Credit By Exam

Credit by Exam for Acceleration provides an opportunity to earn grade level or course credit in which no prior formal instruction was completed. Credit by Exam is designed for a small percentage of students who have an academic and emotional need to advance to the next grade level. Credit by Exam is not designed for grade level recovery after being retained in a previous grade level.

1. Student is enrolled in a Tomball ISD school and has a student ID number.
2. Student will be at least 5 years old by September 1 of the current year.
3. Registration form is submitted and approved by the school.
4. Student must have any necessary prerequisites completed.

For students who earn credit in a subject based on an examination on which the student scored 80% or higher, the school district must enter the examination score on the student's transcript but no points will be awarded (p=pass).

A student must take semester A of an exam and score an 80% before semester B will be administered. Semester B exams may take place outside of the testing window at TISD. 

Tomball ISD orders the tests from The University of Texas at Austin’s K-16 Education Center. Foreign Language exams may be ordered from other organizations based on availability. 

The tests are based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and skills, found here: http://tea.texas.gov/curriculum/teks/

TISD follows the calculator policy from the test vendor. TISD does not provide calculators for CBE's. 

Testing opportunities are offered four times throughout the school year. Tomball ISD will adhere to the scheduled testing dates provided for parents and students.

A student may take a specific examination only once during each testing window.

CBEs are not state-developed tests, and TEA does not provide specific study resources for any given test.

CBEs are required to test all assessable TEKS for a grade-level subject or course. Therefore, a student may choose to study using the TEKS standards for a course. For the two providers approved in rule, the University of Texas and Texas Tech University, study guides are available online (linked below.)

University of Texas CBE Study Guides

Texas Tech University CBE Review Sheets

Avant Assessment Sample Test - STAMP 4S Language Exams only

A student may only attempt credit by examination once during each of the required window. A student will only be allowed to take two exams in a window. 

TAC §74.24(c)(9)-(10) states that a student may not attempt to earn credit by examination for a specific high school course more than two times. Additionally, 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.

• If the student failed the course with a grade between 60 and 69; the student may register to attempt the credit for the course through an examination approved by the board. The failed course attempt counts as "prior instruction". The student must score at least a 70%. Restrictions and deadlines apply. A passing CBE grade is added to the transcript with a special explanation. The original grade is not changed. A non-passing CBE grade is not posted to the transcript. The student covers the cost of the exam. 
• A newly enrolled or returning to Tomball ISD student completed a credit course or grade level through a non-accredited school including home schooling; or a student has missing or incomplete records but the district has determined the student received prior-instruction in a course.