[ The following is a Call to Action email from the Texas Association for the Gifted & Talented (TAGT). ]

Call to Action: Your Voice Is Needed! Comment on SBOE-Proposed Credit-By-Exam Changes

Dear TAGT Members and Supporters,

Rules governing credit-by-exams (CBE) are up for a second reading at the State Board of Education’s (SBOE) Committee on Instruction June 14 meeting. Your voice is needed to weigh in supporting second reading amendments for the new rules, allowing for a less burdensome and rigorous process for the development of credit-by-exams than that proposed by the SBOE.

The second reading amendments will make developing credit-by-exams less burdensome for school districts and the University of Texas/Texas Tech University. The original proposed rules on first reading would require a burdensome, expensive psychometric process–normally used to develop STAAR tests–without funding to hire a statistician to implement.

Please email or call your SBOE member(s) before June 14, 2018 and let them know you support the second reading amendments. [Note: SAGE’s SBOE Member is Patricia Hardy, (817) 732-1786 or pathardy2008@SBCglobal.net.]

Or, click here to submit public comment before June 14 supporting the attached reading amendments (scroll down on link above until you see the rule listing for 19 TAC Chapter 74, Curriculum Requirements, Subchapter C, Other Provisions, §74.24, Credit by Examination).

By supporting the attached second reading amendments, you support:

Acceleration: CBEs allow students to accelerate through middle school math courses in order to pursue the STEM endorsement pathway by taking high-level math courses (e.g., Algebra I in middle school).

Languages: CBEs allow students whose native language is other than English to accelerate and earn course credit for that language.

District Flexibility: Districts need the flexibility to develop their own CBEs (e.g., for languages that are not commonly spoken, such as Farsi, and that don’t have corresponding CBEs available by the university providers).

Local Control: Decisions regarding course credit remain with local school districts.

More CBE Providers: The University of Texas and Texas Tech University will still develop CBEs for hundreds of courses and provide options for students, particularly in school districts that don’t have the capacity to develop their own CBEs.

Remember, your voice matters. Thank you for your continued support!

Paulina van Eeden Hill, CAE
Executive Director
Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented