Utilized to earn credit for a course, when a student has had prior instruction, and under the following conditions:

1. The student is enrolling in the District from a non-accredited school;

2. The student has failed a subject or course; or

3. The student has earned a passing grade in a subject or course but has failed
   to earn credit because of excessive absences

Students must demonstrate mastery of 70% or higher on a CBE to earn credit. For students currently enrolled in CHISD, the first condition does not apply and they would have to follow the Exam for Acceleration criteria.

Provides an opportunity to earn a grade level or course credit in which no prior formal instruction was completed. The EA is designed for a very small percentage of learners who have both the academic and emotional needs to advance a course. Exam for Acceleration is not designed for grade level recovery when a student is retained in a previous grade level. Students must demonstrate mastery of 80% or higher on an EA to earn credit.

The only students that should take an EA for acceleration are those who display an extremely advanced level of understanding of the learning objectives assessed on the EA which will be the grade level/course above the grade level/course in which your child is currently enrolled.

• Only students currently enrolled at a Cedar Hill ISD campus are eligible to apply for a Credit by Exam or Exam for Acceleration assessment.

• Students may earn credit for acceleration without prior instruction in the subject area or grade level being tested

• Once an Exam for Acceleration has been passed, it may not be taken again.

• In grades 6 - 8, an EA in the same subject may not be taken more than twice.

• Per Texas Education Code §74.24(6), a student may not attempt to earn credit by examination for a specific high school course more than two times.

• Per Texas Education Code §74.24(7), 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 school district's prescribed course sequence, the student must satisfactorily complete the course to receive credit.

• Students may only accelerate in one course per subject per testing window. (Example: a 6th-grade math assessment and a 7th-grade math assessment cannot be taken in the same testing window)

• CBE and EA will not count towards or meet the STAAR graduation assessment requirements, and a student will still need to take and meet expectations as required by the state.

After successful completion of a CBE or EA taken for high school credit, the numerical score earned will be posted to the student’s high school transcript and the student will earn high school credit. The transcripted credit will not be calculated into the student’s grade point average (GPA) for ranking purposes. For middle school courses, the student’s CBE or EA

numerical score will be documented in the student’s permanent academic record. Scores that are not meeting the passing standard are not documented in the student’s high school transcript or middle school permanent record.

Credit by Exam (CBE) - Students who register for Credit by Exam with prior instruction will be responsible for the cost of the exam.

Exam for Acceleration (EA) - While there is no charge to parents when students take an EA, there is a cost to the district for both the test and the proctor who monitors the exam as it is given. Therefore, please carefully consider availability during the testing window before completing the application and gather input from educators and/or counselors to determine whether or not acceleration is in the best interest of the Student.

Students who register for an examination and do not take the exam will be required to pay for the cost of procuring the examination, including charges for shipping and handling. This can cost up to $75.

Exam for Acceleration (without prior instruction) is available to sixth through twelfth grade students who wish to test for advancement in a course. Examinations for grades 6-12 are criterion-referenced tests from Texas Tech University, University of Texas, or other testing instruments approved by the Superintendent or designee. Students are encouraged to review the course study guide on the university website. Cedar Hill ISD will not provide review or study materials for Exams for Acceleration.

• Texas Tech University

• University of Texas

A student in any of Grades 6-12 must be given credit for an academic subject in which he or she has had 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 school district board of trustees for the applicable course;

2. a scaled score of 50 or higher on an examination administered through the College-Level Examination Program and approved by the school district board of trustees for the applicable course;

3. or 80% on any other criterion-referenced test approved by the school district board of trustees for the applicable course.

• The EA’s purpose is not to inform parents about a student’s academic performance or progress. An EA will not provide information regarding objectives or skills missed. Knowing a score or how many questions a student missed does not help in guiding instruction. Cedar Hill ISD assesses students throughout the year
  with a variety of formative and summative assessments that provide parents with information regarding how a student is performing academically.

• If an Exam for Acceleration is passed, your child will be accelerated. If you do not want your student to accelerate or are not sure you want him/her to accelerate, your child should not take an EA.

• A student must earn credit for one course/grade level as a prerequisite to attempt an Exam for Acceleration for the next course/grade level. A student may take an Exam for Acceleration for the next course/grade level if he or she is projected to meet the end-of-the-year passing requirements for the current course/grade Level.

• Transportation- As a middle school student your child may need to attend the high school in order to take his/her next course. Transportation to and from the high school is the parent’s responsibility.

• Master schedule- We cannot guarantee the alignment between the middle school and high school master schedules. Your child may be limited in the times and formats (e.g., online, distance learning, etc…) in which the class is offered.

• Social maturity – When advancing a course, your child’s social and emotional maturity may not match the maturity level of the other students in the course.

• Student desire- A student should have the desire and drive to accelerate and maintain the workload of the higher level class.

• Teacher/counselor recommendation- Teachers and counselors see your student on a daily basis and may be able to provide additional information regarding whether or not acceleration would be appropriate.

• Course opportunities later in high school- In some situations, accelerating now may put your child in a position where he/she is limited in course options as a high school junior or senior. Make sure you are clear on the ultimate goal of Acceleration.

• High school courses taken in middle school are averaged into a child’s high school grade point average (GPA) which does impact class ranking. Exam for Acceleration testing that would provide a student the opportunity to double acceleration should be given careful consideration. Double acceleration is only appropriate for a small number of students.