AA/PPS 02.02.10 - Credit by Examination

POLICY STATEMENT

Texas State University is committed to maintaining a well-designed, effective process for awarding students credit by examination.

1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

   1. Many students, independent of the college environment, have attained college-level proficiency in academic subjects and may do as well on a test as do students who have successfully completed a course. These students may be allowed to earn credit for courses without enrolling in them. Earning credit by examination enables students to avoid taking courses in which material would be redundant and allows them to enroll in more challenging courses. Credit by examination also offers incentive for independent study.

   2. This policy pertains to undergraduate students. Undergraduate students must be currently or formerly enrolled at Texas State University in order to take a credit examination on the campus, with the exception of College Level Examination Program (CLEP) testing. Any individual may take a CLEP test offered by the Testing, Evaluation, and Measurement Center (TEMC).

2. PROCEDURES FOR CREDIT BY EXAMINATION

   1. In general, credit by examination will be awarded as credit only (CR) and will not affect the student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA); however, grades of A or B in addition to CR may be awarded by the Department of World Languages and Literatures for the French, German, and Spanish CLEP exams to recognize superior achievement. Letter grades, if awarded, will be factored into the cumulative GPA. In cases where grades of A or B can be awarded, the student will have the option to request that a CR be awarded instead.

   2. Credit by examination satisfies degree requirements in the same way as credit earned by passing courses, except that it does not count as credit earned in residence. Credit for graduate courses cannot be earned via examination.

   3. Students may retake a CLEP exam only after three months have elapsed since the previous attempt of the same exam. Retake waiting periods for departmental credit by examination are determined by each department. Certain credit examinations may have a limit in the number of attempts permitted (contact TEMC for more information).

   4. Unsuccessful attempts to earn credit by examination will not be recorded on the transcript or other official records, except as needed to record the number and date of test attempts.

   5. The credit by exam program requires the passing of a nationally normed or local test such as CLEP, Advanced Placement Program (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), a departmental or school exam, or a combination of the above.

   6. Academic departments and schools are responsible for selecting the courses for which credit and letter grades will be awarded. Performance standards and cut-scores are set by the department or school in which the courses are taught. These standards hold university wide and cannot be raised or lowered by other departments, schools, or administrative units.

   7. If a department or school chooses not to award course credit for one of their courses on the basis of CLEP, AP, IB, departmental or school exam, or other exams, no other program, department, school, or college can accept the exams for credit in that course.

   8. Students transferring to Texas State with credit earned via examination recorded on their transcripts must request an official score report be sent from the testing agency to Texas State. TEMC will evaluate official score reports for possible CBE credit for the following exams: AP (archived score reports sent as paper copies only), IB, CLEP, and ACTFL exams. TEMC may facilitate processing of other CBE credit on a case-by-case basis for individual students with approval from the relevant departmental faculty at Texas State.

   9. National examinations, such as CLEP, that are accepted at Texas State for credit may be taken at locations other than Texas State. However, credit awarded will be based upon Texas State’s criteria and required scores.

   10. Special circumstances regarding the awarding of credit by examination taken at Texas State will be considered by the department or school and TEMC on an individual student basis. Special circumstances regarding the transfer of credit by examination to Texas State will be considered by the appropriate unit and TEMC on a case-by-case basis.

   11. Each department and school will have the opportunity to review their credit by examination procedures (i.e., tests being used, pass/fail rates, and cut-off scores) on an annual basis. However, formal procedural changes will be made every two years with the implementation of a new catalog. Cut-off scores may change without prior notice.

   12. For alternate policies regarding credit by examination for students enrolled in the Department of Organization, Workforce, and Leadership Studies (OWLS), contact that department.

3. REVIEWER OF THIS PPS

   1. Reviewer of this PPS includes the following:

      Position	Date
      Director, Testing, Evaluation, and Measurement Center	June 1 E2Y

4. CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

   This PPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State Academic Affairs policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.

   Director, Testing, Evaluation, and Measurement Center; senior reviewer of this PPS

   Assistant Vice Provost for Experiential and Academic Initiatives

   Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs