EHDC(LEGAL) - ALTERNATIVE METHODS FOR EARNING CREDIT: CREDIT BY EXAMINATION WITHOUT PRIOR INSTRUCTION

Using guidelines established by the State Board of Education (SBOE), a district shall develop or purchase examinations for acceleration to thoroughly test comprehension of the information presented in the applicable grade level or subject. The board shall approve for each subject, to the extent available, at least four examinations that satisfy the SBOE guidelines. Education Code 28.023

Board Approval

A district must have the approval of the board to develop its own tests or to purchase examinations. 19 TAC 74.24(a)(4)

Kindergarten–Grade 5

A district shall develop procedures for kindergarten acceleration that are approved by the board.

A district shall accelerate a student in grades 1–5 one grade if the student meets the following requirements:

  1. The student scores 80 percent or above on a criterion-referenced test for the grade level to be skipped in each of the following areas: language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies;
  2. A district representative recommends that the student be accelerated; and
  3. The student's parent or guardian gives written approval of the acceleration.

19 TAC 74.24(b)

Assessment Audit

The board shall approve an audit process to be completed for assessments for acceleration. 19 TAC 74.24(b)(1)

Grades 6–12

A district shall give a student in grades 6–12 credit for an academic subject in which the student has received no prior instruction if the student scores:

  1. A three or higher on a College Board advanced placement examination that has been approved by the board for the applicable course;
  2. A scaled score of 50 or higher on an examination administered through the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) and approved by the board for the applicable course; or
  3. Eighty percent or above on any other criterion-referenced test approved by the board for the applicable course.

19 TAC 74.24(c)(8)

Board-Approved Examinations

The board shall approve for each high school course, to the extent available, at least four examinations that shall include College Board advanced placement examinations and examinations administered through CLEP.

The examinations may include examinations developed by Texas Tech University, The University of Texas at Austin, the school district, or another entity.

Audit for District-Developed Examinations

The board shall approve an audit process to be completed for examinations developed by the district.

19 TAC 74.24(c)(1)

Exam Certification for Grades 6–12

In order for a district to administer an examination for credit, prior to the first administration, the district or provider of the assessment must certify that the examination:

  1. Is aligned to all assessable TEKS for the course;
  2. Has not been published and is not publicly available;
  3. Will only be administered in a secure environment under standardized conditions by a school district or institution of higher education; and
  4. Has been evaluated to ensure:
    1. Test scores can be interpreted as indicators of what the test is intended to measure; and
    2. Consistency of test results across testing conditions.

19 TAC 74.24(c)(2)

Examinations for courses that do not have an end-of-course (EOC) assessment shall meet all validation requirements at items 1–4 above no later than the 2019–20 school year. 19 TAC 74.24(c)(7)

Courses with Corresponding EOCs

In order for a district to administer an examination for credit for a course that has a state EOC assessment instrument, the district or provider of the assessment must certify, prior to the first administration, that the examination:

  1. Meets the above requirements for exam validation;
  2. Has been externally validated and determined to:
    1. Align to and appropriately address all assessable TEKS for the course:
    2. Assess the appropriate level of rigor for each student expectation; and
    3. Yield comparable distribution of results across tested subgroups.

If the number of students who take an examination in a given year is not sufficient to determine comparable results among subgroups, the provider may obtain approval from the SBOE to demonstrate comparable results over a specified number of years.

For an examination that is validated in accordance with 19 Administrative Code 74.24(4), a district or the provider of the assessment must make public the following:

  1. The annual report described below;
  2. All relevant test development specifications;
  3. A statement certifying that the examination meets the external validation criteria described above; and
  4. Results for all tested subgroups disaggregated by students who receive prior instruction and students with no prior instruction and including descriptive data for small subgroups.

19 TAC 74.24(c)(4)–(6)

Annual Report

A district or provider of the assessment must make public an annual report, including:

  1. The test development process;
  2. A statement certifying the examination meets the certification criteria in 19 Administrative Code 74.24(c)(2)(d);
  3. The number of students who took each examination;
  4. The number of students who scored 70 percent or above on each examination;
  5. The number of students who scored 80 percent or above on each examination; and
  6. The average score for all students who took the examination for each examination.

19 TAC 74.24(c)(3)

EOC Assessments

An EOC assessment administered under Education Code 39.023(c) cannot be used for purposes of credit by examination. 19 TAC 101.3021(c)

If a student is given credit by exam for a course with a corresponding EOC assessment on the basis of an examination on which the student scored 80 percent or higher, the district must enter the examination score on the student's transcript, and the student is not required to take an applicable EOC assessment instrument for the course. 19 TAC 74.24(c)(11)

Annual Administration

A district shall administer each exam approved by the board not fewer than four times each year. A district must provide windows to test between January 1 and March 31, April 1 and June 30, July 1 and September 30, and October 1 and December 31, unless the exam's administration date is established by an entity other than the district. A student may take a specific examination only once during each window.

The testing window must be designed to meet the needs of all students. The dates must be publicized in the community.

Education Code 28.023; 19 TAC 74.24(a)(1)

A district may allow a student to accelerate at a time other than those described above by developing a cost-free option approved by the board that allows students to demonstrate academic achievement or proficiency in a subject or grade level. 19 TAC 74.24(a)(5)

Students Who Are Homeless or in Substitute Care

A district shall provide opportunities for a student who is homeless or in substitute care who transfers to the district after the start of the school year to be administered credit by examination at any point during the school year. 19 TAC 74.24(a)(2)

Limitations on Taking Examinations

A student may not attempt to earn credit by examination for a specific high school course more than two times.

If a student fails to earn credit by examination for a specific high school course before the beginning of the school year in which the student would ordinarily be required to enroll in that course in accordance with the district's prescribed course sequence, the student must satisfactorily complete the course to receive credit for the course.

Education Code 28.023; 19 TAC 74.24(c)(9)–(10)

Fees

A district shall not charge for examinations for acceleration. If a parent requests an alternative examination, the district may administer and recognize results of a test purchased by the parent or student from Texas Tech University or the University of Texas at Austin. 19 TAC 74.24(a)(3)

Mineral Wells ISD

EHDC(LEGAL)-P

UPDATE 112

DATE ISSUED: 1/7/2019