Exam for Acceleration

      • Credit by Exam for Acceleration Procedures 

        Credit by Exam for Acceleration is designed to provide an opportunity to receive credit for a grade level or course in which the student has had no prior instruction. Prosper ISD Board Policies that govern Credit by Exam for Acceleration (without prior instruction) are available on the Prosper ISD website [EHDC(LEGAL) and EHDC(LOCAL)]. 

        Prosper ISD offers Credit by Exam for Acceleration four times a year. Specific dates and registration forms, and information are posted on the district website. These exams are for students without prior course or grade-level instruction.

        Credit by Exam for Acceleration Process 

        • Students must be enrolled in Prosper ISD to participate in a Credit by Exam for Acceleration. This includes students entering the district for the first time. ● The parent completes the registration form and then submits the form to the school counselor for signature approval. Testing information is then forwarded to the District Testing Coordinator, who will order the exams. 
        • After the exams are ordered, the campus will schedule the administration's date/time/location and notify the students and parents at least one week in advance. ● The district does not provide students with study guides, textbooks, or other resource materials to prepare for the examinations. However, resources are available to students and parents at:https://highschool.utexas.edu/credit_by_exam. 
        • A student may not attempt an individual Exam for Acceleration more than twice. ● A student may not attempt the same Exam for Acceleration twice in the same testing window. 
        • District approval for the Exam for Acceleration is required to receive credit for the grade level or course.

        Grade Acceleration 

        Application deadlines for exam sessions are listed on the registration form. No other Credit by Exam for Acceleration opportunities is offered during the school year. Student placement in a new grade level will only occur at the start of a school year or the beginning of the semester, only in high school credit courses. Once a student has begun a grade level or course, the student is no longer eligible to take the corresponding Credit by Exam for Acceleration.

        Kindergarten Acceleration

        State law requires that students be five years old by September 1st for entry into Kindergarten. Consequently, PISD Board Policy does not provide for early admittance to Kindergarten. A student must be enrolled in Prosper ISD to participate in the Kindergarten Credit by Exam for Acceleration during the summer. There will be only one Kindergarten Exam for Acceleration administration each year, and it will take place prior to the start of school. Other requirements outlined in EHDC (LOCAL) also apply. The student will take an online test and be proctored by a PISD staff member during the test.

        Acceleration for Grades 1-5 

        Students will take four exams: English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Students must receive an 80% or higher score on all four exams to be considered for acceleration to the next grade level. The student must achieve the required score on all four exams to be promoted to the next grade level. Per PISD Board Policy EHDC(LEGAL), a district representative must recommend accelerating a student in grades 1 through 5. All tests will be ordered as online tests and proctored by a PISD staff member.

        Middle School Course Acceleration 

        Students may take Credit by Exam for Acceleration by course. At the middle school level, students who accelerate beyond Geometry, 8th Language Arts, 8th Science, or 8th US History will be required to take the next course in the district’s prescribed course sequence in an online format determined by Prosper ISD. The district will pay the cost of these courses. Middle school students will be provided a class period during the day and will be expected to work on the courses during that period. A proctor will supervise the students and assist with technical difficulties. These online courses will not be calculated into students' GPA.

        High School Credit Course Acceleration 

        Students must take an exam for each semester of an academic course for which they are attempting to earn credit. The student must earn at least 80% on both semester exams to receive credit for the course. The exam scores will not be averaged together. If a student is given credit in a subject based on an exam in which the student scored an 80% or higher, then the exam score will be entered on the student’s transcript. The exam score will not be computed in GPA or class rank. All tests will be ordered as online tests and proctored by a PISD staff member.

        Payment 

        While there is no charge to parents when the student takes an Exam for Acceleration, there is a cost for the exam. Students who register for an exam and do not take the exam will be required to pay for the cost.

      Kindergarten

      • State law requires that students be five years old by September 1st for entry into Kindergarten. Consequently, PISD Board Policy does not provide for early admittance to Kindergarten. A student must be enrolled in Prosper ISD to participate in the Kindergarten Credit by Exam for Acceleration during the summer. There will be only one Kindergarten Exam for Acceleration administration each year, and it will take place prior to the start of school. Other requirements outlined in EHDC (LOCAL) also apply. The student will take an online test and be proctored by a PISD staff member during the test.

