If a student in grades 1–12 wishes to accelerate to the next grade level or earn course credit without having received prior instruction in the grade level or course, the District shall offer opportunities in accordance with state law and State Board rules for the student to take a Board-approved examination for this purpose.

A district shall give a student in grades 6–12 credit for an academic subject in which the student has received no prior instruction if the student scores:

1.        A three or higher on a College Board advanced placement examination that has been approved by the board for the applicable course;

2.        A scaled score of 50 or higher on an examination administered through the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) and approved by the board for the applicable course; or

3.        Eighty percent or above on any other criterion-referenced test approved by the board for the applicable courses.

A district shall administer each exam approved by the board not fewer than four times each year. A district must provide windows to test between January 1 and March 31, April 1 and June 30, July 1 and September 30, and October 1 and December 31, unless the exam’s administration date is established by an entity other than the district.

A student may not attempt to earn credit by examination for a specific high school course more than two times. 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 district’s prescribed course sequence, the student must satisfactorily complete the course to receive credit for the course.

A district shall not charge for examinations for acceleration. 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.

CREDIT BY EXAMINATION—If a Student Has Taken the Course

A student who has previously taken a course or subject, but did not receive credit for it, may in circumstances determined by the principal or attendance committee, be permitted to earn credit by passing an exam on the essential knowledge and skills defined for that course or subject. Prior instruction may include, for example, incomplete coursework due to a failed course or excessive absences, homeschooling, or coursework by a student transferring from a non- accredited school. The opportunity to take an examination to earn credit for a course or to be awarded a final grade in a subject after the student has had prior instruction is sometimes referred to as “credit recovery.” The school counselor or principal would determine if the student could take an exam for this purpose. If approval is granted, the student must score at least 70 on the exam to receive credit for the course or subject. The attendance review committee may also offer a student with excessive absences an opportunity to earn credit for a course by passing an exam.

CREDIT BY EXAMINATION—If a Student Has Not Taken the Course

A student will be permitted to take an exam to earn credit for an academic course or subject area for which the student has had no prior instruction, i.e., for advancement or to accelerate to the next grade level. The exams offered by the district are approved by the district’s board of trustees and state law requires the use of certain exams, such as College Board Advanced Placement (AP) and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests, when applicable. The dates on which exams are scheduled during the 2017–18 school year will be published in appropriate district publications and on the district’s website. The only exceptions to the published dates will be for any exams administered by another entity besides the district or if a request is made outside of these time frames by a student experiencing homelessness or by a student involved in the foster care system. When another entity administers an exam, a student and the district must comply with the testing schedule of the other entity. During each testing window provided by the district, a student may attempt a specific exam only once.

If a student plans to take an exam, the student (or parent) must register with the principal no later than 30 days prior to the scheduled testing date.

A student in grade 6 or above will earn course credit with a passing score of at least 80 on the exam, a scaled score of 50 or higher on an exam administered through the CLEP, or a score of 3 or higher on an AP exam, as applicable. A student may take an exam 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.