Credit by Examination

The Pearland ISD Testing Department administers Credit by Examination (CBE) for acceleration without prior instruction four times each year. These tests are designed to provide an opportunity for students to receive credit for a grade level or course in which the student has had no prior instruction.

To be eligible to register for a CBE:

• The student can not be enrolled in the course
• The student can not have previously earned credit in the course
• The student can not have received prior instruction in the course

The testing windows for this school year are listed below. 

Window	CBE for Acceleration Test Dates	Registration Form & Web Store Deposit due to the CAMPUS by 2:00 p.m.
Fall	10/26/2024	9/27/2024
Spring	2/1/2025	12/13/2024
Summer 1	6/2/2025-6/5/2025	5/1/2025
Summer 2	7/14/2025-7/17/2025	5/1/2025
Kindergarten Acceleration	6/3/2025	5/1/2025

 

Registration Process - To register to take a CBE a student/parent must complete the following steps:

1. The student is currently enrolled in a Pearland ISD school.
2. The parent completes the Credit by Exam registration form which can be obtained from the campus counselor.
3. The parent turns the completed registration form in to the campus by the deadline listed above.
4. Once approved by the counselor, login to the Pearland ISD Web Store at https://pearlandisd.revtrak.net/
5. Click the Credit by Exam link.
6. Fill out the online form with all required information and select the exams you were approved to take.
7. Pay for the exams, print the receipt, and attach it to the form.
8. Return the form and receipt to your counselor.
9. Once the CBE registration window closes, the parent will receive a confirmation email from the Pearland ISD Testing Department containing specific testing session information.
   [Note: the email is sent to the student's Pearland ISD email address.]

Testing Process - There is a morning and afternoon session for each testing day listed above.  Each CBE is assigned a specific date and session and cannot be re-scheduled due to testing computer constraints.  Following registration for all testing windows, students are emailed a letter that details the testing process, lists the CBE(s) the student registered for, the test date, and testing time. 

 

Day of Testing

1. Students must arrive at the testing location fifteen (15) minutes prior to the start of each session.
2. Each exam has a maximum three (3) hour time limit.
3. For online only CBE tests that do not have a teacher graded portion, the student is given their unofficial score immediately after testing.
4. After testing, the student is returned to their parent/guardian until the next testing session starts.
5. No lunch or supervision is provided or available to the student between sessions at the testing location.
6. Students must be picked up immediately upon completion of their final testing session of the day.

Advancement Process

In order for students to receive a recommendation to advance, the following criteria must be met:

 

Grades 1 – 5:

• Student is enrolled in a Pearland ISD school.
• Elementary students must meet the state law age requirement – five years old by September 1^st for kindergarten and six years old by September 1^st for first grade.
• Completed application forms and payment receipts must be received by the school counselor/principal by the registration deadline. This includes the student’s parent/guardian signature indicating approval of the acceleration and the school counselor/principal signature indicating his/her recommendation that the student be accelerated.
• All registration forms and payments must be received by the school counselor by the registration deadline. Registration dates and deadlines are posted on the Pearland ISD website by the first day of school. 
• A $25 deposit is required to reserve a seat for a Credit by Examination. This deposit will be collected through the Web Store and will have an additional non-refundable 4.19% per test convenience fee.  Upon completion of the Credit by Exam, the $25 deposit will be refunded.  Failure to take the Credit by Exam on the assigned date will forfeit the $25 deposit. 
• A student that does not attend their assigned daily test session is considered a “no show.” This no show counts as an attempt for a CBE score. No show students are not eligible to register for the same exam in the same school year.
• K-5 students are allowed only one attempt for grade level acceleration exams.
• K-5 students are not allowed to take more than one acceleration test per subject. The student must first pass the first credit by exam before registering for the next course.
• K-5 students must have passed all prerequisite courses prior to registering for a course. 
• Students must score a minimum of 80% on each of the four criterion-referenced tests that covers the essential knowledge and skills of the respective grade they wish to skip.
• It is the student’s responsibility to prepare for all tests prior to the first day of testing. The order in which all tests are given is at the discretion of the district.
• If the 80% minimum score is not achieved on any one of the four grade level acceleration exams, testing is stopped and the student will not be allowed to take any remaining grade level exams. The student will not be permitted to accelerate and testing may not be repeated for that grade level. 
• There is only one window for testing each quarter of each calendar year with no exceptions due to ordering deadlines.
• Any student caught cheating will be removed from the testing center immediately and their test will be voided. Students caught cheating will no longer be eligible to take any credit by exam.
• No cell phones or electronic devices are permitted in the testing center.
• Late arrivals will be allowed to test but their arrival time will be the test designated start time. Students are then allowed to test until the end of the current session in progress. 
• Students who become a distraction to other testers, such as crying, talking, or any other behavior that disrupts the testing environment, will be removed and not allowed to return to the current test session in progress.
• Students may not bring any personal items into the testing center. All test materials including calculators, pencils, scratch paper, and formula charts are provided by the test administrators.
• No food or drink is allowed in the testing center. Medical exemptions must provide documentation from a physician.
• Student that score the minimum of 80% on each of the grade level acceleration exams will be accelerated during the next school year.
• Results and placements are final.

