Credit by Demonstrated Mastery

Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) is an option that allows students to demonstrate mastery and receive credit for a course by taking an assessment demonstrating proficiency by achieving the designated scale score or percent as established by NCDPI, and then completing an artifact reflecting content mastery.  

• Access to the Credit by Demonstrated Mastery process is open to all NC public school students for high school courses in grades 9-12 and those high school courses offered in middle school that a district chooses to offer.

• While the CDM process is open to all students, it is not for whole groups of students. It is not intended to replace the general accelerated pathways local school districts often provide advanced students. Instead, it is designed to provide an opportunity for an individual student who has an exceptional mastery of course content prior to taking a course and who wishes to earn credit and move on to another course that is a better use of their time for learning

• “Mastery” is defined as a student’s command of course material at a level that demonstrates a deep understanding of the content standards and application of knowledge.

• If a student chooses to participate in CDM for a course and successfully meets the assessment score and demonstrates mastery on completed artifacts, credit will be provided for the upcoming semester. 

CDM credits are awarded as a pass/fail grade and therefore do not impact grade point averages. 

CDM is only available for standard-level courses.

Step 1:  Read the CDM one pager in its entirety HERE

Step 2:  Contact your school counselor

There are three times per year for students to attempt the CDM process: Fall, Spring, and Summer. Application deadlines and testing windows are set by NCDPI and CMS; this is not a West Charlotte High School process and those dates and deadlines are not flexible. 

Application for Fall 2024 Window 

August 1-31, 2024

Students who wish to participate in the CDM process during Fall 2024 need to submit a completed application no later than August 31, 2024.  

Please click on the CDM One-Pager for process guidelines, FAQ, and the link to the application form.

You will receive information about the testing schedule once the application window closes and the School Testing Coordinator has an opportunity to develop a testing plan based on the number of applications submitted.

CDM Testing Windows for 2024-2025 School Year

Fall 2024

August 1-31, 2024

September 17-30, 2024 

Spring 2024

January 1-31, 2025

February 19- March 3, 2025

Summer 2024

May 1-31, 2025

July 18-31, 2025

Phase 1: A standard examination, which shall be the EOC/EOG where applicable, or a final exam developed locally. Students who meet mastery (defined by NCDPI and CMS; mastery cutoffs vary by subject) are eligible to move to Phase 2. 

Phase 2: An artifact which requires the student to apply knowledge and skills relevant to the content standards. This is evaluated by CMS content specialists. 

Students who meet mastery on both phases will receive a credit for the course. The grade will  appear on your transcript as "CDM", which denotes a "Pass" for the course. Honors or AP credit will not be awarded. These credits do not impact GPA.

• Students must be enrolled in or have already completed the prerequisite course to CDM another class. 

• We cannot accommodate requests for classes to be taken during a specific semester because of CDM. If you are enrolled in a class, you cannot attempt CDM in that class.

• If you pass a course via CDM, a counselor will contact you about adjusting your schedule before the following semester begins. We do not make plans contingent on passing CDM. 

• Core courses and some CTE courses are available.

• AP courses are not eligible for CDM.

• State Board Policy CCRE-001 states that courses in Pilot or Field Test Status are not eligible for CDM.

• Biology will not be eligible for CDM testing in the 24-25 school year.

Yes, students attempting to earn a CDM credit for a course with an EOC must take the EOC as the assessment component of the CDM attempt. 

If a student unsuccessfully attempts to earn credit by demonstrated mastery, s/he does not receive credit for the course. 

To receive credit after an unsuccessful attempt to demonstrate mastery, a student is required to: enroll in and complete the course, receive a passing grade for the course, AND re-take the EOC (if applicable) according to existing State policies and procedures. 

Students shall not be penalized for an unsuccessful attempt and such attempts shall never, under any circumstances, affect the student’s grades or transcript.

No, students may earn credit using CDM for as many courses as they wish. However, students may only make one attempt per course. 

Students who are unsuccessful after one attempt must register for and complete the course to receive credit. 

No. Students considering collegiate athletics should be advised that NCAA Division I and Division II colleges and universities do not recognize test-out credits in terms of meeting college entrance credit requirements, and therefore CDM is strongly discouraged for potential collegiate athletics. 

Credits earned through CDM shall be used to count toward minimum credits for the purpose of high school athletic eligibility.