        Exam for Kindergarten Acceleration is available for students who are 5 years of age by September 1 of the school year and who wish to test to accelerate to first grade and skip kindergarten. Students who have attended private kindergarten or who have been homeschooled for kindergarten, and will be 5 by Sept. 1, must be tested to skip our kindergarten program and register for first grade.

        Testing dates for kindergarten acceleration will be prior to the start of school each year.

        Credit by Exam Calendar Dates   

        Credit by Exam Informational Packet

        Students wishing to test for acceleration will be administered tests in accordance with our kindergarten acceleration procedures.

        Elementary Flow Chart

         

         

      Grades 1-5

      • Students will take four exams: English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Students must receive an 80% or higher score on all four exams to be considered for acceleration to the next grade level. The student must achieve the required score on all four exams to be promoted to the next grade level. Per PISD Board Policy EHDC(LEGAL), a district representative must recommend accelerating a student in grades 1 through 5. All tests will be ordered as online tests and proctored by a PISD staff member.

        Exam for Acceleration without prior instruction is available for students in grades 1-5 who wish to advance one grade level. Examinations are criterion-referenced tests from the University of Texas and/or Texas Tech University, or other tests approved by the Superintendent or designee. A student in grades 1-5 must take exams in the four core subject areas (language arts, math, science, and social studies) for the grade he/she wishes to be eligible to advance. Only two tests per day can be administered to the student. The student must score at least an 80% on each of the four core subject exams to be considered for acceleration. A district representative must recommend acceleration of the student.

        Review packets are available from the university websites:

        University of Texas

        Texas Tech University

         

        The testing window and application windows are found below:

        2023-2024

         Credit by Exam Calendar Dates

        Grades 1-5 Exam for Acceleration Packet

         

        Exam scores are mailed to the school counselor after the scoring is complete. The campus counselor will contact the student’s parent with results of the examinations.

        Elementary Flow Chart

      Grades 6-12

      • Middle School Course Acceleration 

        Students may take Credit by Exam for Acceleration by course. At the middle school level, students who accelerate beyond Geometry, 8th Language Arts, 8th Science, or 8th US History will be required to take the next course in the district’s prescribed course sequence in an online format determined by Prosper ISD. The district will pay the cost of these courses. Middle school students will be provided a class period during the day and will be expected to work on the courses during that period. A proctor will supervise the students and assist with technical difficulties. These online courses will not be calculated into students' GPA. 

        High School Credit Course Acceleration 

        Students must take an exam for each semester of an academic course for which they are attempting to earn credit. The student must earn at least 80% on both semester exams to receive credit for the course. The exam scores will not be averaged together. If a student is given credit in a subject based on an exam in which the student scored an 80% or higher, then the exam score will be entered on the student’s transcript. The exam score will not be computed in GPA or class rank. All tests will be ordered as online tests and proctored by a PISD staff member.

        Secondary students who wish to earn credit for a course in which they have had no prior instruction may test through exam for acceleration. Examinations are criterion-referenced tests from the University of Texas, Texas Tech University, or other testing instruments approved by the Superintendent or designee. A student must demonstrate mastery of 80% or above on the exam in order to earn credit. A student may only take two course exams for acceleration in a day. Courses will not be computed in GPA or class rank.

        Students who do not score at 80% or above on the Exam for Acceleration will be required to enroll in the course and satisfactorily complete the course to earn credit. A student may not attempt to earn credit by examination for a specific high school course more than two times. TAC §74.24( EHDC Legal)

         

        Review packets are available from the university websites:

        University of Texas

        Texas Tech University

         

        Dates, applications and additional information can be found at the links below:

        2023-2024

        Credit by Exam Calendar Dates

        Grades 6-12 Exam for Acceleration Packet

        Secondary Flow Chart

        There is no charge for testing. Students who register for an examination, and do not take the examination, will be charged a fine equivalent to the cost of acquiring the test(s). Exam results will be mailed to the campus counselor when scoring is complete.

      2024-2025 Credit By Exam Dates