Texas Administrative Code
Title 19 - EDUCATION
Part 2 - TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY
Chapter 74 - CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS
Subchapter C - OTHER PROVISIONS
Section 74.24 - Credit by Examination
Universal Citation: 19 TX Admin Code ยง 74.24
Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) General provisions.
(1) A school district must
provide at least one window to test between January 1 and March 31, one window
to test between April 1 and June 30, one window to test between July 1 and
September 30, and one window to test between October 1 and December 31 annually
when each examination for acceleration for each primary school grade level and
for credit for secondary school academic subjects required under Texas
Education Code, § 28.023, shall be administered in Grades 1-12 unless the
examination has an administration date that is established by an entity other
than the school 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.
(2) A school 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.
(3) A school district shall not charge for an
examination for acceleration for each primary school grade level or for credit
for secondary school academic subjects. 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.
(A) For each grade level
or course, Texas Tech University and The University of Texas at Austin shall
ensure that the assessments they provide for the purposes of this section are
aligned to and address all assessable Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
(TEKS) at the appropriate level of rigor.
(B) Texas Tech University and The University
of Texas at Austin shall arrange for a third party to conduct an audit, on a
rotating basis, of at least 20% of the assessments they provide for the
purposes of this section. The audit shall be conducted annually.
(C) The results of each audit shall be
provided to the Texas Education Agency in the form of a report to be delivered
no later than May 31 of each year.
(4) A school district must have the approval
of the school district board of trustees to develop its own tests or to
purchase examinations that thoroughly test the essential knowledge and skills
in the applicable grade level or subject area.
(5) A school district may allow a student to
accelerate at a time other than one required in paragraph (1) of this
subsection by developing a cost-free option approved by the school district
board of trustees that allows students to demonstrate academic achievement or
proficiency in a subject or grade level.
(b) Assessment for acceleration in kindergarten through Grade 5.
(1) A school
district must develop procedures for kindergarten acceleration that are
approved by the school district board of trustees. The board of trustees shall
approve an audit process to be completed for assessments for
acceleration.
(2) A student in any
of Grades 1-5 must be accelerated one grade if he or she meets the following
requirements:
(A) the student scores 80% on a
criterion-referenced test for the grade level he or she wants to skip in each
of the following areas: language arts, mathematics, science, and social
studies;
(B) a school district
representative recommends that the student be accelerated; and
(C) the student's parent or guardian gives
written approval for the acceleration.
(c) Assessment for course credit in Grades 6-12.
(1) A school district board of trustees
shall approve for each high school course, to the extent available, at least
four examinations. The board of trustees shall approve an audit process to be
completed for examinations under subparagraph (B)(iii) of this paragraph.
(A) The examinations shall include the
following, which are not subject to the requirements in paragraphs (2)-(7) of
this subsection:
(i) College Board advanced
placement examinations; and
(ii)
examinations administered through the College-Level Examination
Program.
(B) The
examinations may include examinations developed by:
(i) Texas Tech University;
(ii) The University of Texas at
Austin;
(iii) the school district;
and
(iv) another entity if the
assessment meets all of the requirements in paragraph (2) of this
subsection.
(2)
In order for a school district to administer an examination for credit, prior
to the first administration, the school district or the provider of the
assessment must certify that the examination:
(A) is aligned to all assessable TEKS for the
course;
(B) has not been published
and is not publicly available;
(C)
will only be administered in a secure environment under standardized conditions
by a school district or institution of higher education; and
(D) has been evaluated to ensure:
(i) test scores can be interpreted as
indicators of what the test is intended to measure; and
(ii) consistency of test results across
testing conditions.
(3) A school district or the provider of the
assessment must make public an annual report, including:
(A) the test development process;
(B) a statement certifying that the
examination meets the criteria in paragraph (2)(D) of this
subsection;
(C) the number of
students who took each examination;
(D) the number of students who scored 70% or
above on each examination;
(E) the
number of students who scored 80% or above on each examination; and
(F) the average score for all students who
took the examination for each examination.
(4) In order for a school district to
administer an examination for credit for a course that has a state
end-of-course assessment instrument, the school district or the provider of the
assessment must certify, prior to the first administration, that the
examination:
(A) meets the requirements of
paragraph (2) of this subsection;
(B) has been externally validated and
determined to:
(i) align to and appropriately
address all assessable TEKS for the course;
(ii) assess the appropriate level of rigor
for each student expectation; and
(iii) yield comparable distribution of
results across tested subgroups.
(5) 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 State Board of
Education to demonstrate comparable results over a specified number of
years.
(6) For an examination that
is validated in accordance with paragraph (4) of this subsection, a school
district or the provider of the assessment must make public:
(A) the annual report required by paragraph
(3) of this subsection;
(B) all
relevant test development specifications;
(C) a statement certifying that the
examination meets the criteria in paragraph (4)(B) of this subsection;
and
(D) 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.
(7)
Examinations for courses that do not have a state end-of-course assessment
shall meet all requirements in paragraph (2) of this subsection no later than
the 2019-2020 school year.
(8) 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:
(A) 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;
(B) 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;
or
(C) 80% on any other
criterion-referenced test approved by the school district board of trustees for
the applicable course.
(9) A student may not attempt to earn credit
by examination for a specific high school course more than two times.
(10) 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.
(11) If a student is given credit in
accordance with paragraph (8) of this subsection in a subject on the basis of
an examination on which the student scored 80% or higher, the school district
must enter the examination score on the student's transcript, and the student
is not required to take an applicable end-of-course assessment instrument for
the course.
(12) In accordance with
local school district policy, a student in any of Grades 6-12 may be given
credit for an academic subject in which he or she had some prior instruction if
the student scores 70% on a criterion-referenced test approved by the school
district board of trustees for the applicable course.
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