Glossary of Key Terms

Modern States uses a number of terms that are helpful for learners and educators to be familiar with. Below is a working list of key terms, grouped by topic.

CLEP and college credit

• CLEP - The College Level Examination Program, created by the College Board. CLEP exams can help learners earn college credit at many colleges and universities.
• Modern States CLEP Scholarship - The benefit Modern States provides to help cover the cost of a CLEP exam. To qualify, you must attempt all Checks for Understanding with an average of 75% or higher, then earn 75% or higher on the Modern States final exam. Passing the final exam does not automatically submit your request — you must submit it on the Request Your CLEP Scholarship page. If your request is approved, you will receive a voucher code by email.
• Voucher code - The code a learner receives by email if their Modern States CLEP Scholarship request is approved. Learners use the voucher code when registering for their CLEP exam on the College Board website. In some older course or email language, this may simply be called a “voucher.”

Your courses and the platform

• Platform - The online learning system where learners access Modern States courses. Modern States courses are delivered through D2L Brightspace.
• Class Progress - A tool in the course navigation bar where you can check your own progress at any time, including your quiz average, completed quizzes, and content viewed.
• Quiz Average – 75 Percent Needed - The item under Graded Items in Class Progress that shows your current average across all Checks for Understanding. This must reach 75% or higher before your final exam unlocks.
• 2025 Edition courses - The current Modern States course experience released in 2025. These courses include updated CLEP-aligned learning objectives, refreshed instructional design, updated quizzes, and improved accessibility.
• Beta Edition courses - Newer or redesigned Modern States courses that may be tested or improved before all courses follow the same format. Beta courses may look different from 2025 Edition courses, but learners can still work toward a Modern States CLEP Scholarship by following the course requirements.

Practice and assessments

• Knowledge Check - Short, ungraded questions inside a lesson that let you check your understanding as you read or watch. Knowledge Checks are optional and do not affect your grade.
• P3 Quiz (Practice) - A short, ungraded practice quiz that appears at the end of a lesson in some courses. P3 quizzes are optional, do not affect your grade, and do not count toward the 75% quiz average needed to unlock your final exam. They are there to help you check what you have learned, get feedback, and see which content to review.
• CFU (Checks for Understanding) - Short graded quizzes that check your understanding of a module’s content. CFUs are the only graded quizzes that count toward unlocking your final exam. To unlock the final exam, you must attempt all CFUs in the course and hold an average of 75% or higher across them. You do not need a perfect score on any single quiz.
• Final Exam - The Modern States course exam you take after completing the course material and meeting the Checks for Understanding requirements. Earning 75% or higher on the final exam unlocks your Post-Course Survey and the Request Your CLEP Scholarship page.
• CLEP exam vs. Modern States final exam - These are two different exams. The Modern States final exam is the exam at the end of your Modern States course; you must earn 75% or higher to request a Modern States CLEP Scholarship. The CLEP exam is the official College Board exam you take afterward at a test center or through remote proctoring to earn college credit.

Support inside your course

• Lumi (also called LumiTutor) - An AI learning support tool built into select Modern States courses. Lumi can answer questions about the course material, walk through examples, and help you review while you study. Lumi is not available in every course, and it is not available while you are taking a quiz or exam.
• UPchieve - A nonprofit partner that offers free, on-demand 1:1 tutoring from real human tutors, available 24/7. UPchieve is available to high school learners in select Modern States courses. If UPchieve appears in your course, use the link inside your course — each course has its own link, so going to the UPchieve website directly may not connect you correctly. Eligibility is determined by UPchieve.

Your progress and privacy

• Auditor - A teacher, mentor, or other educator who has been approved by Modern States to view learner progress. An auditor must send you a request, and you decide whether to approve it. Until you approve, they cannot see your progress. Approved auditors can see information such as your course progress, content viewed, and quiz and exam scores, so they can support you. You can approve, deny, or postpone any auditor request.
• Aggregate data - Combined or summarized information about groups of learners. Aggregate data does not identify an individual learner.

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