Credit by Examination

Course Credit (Secondary Grade Levels Only)
A student at any grade level enrolled in a high school course will earn credit for the course only if the final grade is 70 or above. For a two-part (two-semester, 1-credit course), the student’s grades from both halves (semesters) will be averaged, and a credit will be awarded if the combined average is 70 or above. If the student’s combined average is less than 70, the student will be awarded credit only for the half (semester) with the passing grade.

Credit by Examination—If a Student Has Taken the Course/Subject (Grades 6 – 12)
A student who has previously taken a course or subject but did not receive credit or a final grade for it may, in the circumstances determined by the principal or attendance committee, be permitted to earn credit or a final grade by passing an examination approved by the district’s Board of Trustees on the essential knowledge and skills defined for that course or subject.

Examples of prior instruction include 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 earn credit by examination after the student has had prior instruction is sometimes referred to as “credit recovery.”

The attendance review committee may also offer a student with excessive absences an opportunity to earn credit for a course by passing an examination. If a student is granted approval to take an examination for credit, the student must score at least 70 on the examination to receive credit for the course or subject. [See the school counselor and policy EHDB(LOCAL) for more information.]

Credit by Examination for Advancement/Acceleration—If a Student Has Not Taken the Course/Subject
A student will be permitted to earn credit by examination for an academic course or subject area for which the student had no prior instruction for advancement or to accelerate to the next grade level.

The examinations offered by the district are approved by the district’s Board of Trustees. Testing windows for these examinations will be published in district publications and on the district’s website. A student may take a specific examination only once per testing window.

The only exceptions to the published testing windows will be for examinations administered by another entity 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 the testing schedule of the other entity.

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. [See policy EHDC for more information.] T

he testing dates are as follows:
Fall 2021 Registration: Tuesday, August 17, 2021 @ 4pm
Testing Dates:
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Spring 2022 Registration:
Deadline Monday, January 10, 2022
Testing Dates:
Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Students in Grades 1 – 5 A student in elementary school is eligible to accelerate to the next grade level if:
● The student scores at least an 80 on each examination in the subject areas of language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies;
● A district administrator recommends that the student be accelerated; and
● The student’s parent gives written approval of the grade advancement.

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.

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.