Van Vleck ISD

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 before the scheduled testing date. [See policy EHDC for more information.]

Kindergarten Acceleration

The Superintendent or designee will determine whether or not to allow a child who is five years old at the beginning of the school year to be assigned initially to grade 1 rather than kindergarten. Criteria for acceleration may include:

• Scores on readiness tests or achievement tests that may be administered by appropriate District personnel.
• Recommendation of the kindergarten or preschool the student has attended.
• Chronological age and observed social and emotional development of the student.
• Other criteria deemed appropriate by the principal and Superintendent.

Students in Grades 1-5

A student in elementary school is eligible to accelerate to the next grade level if the student meets all of the following requirements: 

• 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 
• 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 if the student meets one of the following requirements:

• A passing score of at least 80 on an examination approved by the board
• A scaled score of 50 or higher on an examination administered through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) 
• 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.

Credit by Exam Study Guides