What is Credit by Exam (CBE)?
Students in grades 1-12 who desire to accelerate a grade or receive credit for a course without ever taking it are provided the opportunity to do so at least 3 days each semester.

When is CBE testing offered?
The administration of the Credit by Exams for the six-month period from January 1 - June 30, is June 14-17, 2010. The administration of the Credit by Exams for the six-month period from July 1 - December 31, is July 5-8, 2010.

What is kindergarten acceleration?
Kindergarten acceleration is the process by which a student is “accelerated" through kindergarten into first grade.

Is my child eligible for kindergarten acceleration?
A child must be enrolled in Pearland ISD and be five years old on or before September 1 of the current year in order to be eligible to participate in the kindergarten acceleration program.

Is kindergarten acceleration part of the Gifted and Talented Program in Pearland ISD?
If a student participates in the advanced placement option, please be aware that this is not part of the Pearland ISD Gifted and Talented Program. Your child may be considered for this program at a later date under a different set of criteria.

Are there any alternate testing days?
No. The exams administered for the kindergarten acceleration process are only given during the month of June. The first screening will take place within the first two weeks after school ends and the second screening will take place during the last part of June. Make-up exams are not available.

How do I register?
Parents interested in kindergarten acceleration or credit by exam (CBE) for their child should make an appointment to discuss this option with the student’s principal and/or counselor. The parent must complete and submit the application form for kindergarten acceleration to the zoned campus office by April 23, 2010. The CBE application forms should also be completed and returned to the campus office at that time.

What is the cost?
A $20 deposit will be required of students who register for each test of the CBE program. Students registering for kindergarten acceleration will also be required to submit a $20 deposit upon registration. For grades 1-5 a $80 deposit is required. Personal checks made to Pearland ISD are preferred. The deposit will be refunded when the student takes the test(s).

How should my child prepare for the Kindergarten Acceleration test?
The screening tests are designed to determine academic strengths PRIOR to formal instruction; therefore, the district does not provide study materials or furnish textbooks. The tests are very rigorous. Your child should arrive at the testing sight well rested and well fed. A list of the kindergarten TEKS (state mandated curriculum) can be obtained at the following website, http://www.tea.state.tx.us/teks/grade/grade_k.htm

How can my child prepare for the CBE test?
Since the purpose of testing is to determine academic strengths PRIOR to formal instruction, the district does not provide study materials or furnish textbooks. Study guides are available for printing at the following web page:  www.dce.ttu.edu

What time do the CBE tests start?
Check-in for testing will be 7:30 a.m. – 7:45 a.m. for the morning session and 12:30 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. for the afternoon session. Lunch will be on your own.

What should my child bring to the test site?
Kindergarten acceleration students will have writing implements and other testing materials provided to them.

Students in grades 1-12 need to bring two #2 pencils and paper. Calculators will be needed for some tests; each student will be notified individually of this requirement, depending on the test(s) for which the student is registered.

What happens if my child is late to the testing center?
Late arrivals (up to thirty minutes) will be admitted but must sign a waiver agreeing to a shortened total time for testing.

May I be present in the room while my child is taking the tests?
No, you will need to wait outside the testing center.

When is the registration deadline?
The registration forms need to be completed and returned to the campus office by
3:00 P.M. on Friday, April 23, 2010.

What documentation is needed as part of the criteria for kindergarten advanced placement?
Completed registration form
Parent Questionnaire/Social Skills
Principal/counselor interview and signature
Copy of Birth Certificate
Proof of residency

What are the passing requirements?
KINDERGARTEN ACCELERATION
• The first screening test is a state approved group-administered achievement test that meets the requirements of TEC, 39.032. The section requires that the test used is a nationally normed test and the standardization norms for the test not be more than six years old. To be considered for the second screening the child must score at or above the 90th percentile. This test environment is extremely structured with a single teacher with a group of students. The teacher may not help the students with content. It may last two to three hours.

• The Kindergarten Mastery Test is the second screening instrument. It will be administered on an individual basis and is a performance assessment. The second screening will evaluate the students reading, writing and math abilities. The student must perform at or above a level of 90% accuracy on all three subject areas to be able to accelerate to first grade.

CBE
• In grades 1 – 5, students need to score a minimum of 90 percent on each of the four criterion-referenced tests that covers the essential knowledge and skills of the respective grade they wish to skip. If the student scores at least 90 percent on each of the four criterion-referenced tests, a school district representative recommends that the student be accelerated. The parent or guardian then must give approval for the acceleration.

• In grades 6 – 12, students must score a minimum of 90 percent on a criterion-referenced test that covers the essential knowledge and skills of the respective course they wish to skip. This course must be an academic subject in which the student has had no prior instruction. (If a student decides to take a credit by examination on the second semester of a respective course, s/he also must register to take the first semester of the next course that s/he wishes to accelerate so that s/he is placed in correct course.)

What grade will be recorded on my child’s transcript?
When the student receives credit for this course, school district personnel must record the examination score on the transcript

When will I be notified of my child’s results?
You will be notified of your child’s test results approximately six weeks after the testing window closes. Test results will also be sent to the campus of the student’s enrollment.