and the long term. While children may view CLEP exams as one more set of dreaded exams to take prior to beginning college, parents are able to see the long term benefits of CLEP, such as the ability to graduate from college sooner, the financial savings, and the ability to jumpstart a career. Parents can help their children determine their five, 10, and 20 year life goals and see how CLEP exams can help in the achievement of these goals. While a high school student may not currently realize the value in completing a college degree in a reduced amount of time, parents can often see the value of this achievement and the opportunities the achievement brings and convey this information to the child.
Although CLEP exams are not part of high school curriculum, the knowledge students acquire in honors or advanced coursework may very well prepare high school students to take CLEP tests. In addition, many homeschooled students use curriculum that is advanced enough for the student to use the knowledge gained to pass a college level exam. Home schooled students are often self-directed learners who can easily prepare for and pass CLEP tests. Parents can help their children to examine the long term benefits of CLEP and turn high school coursework into college credits. For example a student who completes an AP (Advanced Placement) literature course in high school can often easily pass several different CLEP tests, such as the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, American Literature, or British Literature CLEP exam.
