Credit By Examination
Credit by Exam (CBE) can be utilized for Credit Recovery or Exam for Acceleration. The circumstances and guidelines vary for each and are outlined below.
Credit by Exam (CBE) for Credit Recovery
Utilized to earn credit for a course, when a student has had prior instruction, and under the following conditions:
The student is enrolling in the District from a non-accredited school;
The student has failed a subject or course; or
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.
Guidelines
Only students currently enrolled in Lovejoy ISD are eligible to apply for a Credit by Exam. To be eligible for a credit by exam for credit recovery, a student must have had prior instruction in the course. It also may apply to students who were homeschooled or attended a non-accredited private school and need state-approved credit.Applications are available from the school counselor and students must be registered by the test application deadline. The application deadline and testing window will be determined at the start of each school year.After successful completion of a CBE, 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 numerical score will be documented in the student’s permanent academic record.
Credit by Examination(CBE) for Acceleration
Exam for Acceleration (EA) - Provides an opportunity to earn 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 need to advance a course. Students must demonstrate mastery of 80% or higher on an EA to earn credit.The only students who should take an exam 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.
Guidelines
Exam for Acceleration (without prior instruction) is available to first through fifth-grade students who wish to test for advancement to the next grade level and sixth through twelfth-grade students who wish to test for advancement in a course. Examinations 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. Lovejoy ISD will not provide review or study materials for Exams for Acceleration.
Kindergarten to Grade 1 Acceleration
The process for acceleration from Kindergarten to grade 1 in Lovejoy ISD requires a focus beyond the academic strengths of the student and considers the student’s social skills development. Students under the age of 5 on September 1 will not be considered for acceleration to grade 1. A student can be considered for this acceleration under the following guidelines
The student must be 5 years old on or before September 1 and must be enrolled in Lovejoy ISD.
Parents submit a request to the District personnel who will administer the test.
Be recommended for acceleration by the counselor and/or the principal based on student observation.
Based on the results, the counselor and/or the principal will make a determination regarding acceleration of the student. The parent will be notified in writing of the assessment results. The counselor will conduct a post-assessment conference with the parent to review the assessment results if requested.
If the student does not meet the acceleration requirements, the student will continue in kindergarten. The decision may be appealed to the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction in accordance with Board Policy FNG (LOCAL).
If the student is recommended for acceleration, the student will be placed in grade 1. The grade 1 teacher, counselor, and principal will review the student’s placement throughout the school year as needed to ensure success. If the placement is not successful, the student may be returned to kindergarten as determined by the counselor and principal.
Elementary Acceleration
A district shall accelerate a student in grades 1-5 one grade level if the student meets the following requirements:
A. The student scores 80 percent or above on a criterion-referenced test for the grade level to beskipped in each of the following areas: language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies;
B. A district representative recommends that the student be accelerated; and
C. The student’s parent or guardian gives written approval of the acceleration.
Secondary Acceleration
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 80% on any other criterion-referenced test approved by the school district board of trustees for the applicable course.
Eligibility to Register for EA Assessments
● Only students currently enrolled at a Lovejoy ISD campus are eligible to apply for Exam for Acceleration assessments.
● Lovejoy ISD students are only eligible to apply for exams for acceleration for a grade level or course for which all prerequisites have been met and in the order of the district's usual course sequence.
● Parents who wish to have their child take an EA must contact their child’s counselor and complete the application process by the deadline posted on the district website.
● All acceleration attempts must occur during district-approved testing windows.
● 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)
● A student can only take a specific EA once during any given testing window (retests are not allowed during the same window an exam was first taken).
● A student may not attempt to earn credit by examination without prior instruction for a specific course or grade level more than twice.
● If a student fails to earn credit for a specific course or grade level before the beginning of the school year in which the student would ordinarily be required to enroll in that course or grade level in accordance with the school district's prescribed course sequence, the student must satisfactorily complete the course or grade level to receive credit.
Registration and Credit
Parents who wish to have their child take an EA should be familiar with the district guidelines for Exams for Acceleration and then contact their child’s campus counselor to complete the Lovejoy ISD application.
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. After successful completion of an 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.