K-12 Credit by Exams
Credit by Exams (CBEs) offer appropriate, reliable placement or credit for students in grades K-12. The exams are designed by curriculum experts and aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Students may choose to take the exams for credit recovery or acceleration. View presentation.
At Home, Online Proctored Exams
UTHS offers online proctoring of credit by exams for students in grades 3-12 at home using the Proctorio service, which allows the student to take the exam using their computer or a district-issued computer. Proctorio includes an identification process, requires a webcam for video recording, and uses a lockdown browser to ensure a secure testing experience. Please see our Q & A documents for more information.
- Proctorio Q & A Guide for Districts
- Proctorio Q & A Guide for Students
Grades K-2 CBEs
Students taking CBEs for K-2 subjects will need to make arrangements to take the exam on-site at their local school district or an approved university testing center. Online proctoring is not available for K-2 subjects because the exams may allow oral administration by the proctor which is not a function provided through the Proctorio online exam system. We recommend reviewing options once there are changes to stay-at-home requirements and testing site closures.
Credit Recovery
With approval from the local school district, students in grades 6-12 who received prior instruction in a subject area but did not receive credit may earn credit by passing an exam (grade of 70% or above) that assesses the student's knowledge and skills in that subject area.
Acceleration
With approval from the local school district, students in grades K-12 seeking placement credit in a subject area in which they have not received prior instruction may earn credit by passing these exams with a grade of 80% or above. The annual UTHS Credit by Exam Certification Reports can be found in the Exam Policy & Development section below.
A variety of subjects are available for acceleration or credit recovery, including the high school STAAR end-of-course (EOC) subjects (Algebra I, Biology, English I, English II, and US History).
Placement credit in a subject area for Credit by Exams is dependent upon approval from the students' local school district. Local school districts will use the exam grade to make credit determination according to Texas's credit by exams policy 19 TAC §74.24.
District & School Discounts
District partners receive a discount on exam orders and have up to 60 days to complete testing. It takes up to 10 business days for an order to be completed and placed in the mail (regardless of optional shipping requests). Any incomplete order requests will delay processing.
Scoring times may vary and exams are scored in the order received, therefore please allow up to 20 business days for scoring.
Study Guides
Study guides for all K-12 CBEs are available and printable from the website at any time. Study guides for Communication Applications, English, Art, and PE are essential as these exams have specific requirements.
How to Order
- Enroll in an online Credit by Exam for Grades 3-12 subjects using the online shopping cart.
- Download, complete, and submit the Individual Enrollment Form for Grades K-2 subjects.
Note: K-2 exams are only available in the paper version and cannot be purchased via the online shopping cart. Please request guidance from your local school counselor to ensure the CBE selection is approved for credit. Students and parents may email UTHSrequestCBE@austin.utexas.edu to submit a CBE Enrollment Form or ask questions about the CBE process.
School/District Bulk Orders
(Please allow up to 10 business days for processing)
For all exams:
- View the instructions in the UTHS District Partner Guide-Credit by Exam Bulk Enrollment Order.
- Download and complete the Institutional Request Form.
- Download and submit the Institutional Student Report Form (via Box, see directions for more information) in the order desired for exam delivery.
District educators may email UTHSpartnerCBE@austin.utexas.edu to ask questions related to the district CBE ordering process and forms.
Rush Grading
Rush grading is available for all exams. Rush grading is available upon completion of the exam. The exam will be graded within 5 business days of the date that the exam is received from the proctoring location. If expedited shipping is necessary from the proctoring center to UTHS, those arrangements should be made by the parent/student with the proctoring center. Download the Rush Grading form and email it directly to edservices@austin.utexas.edu or fax to 512-471-7853.
Related Costs
Individual Student CBE Orders
- Individual semester and K-8 exam: $70 (includes remote proctoring fee)
- Individual semester exam for grades K-2: $50 (only available in print form for in-district testing)
- Individual yearlong World Language exam: $125 (includes online proctoring fee)
- Individual expedited shipping: $30 domestic
- Individual international shipping: $75 international; $150 remote areas
District CBE Orders
Print or Online Exams (Proctored In-District)
- District bulk semester and K-8 exam: $25
- District bulk yearlong World Language exam: $50
- District expedited shipping (both ways): $20 per envelope (1-4 exams), $40 per 1 box (5-100 exams), $80 per 2 boxes (101-200 exams). Additional boxes, add $40 per box
Online Exams with Remote Proctoring (Proctored by UTHS online with student's computer at home)
- District bulk semester and K-8 exam: $35
- District bulk yearlong World Language exam: $60
Other Fees
- Credit by exam inquiry: $50
- Rush grading exams: $50
- Exam extension: $35 (must be requested prior to expiration date)
- Exam change requests: $25
- These include requests to change proctor, testing site, exam subject or grade level, or exam type from online to print or vice versa.
Credit by Exams fees are non-refundable once the student is enrolled in the exam, which typically occurs the same day that the registration is received.
Exam Policy & Development
According to 19 TAC §74.24 Credit by Exams (c)(6), a student may not attempt to earn credit by examination for a specific high school course more than two times. State policy requires CBEs to be administered by approved staff at a school district or university testing center.
UTHS CBE Certification Reports
Texas' credit by exams policy 19 TAC §74.24 requires providers of CBEs to Texas school districts to certify that their examinations meet specific rule criteria and to report student scores annually. Please see the following UTHS CBE Certification Reports for details, which include alignment to the revised rules effective August 2018. Clarification regarding rule changes is included in the 2017-18 report and the score reports with the expanded student group data are included in the reports beginning in 2018-19. UTHS posts the CBE Certification Reports annually, which include score reports for all students statewide who completed CBEs provided by UTHS during the prior academic year.
Recommended District Best Practices for CBEs
View our UTHS recent presentations for guidance regarding best practices for offering credit by exams to serve a variety of students' needs.