 

Grades 6 – 12:

• Student is enrolled in a Pearland ISD school.
• Completed application forms and payment receipts must be received by the school counselor/principal by the registration deadline. This includes the student’s parent/guardian signature indicating approval of the acceleration and the school counselor/principal signature indicating his/her recommendation that the student be accelerated.
• All registration forms and payments must be received by the school counselor by the registration deadline. Registration dates and deadlines are posted on the Pearland ISD website by the first day of school. 
• A $25 deposit is required to reserve a seat for a Credit by Examination. This deposit will be collected through the Web Store and will have an additional non-refundable 4.19% per test convenience fee.  Upon completion of the Credit by Exam, the $25 deposit will be refunded.  Failure to take the Credit by Exam on the assigned date will forfeit the $25 deposit. 
• 6-8 students are allowed only one attempt for grade level acceleration exams.
• 6-8 students are not allowed to take more than one acceleration test per subject. The student must first pass the first credit by exam before registering for the next course.
• 6-8 students must have passed all prerequisite courses prior to registering for a course.
• Credit for exam for high school courses may not be attempted for the same high school course more than two times.
• There is only one window for testing each quarter of each calendar year with no exceptions due to ordering deadlines.
• A student that does not attend their assigned daily test session is considered a “no show.” This no show counts as an attempt for a CBE score. No show students are not eligible to register for the same exam in the same school year. 
• Students will only be allowed to take one level, per session for any subject, including World Languages.
• Any student caught cheating will be removed from the testing center immediately and their test will be voided. Students caught cheating will no longer be eligible to take any credit by exam.
• No cell phones or electronic devices are permitted in the testing center.
• Late arrivals will be allowed to test but their arrival time will be the test designated start time. Students are then allowed to test until the end of the current session in progress. 
• Students who become a distraction to other testers, such as crying, talking, or any other behavior that disrupts the testing environment, will be removed and not allowed to return to the current test session in progress.
• Students may not bring any personal items into the testing center. All test materials including calculators, pencils, scratch paper, and formula charts are provided by the test administrators.
• No food or drink is allowed in the testing center. Medical exemptions must provide documentation from a physician.
• 6-8 students that score the minimum of 80% on of the grade level acceleration exams will be accelerated during the next school year.
• It is the student’s responsibility to prepare for all tests prior to the first day of testing. The order in which all tests are given is at the discretion of the district.
• If 6-8 students do not meet the 80% minimum score on any one of the four grade level acceleration exams, testing is stopped and the student will not be allowed to take any remaining grade level exams. The student will not be permitted to accelerate and testing may not be repeated for that grade level. 
• Students who meet the 80% minimum score on both part A and part B of a high school course and/or a grade 6-8 mathematics test will earn credit and the credit will be added to their educational record. No grade averaging is allowed.
• Students attempting to earn credit on World Language exams must meet the 80% minimum score on part B only to receive full course credit.
• Results and placements are final.

 

NCAA NOTE: The Guide for the College-Bound Athlete published by the NCAA states that "Courses complete through credit-by-exam may not be used" to meet core-course requirements.  Please refer to the NCAA Publications Website for further information.

 If you have any additional questions, please call the Testing Department at 281-485-3203.