Lakewood High School Credit Flex TestOut/ Demonstrated Mastery Application

The following guidelines shall apply to Test Out/ Demonstrated Mastery Credit Flex

  1. Purpose: The purpose of the test-out credit flex option is to allow students to demonstrate mastery of a course’s content, getting credit and a grade for the course by taking an assessment(s) or demonstrating mastery of course content in another form.
  2. Eligibility: Any student enrolled in Lakewood Local Schools is eligible to test out of a high school course for credit and a grade. Any student who has not progressed to LHS will receive transcripted credit and grade upon matriculating to LHS.
  3. Schedule for test-out opportunities: Testing-out will be offered twice per year, in May and November. Applications must be turned in at the start of the testing month (November 1 and May 1) and the test(s) must be completed by the last day of that same month.
  4. Application process: Students who wish to test out of a class must apply to test out, using the forms on the back of this document. Late applications will not be accepted. Deadlines will be displayed in the Counseling Office, classrooms and on the Lakewood Local School District webpage.
  5. Impact on Athletic Eligibility: Grades and credits earned through testing out shall be used to count toward minimum credits and grade-point averages for the purpose of high school athletic eligibility. Upon a student’s completion of the assessment(s), the teacher of record will record the date on the answer document, portfolio, rubric. The final grade on the assessment will count toward the student’s eligibility by becoming part of his or her nine-weeks grades. Those students considering collegiate athletic should be advised that NCAA Division I colleges and universities do not recognize test-out credits in terms of meeting college entrance credit requirements and is strongly discouraged for potential collegiate athletics.
  6. Format and content: Lakewood High School staff will design and implement assessments that are used to test out of LHS classes using these guidelines:
  1. Assessments should reflect the content and scope of the course and be aligned to the academic content standards or course of study for the course.
  2. Rubrics, scoring guides and gradesheets should be used to measure how student work measures up to content standards, both in knowledge and skill.
  3. Assessments should reflect best practices in assessment, including test reliability and validity.
  4. Multiple ways of demonstrating knowledge and skills may be utilized, including portfolio-based assessment, performance, and/or other means, with the goal of creating an assessment that fairly reflects the mastery required of students in the actual class.
  1. Test phase-in: In accordance with Ohio Department of Education guidelines, tests will be available starting January 2011 and will be developed as needed.
  2. Grading: Test-out assessments will be graded by fully-licensed Lakewood teachers who are the ‘teacher of record’ for the course for which the student is ‘testing out’. For example, the teacher who grades Algebra I assessments will be a licensed Mathematics teacher, but they may or may not be teaching Algebra I in the classroom at the time of the assessment.
  1. Grades will be reported on the same timeline as other grades are reported.
  2. Grade scale: In recognition of the fact that testing out of a class reflects mastery of a course’s content, the grading scale for testing out is as follows:
  3. A = 93% - 100%

A- = 90% - 92%

B+ = 87% - 89%

B = 85% - 86%

F = 0% - 84%

  1. Appeals: Grade or credit appeals shall be directed in writing to the Credit Flex committee within five days of grade and/ or credit report being issued.
  2. Grade Recording: Grades from test-outs become part of a student’s permanent record like any other grade. The opportunity to re-take the class (or the test) is governed by the same rules that apply to re-taking any other class.
  3. Pass-fail option: Under certain circumstances, LHS students may take courses graded as pass/fail. Using this option in conjunction with a test-out is discouraged, and doing so will require approval of the principal.

Application for Test/Out Demonstrated Mastery

This application must originate in GUIDANCE with a Counselor/Student conference

Counselor Signature ______Date ______

STUDENT INFORMATION

Student Name ______Grade ______ID #______

Student phone and other contact information: ______

Parent/ Guardian Name and contact information: ______

Reason(s) for Application (Check all that apply):

_____ Early Graduation_____ Enrolled in PSOEP_____ Credit Recovery

_____ Parenting responsibility_____ Administrative Override_____ Transfer Student

_____ Home Instruction_____ Credit/ Course Advancement_____ Other (Specify)

_____ Health/ Medical______

Course Information:

Course Title ______Teacher of Record:______

Core Subject Area field (e.g. Physical Science, Fine Arts, Social Studies, etc.) ______

Check here if student is completing a course previously attempted ______

Explanation/ Comment: ______

______

Course and Section Number (to be added by Data Management):______

Amount of Course credit: ______School Year: ______

Both student and parent/guardian are required to initial each statement below in order to indicate understanding of each Credit Flex Requirement. Signatures below also indicate that both the parent and student have discussed and agree to all requirements as outlined in the LHS Credit Flexibility Plan.

______All Credit Flexibility Plan proposals must be submitted to the Lakewood High School principal by May 1 for a year‐long course, or November 1 for second semester courses. All tests must be completed by the last day of the month within which the application was completed.

______I understand that any test out assessment result below 85% will result in an F in that course.

______Test Out/ Demonstrated Mastery of a course may be attempted one time only.

______All Credit Flexibility courses must be dropped within two-weeks of the start of the first semester. A “WF” (Withdrawal-Fail) will appear on the student’s transcript if these timelines are not met. (See LHS Student Handbook for description.)For second semester courses, the same two-week rule applies.

______All LHS code of conduct specifications as well academic policies apply through the Credit Flex option.

______Students are responsible for meeting graduation requirements as well ensuring that they have met establisheddeadlines to participate in senior graduation.

______All grades earned through Credit Flex are final and will appear on the student’s high school transcript. TheCredit Flex grade will also be calculated in the student’s GPA (Grade Point Average). There are NO weighted grades for credits earned through test-out/ demonstrated mastery credit flexibility.

______The student will hold primary responsibility for the overall success or failure of the course.

______The student will have until ______to complete the course or the student may be withdrawn with penalty from the course.

______The student’s teacher and/or other school authorities have the right to cancel this course/credit option if: (1) the student violates any rule/policy stated in the LHS Student Handbook; (2) the student does not regularly and actively engage with the teacher and course material by

______; or (3) the student does not make steady progress toward

completion of the course.

______The Instructor reserves the right to remove the student from the course (withdrawn with penalty) for issues involving plagiarism and copyright violation.

______The teacher decision regarding a withdrawal from the course may be appealed to the Principal.

A letter outlining the reason(s) for the appeal must be received by the Principal within 5

calendar days following notification of withdrawal. The Principal’s decision on the appeal is

final.

Student Signature:______Date:______

Parent Signature:______Date:______

Support Services requested of Lakewood High School if on an IEP or 504.

Student explanation of goals and statement of commitment:

______

______

______

______

______

______

SIGNATURES/ROUTING (To be completed at the conclusion of the Test Out/ Demonstrated Mastery)

Student ______Date ______

Parent ______Date ______

Guidance Counselor ______Date ______

Teacher of Record______Date ______

Principal______Date ______

(Distribution copies made and distributed through Principal’s Office - Original to Data Management)

Data Management______Date ______

NOTES:

PROCESSING OF APPLICATION:

Submit pages 3, 4, 5 to Principal’s Office for approval upon completion of application.

Submit page 6 to Data Management upon completion of course.

DISTRIBUTION:

______ORIGINAL—Data Management

______Student/Parent

______Counselor

______Teacher of Record

______Principal’s Office

______Permanent Record

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