Peter Negroni (left), senior vice president for relationship development at the College Board, and Xavier Darcos, the French minister of national education

The College Board and France’s Ministry of Education have entered into an agreement
that allows three Advanced Placement® Examinations
to be substituted for three of the 10 exams required for a Baccalauréat Franco-Américain. This new BFA diploma will be
a special version of the French Baccalauréat, the prestigious, secondary school graduation certificate awarded to the best students of French schools around the world. Initially, the new diploma option will be available only to students of French schools in the United States, including the Lycée Français de New York and similar schools in Washington D.C., Houston and San Francisco.
                                          
BFA candidates select their academic track of literature, science or social science; then they select two AP® Examinations from among Biology, Calculus AB, English Language and Composition, European History, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Statistics, U.S. History and World History.  All candidates will be required to take English Literature and Composition.

The first AP Exams to be taken as part of the new baccalaureate diploma option will be offered in academic year 2009-10, during which the first cohort of participating students will begin the two-year program.  The first BFA diplomas will be awarded the following year, when students have completed their baccalauréat with three AP courses and examinations. 

The agreement was signed in September at the Lycée Français de New York, with Senior Vice President Peter Negroni signing the document on behalf of the College Board and Xavier Darcos, the French minister of national education, signing for France.

Senior Vice President Lee Jones, Vice President Trevor Packer, International Services Director Robert DiYanni and International Services Associate Director Maria Luisa Lesser also attended. DiYanni and French Cultural Attaché Soizic Charpentier are working out the details of the new Baccalauréat Franco-Américain. 

College Board Welcomes 24 New International Members

At this year’s Forum, held in Houston in early November, 266 new members were elected to the College Board, bringing the total number of members to 5,653. Twenty-four of these newly elected member institutions are from outside of the United States.

Click here to see the list of new members.

Staff Sergeant James C. Young (center), U.S. Marines, makes use of the CLEP study guide while stationed overseas.

The College Board and the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support continue to expand educational options for active-duty and reserve service members. As a result of this partnership, men and women on active duty in all branches of the military, stationed all around the world, may take College-Level Examination Program® examinations for free. In 2007-08, there were 11,000 CLEP® exams administered
to forward-deployed U.S.
Armed Forces, with the
largest volumes in Iraq
and Afghanistan.

“CLEP helps people continue on their path, even if they’re in isolated areas, because as you can imagine, it’s an easier logistic feat for us to deliver an exam than an entire course and a professor,” said Jeff Cropsey, director of DANTES.

CLEP offers students the opportunity to receive college credit by earning qualifying scores on any of 34 examinations. Depending on their scores and their colleges’ policies, students may also use CLEP credit to bypass certain introductory courses.

DANTES assists service members throughout the Department of Defense, including Reserve components, in completing their postsecondary education programs.

Cropsey pointed out that for DANTES, an organization supported by taxpayers, CLEP has been a terrific cost-saver. “This year through credit-by-exam programs, we’re saving in the neighborhood of $40 million … which would have ordinarily been spent on tuition assistance to pay for courses.”

“A lot of service members are taking courses here and there,” said Cropsey. “They’re going from place to place … they’re not doing things in the traditional sense ... CLEP has really helped them because the credits are portable.” Soldiers get another benefit from the credit they earn, according to Cropsey. “They walked in a high school graduate, and they’re walking out … with a year of college and a new self-confidence that is inspiring.”

Accepting CLEP credit from service members also provides a benefit to colleges. Many soldiers enroll in college as they transition to civilian life. Entering a bachelor’s degree program with CLEP credit helps them to stay committed to degree completion. In addition, the Department of Veterans Affairs will reimburse qualified veterans for their CLEP exams, enabling students to earn even more credit once they’re enrolled.

CLEP Executive Director Ariel Foster said, “When you clearly communicate your CLEP policy, you are rolling out the red carpet for veterans who want to enroll in your degree programs.”

Click here to see international events and workshops.