Credit by Exam

Credit by Examination (CBE) allows an eligible student to demonstrate mastery of an individual course or subject and earn course credit. Different requirements apply depending on whether the student has received prior instruction in the course or subject.

STISD does not use Credit by Examination to allow a student to advance an entire grade level.

When credit is awarded, the student’s examination score will be recorded on the transcript as required by law and district procedures. The score will not be included in the calculation of the student’s grade point average. If credit is not awarded, documentation of the examination will be maintained in the student’s academic record.

A student who earns credit by examination without prior instruction is not required to take the corresponding state end-of-course assessment. A student who earns credit by examination after receiving prior instruction remains subject to the applicable state end-of-course assessment requirements.

A student or parent interested in Credit by Examination must contact the campus counselor. Before registering, the student and parent must:

• Complete the required application and obtain all necessary campus or district approvals;
• Submit the application by the published registration deadline; and
• Review the applicable course objectives and examination specifications.

Students must receive prior district authorization before enrolling in or completing a CBE or other course through an outside provider for the purpose of earning district credit. Completion of an examination or course without prior district authorization does not guarantee that credit will be accepted or awarded by South Texas ISD.

The district will make reasonable testing arrangements as required by law for a student experiencing homelessness or a student in foster care.

Successful course credit will be indicated on the transcript with the actual grade earned, but the grade will not be used in the calculation of GPA. If credit is not awarded, documentation of the examination will be placed in the student’s academic achievement folder.

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.

The registration and testing dates set by South Texas ISD for the 2026-2027 school year are as follows:

No applications will be accepted after the deadline.

A student wishing to earn credit for a course via credit by examination must test with South Texas ISD on one of the district’s published testing dates. Examinations must be completed on-site during a district-administered testing window listed in the Testing Schedule above. A request to test outside of the district’s published dates will not be granted, except when required by law to accommodate a student experiencing homelessness or a student involved in the foster care system.

If a student plans to take an examination, the student or parent must register with the school counselor no later than 30 days prior to the scheduled testing date. [See policy EHDC for more information.]

SOUTH TEXAS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT CREDIT BY EXAMINATION APPLICATION FORM - GRADES 6-12 - Credit by Examination WITH PRIOR INSTRUCTION

SOUTH TEXAS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT CREDIT BY EXAMINATION APPLICATION FORM - GRADES 6-12 - Credit by Examination WITHOUT PRIOR INSTRUCTION

South Texas ISD will not award Credit by Examination credit, correspondence course credit, online course credit, or supplemental course credit earned independently through outside providers, including Texas Tech University K-12, The University of Texas at Austin High School, or any other third-party provider. Students seeking credit through Credit by Examination must participate in a South Texas ISD-approved examination administered during an official district testing window.

For additional information on Credit by Exam, reference the Student Handbook.

District Approval: Only South Texas ISD-approved examinations administered during official district testing windows may be used to award district credit.

Unapproved Coursework: Any examination or course completed without prior district authorization will not be accepted or awarded credit through South Texas ISD.

Acceleration Testing: Only Board-approved examinations designated by South Texas ISD for acceleration purposes may be used for grade-level acceleration.

Administrative Review: Counselor and campus administrator approval must be obtained before registering for acceleration testing.

Multiple Advancement Attempts: Students may not repeatedly test across multiple windows to accelerate multiple grade levels without district review and approval.

For questions related to Credit by Exam, contact your child's school counselor.