• CBE Parent/Guardian Information

  • Testing Guidelines

    Students may take a Credit by Exam for acceleration purposes during four testing periods.

    However, the following restrictions apply:

    • Applications must be submitted to your counselor on the date of the application deadline.
    • Students must complete & earn credit for all prerequisite courses before attempting the next course in the sequence.
    • Students may only attempt acceleration two times for the same course.
    • Placement in a new course will only occur at the start of a school year (or semester for semester courses) regardless of when a CBE for acceleration is taken.
    • There is no guarantee that the next course in the sequence will be available at either the home campus or
      another campus and if a course is available on another campus, district transportation will not be provided

    These guidelines apply for Credit with No Prior Instruction

    • Application for Credit by Examination must be completed with a campus counselor.
    • The parent or guardian gives written approval for acceleration by signing the application.
    • The student scores 80% or above on the Credit by Exam assessment administered 

    These guidelines apply for Credit with Prior Instruction (or Credit Recovery)

    To participate in the Credit by Exam with prior instruction, the student must have been enrolled in a formal course as evidenced by:

    • A transcript from an accredited or non‐accredited institution or
    • Other documentation that establishes evidence of a formal course
    • A syllabus listing daily assignments
    • An explanation of the time parameters of the course
    • Documentation of the student’s performance throughout the course
    • Documentation of alignments to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
    • The student scores 70% or above on the Credit by Exam assessment administered.  

    This information applies to credit & scores earned through Credit by Exam

    • No grade points are awarded for grades earned through Credit by Exam. Only course credit can be earned.
    • Units of credit and grades earned through Credit by Exam shall be recorded on the permanent academic record for grades 6‐12 but will not be included in the calculations of GPA or rank‐in‐class. Scores below the required minimum for credit will not be posted.
    • Students are not allowed to forfeit the Credit by Exam credit. Once the credit is earned, students cannot sit in the course for any reason, including for local credit or because of low performance in the subsequent course.
    • There is no testing for Honors, AP or IB designated courses.
    • Scoring takes 4 to 6 weeks.
    • In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, we are unable to release results over the phone. A copy of the score report will be sent to the school counselor and school registrar. Parents can access scores using the PISD Mobile App.

    Languages Other Than English (LOTE)  

    Plano ISD uses the AVANT Language Assessment for LOTE credit by exams.

    High School Math: Math 8, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry & PreCalculus 

    • Students can take the fall semester CBE on one of the days within the testing window. (3 Hour exam)
    • Students can take the spring semester CBE on another day within the testing window. (3 Hour exam)
    • If the student only passes one semester ‐ the student will take an elective course during the semester for which credit was earned, and will attend the course for the semester for which credit was not earned.

    Science: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Systems, Integrated Physics and Chemistry (IPC), & Physics

    • Students can take the fall semester CBE on one of the days within the testing window. (3 Hour exam)
    • Students can take the spring semester CBE on another day within the testing window. (3 Hour exam)
    • If the student only passes one semester ‐ the student will take an elective course during the semester for which credit was earned, and will attend the course for the semester for which credit was not earned.

    English: English I, English II, English III & English IV

    • Students can take the fall semester CBE on one of the days within the testing window. (3 Hour exam)
    • Students can take the spring semester CBE on another day within the testing window. (3 Hour exam)
    • If the student only passes one semester ‐ the student will take an elective course during the semester for which credit was earned, and will attend the course for the semester for which credit was not earned.

    Social Studies: Economics, Government, World Geography, World History, & US History

    • Students can take the fall semester CBE on one of the days within the testing window. (3 Hour exam)
    • Students can take the spring semester CBE on another day within the testing window. (3 Hour exam)
    • If the student only passes one semester ‐ the student will take an elective course during the semester for which credit was earned, and will attend the course for the semester for which credit was not earned.

    Key Dates

    Testing Location and Time

    All communication and results for Credit by Exams taken in Plano ISD will be posted to the PISD Mobile App. 

    Click here to for Confirmation & Results Information - Plano ISD Mobile App.

     

    Questions concerning the courses for which your child may test, how the grade is recorded, and how the grade will affect his/her schedule should be addressed to the student’s counselor.