Middle School Grades 6-8 Credit By Exam Information 

Plano ISD students will be administered Credit by Exam (CBE) using an online platform that allows students to test remotely from home with a computer/electronic device that has a microphone and webcam. The test will be administered through a CBE program, and monitored using a secure data monitoring system called Proctorio. Proctorio locks the browser to ensure that students can only access material directly associated with the assessment. Locking the browser is necessary for a secure testing experience for each student.

Students will need one of the following devices to test at-home:

• Desktop, Laptop, Mac, or Chromebook with a webcam and microphone (Chrome Browser needed on these devices)

Confirmation and Results Information 

• Confirmation Information will be posted in the PISD Mobile App approximately two weeks prior to testing.
  • Please contact your student's counselor directly for questions regarding registration submittal or any errors on the courses listed in the Confirmation Information.

• Parents/ guardians will see results posted through the PISD Mobile App 2-4 weeks after the testing window has concluded.
  • Score reports will be sent to the school counselor and school registrar.
  • According to the Federal Educational Rights to Privacy Act (FERPA), no information on results may be released by phone or email.

Qualifications for Testing 

Board Policy EHDC (Legal), heading: Credit by Examination for Advancement addresses testing for students who wish to accelerate to the next grade.

Testing sessions are offered in August, December, January, and April/May for students already enrolled in Plano ISD.

Students may take a Credit by Exam for acceleration purposes during any of the four testing periods. However, the following restrictions apply:

• Applications must be submitted to your counselor by 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, one attempt per test window 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.

About the Middle School Grade-Level Advancement Test

Students seeking grade-level acceleration/advancement must achieve 80% or higher on the criterion-referenced tests in the following subjects for the grade level they want to skip: 

• Science
• Social Studies
• English Language Arts

Grades 6-8 Acceleration/Advancement CBE tests are provided through Texas Tech University, Texas Tech High School and are administered in an online testing format.

• Students will take the Science test first, then the Social Studies test, and last is the English Language Arts test.  
  • Test Formats vary in the number of items. However, all tests contain Multiple Choice and Open Response/Essay items. 
• If the student is successful with the test (passing = 80% or higher), the student will be administered the next test in the sequence.  
• If the student is not successful with the test, the grade acceleration process ends, and the student is not eligible to accelerate.

Review Sheets for the exams are provided directly through Texas Tech University, Texas Tech High School website links provided below.  

• Texas Tech University - Credit By Exam Review Sheet

The review sheet will include the following information:

• • • What to Bring 
    • About the Exam 
      • Number of Test Items 
      • Description of the Test 
        • Types of Questions: Multiple Choice or Open Response 
      • Time Limit 
      • Textbook used for the Course (ISBN number)
    • Preparation Tips 
    • Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Chart 
      • Alignment of TEKS to Test Questions
      • Level of Bloom's Taxonomy per TEKS  

Results and Advancement

Results will be sent to the principal of the school where the student is registered. The principal will contact you directly regarding your student’s test scores. The Credit by Exam office will not give out any information regarding the results of Grades 6-8 Advancement testing.

About the Middle School Math & Accelerated Math Test

Please contact your student's guidance counselor for additional information regarding accelerated math CBE tests, prerequisites, and course selections.   

NOTE - Students who qualify for Math Rocks may still take the CBE test. However, if the CBE test is passed, the student is no longer eligible for Math Rocks. 

All communication and results for the CBE test taken in Plano ISD will be posted to the PISD Mobile App.  

Application Deadlines and Testing Information

Applications must be obtained from the school counselor. The application must be returned to the counselor who will sign the form and send it to the Credit by Exam Office. The deadlines for the application to be in the Credit by Exam Office are listed on the Test Calendar. 

• All applications must be received by 3:00 p.m. on the date of the deadline listed below.