Spearfish School District 40-2
5000 Students

 

Board Policy                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
Code: 5705/6710

                                      CREDIT BY COURSE EQUIVALENCY EXAM

Credit by Exam

Students may petition to challenge and receive credit for courses by exam which have been specifically identified as eligible for challenge by the Spearfish School Board.  This process enables students to demonstrate mastery of the course objectives and receive credit.

Credit by exam sessions will be set up for students enrolled in grades 9-12.  Those sessions will be held in the months of June, August and December of each school year.  Select students enrolled in the district may test out of courses approved by the South Dakota Department of Education and for which the Department has developed such exams.

The exams are comprehensive and are designed to assess factual knowledge as well as process and performance skills considered appropriate to the subject.  Exam pre-registration will be coordinated through the high school guidance office with final approval by the High School Principal.  There is no cost to the student to attempt credit by course equivalency exam.  Students will be allowed to challenge a specific course by exam only once.   Based on Department of Education policy, a score of 85 percent or better will successfully challenge a course and a credit will be awarded.  Successfully challenged courses will be recorded as a pass on the student’s official transcript and will not affect the student’s official grade point average.  If a letter grade for the successfully challenged class is required for scholarship eligibility or college admissions, the student must submit a written request to the guidance office requesting a letter grade. Student requests for a letter grade on a challenged course must be received in the guidance office no later than the last day of the first semester of the student’s senior year. When a Test Out credit letter grade is assigned, the resulting letter grade will be calculated in the high school GPA and Class Rank.  The grade recorded will be the grade the student scores on the course equivalency exam and based on the current grading scale in place. Students will be allowed to test out of and receive no more than four (4) credits toward high school graduation for specific courses approved by the School Board.

Special Notice to Middle School Students and Parents:
Middle school students (grades 6th through 8th) who have completed a high school course must take the appropriate end-of-course exam and score an 80% (Department of Education rule) or better for credit.  The grade from the course (not the exam) will then be recorded as a letter grade on their high school transcript and calculated into the student’s grade point average (GPA).  This must be completed before the student enters the 9th grade.

Approved    January 11, 2010