Credit by Exam

Hitchcock ISD Credit by Examination for Advancement/Acceleration
(No Prior Instruction)

General Procedures

• Purpose: A student is permitted to earn credit by examination for an academic course or subject area for which they had no prior instruction for advancement or to accelerate to the next grade level.
• Examinations: The examinations offered by the district are approved by the district’s board of trustees.
• Registration: If a student plans to take an examination, the student or parent must register with the school counselor no later than 30 days prior to the scheduled testing date.
• Testing Windows: Testing windows will be published in district publications and on the district’s website.
  • A student may take a specific examination only once per testing window.
  • Exceptions to the published testing windows will be made only for examinations administered by another entity (e.g., AP, CLEP) or to accommodate a student experiencing homelessness or a student involved in the foster care system.
  • When another entity administers an examination, the student and the district must comply with that entity's testing schedule.
• See policy EHDC for more information.

Grade Acceleration

Exams for acceleration are offered four times a year. Registration forms should be completed and returned to the campus counselor. Registration deadlines are listed on the registration form. No other exams will be offered outside of the prescheduled sessions. Student placement in a new grade level will only begin at the start of a new school year. Once a student starts a grade level or course, they are no longer eligible for Credit by Exam for that grade level/course. Students are also responsible for reviewing any study guides on their own prior to the exam date. Study guides for each exam can be found at https://highschool.utexas.edu/credit-exam-study-guides.

Advancement/Acceleration Requirements by Grade Level

Students in Grades K–5
A student in elementary school is eligible to accelerate to the next grade level if:

1. The student scores at least an 80 on each examination in the subject areas of language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies;
2. A district administrator recommends that the student be accelerated; and
3. The student’s parent gives written approval of the grade advancement.

Kindergarten and first grade students must meet the state enrollment requirements before registering for Credit by Exam.

Students in Grades 6–12
A student in grade 6 or above is eligible to earn course credit with:

• A passing score of at least 80 on an examination approved by the board; or
• A scaled score of 50 or higher on an examination administered through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP); or
• A score of 3 or higher on an AP examination, as applicable.

High School Course Credit Limitations:

• A student may take an examination to earn high school course credit no more than twice.
• If a student fails to achieve the designated score on the applicable exam before the beginning of the school year in which the student would need to enroll in the course according to the school's high school course sequence, the student must complete the course.

Examination Cost and Deposit Structure
The district requires a deposit for the exams. The deposit will be returned when the student’s scores are reported to the counselor. The deposit will not be returned if a student registers for an exam and does not attend.