Is a CDM credit intended to be “different” than a credit earned in the traditional manner?

No. Schools and districts shall assess students and evaluate artifacts based upon the same standards that are applied to students earning course credit in the traditional sense. The achievement levels required to earn CDM through a two-phase assessment already reflect a more rigorous expectation of students who want to earn credit in this manner than those of students who complete the course with the traditional seat-time.

The biggest difference in terms of how they are applied is that CDM credits DO NOT impact GPA.