Credit By Examination(CBE)

Credit by Exam(CBE) is an assessment process authorized by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Humble ISD uses state-approved examinations, administered by institutions like Texas Tech University or the University of Texas Extension, to measure mastery of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

Humble ISD offers Credit by Examination (CBE) in compliance with Texas Education Code (TEC) §28.023. CBEs allow students to demonstrate mastery of academic content and earn credit in three ways:

1. Acceleration — Skip a course or grade for which the student has no prior instruction.

2. Verification — Earn credit for a course with prior instruction (such as homeschool or a non-accredited school).

3. Retrieval (Credit Recovery) — Regain credit for a failed or incomplete course, or one lost due to excessive absences.

Each CBE pathway has specific requirements and affects how scores are recorded and used for GPA and class rank.

Grades 1-5 Score Requirements
Students must score a minimum of 80% on each subject area of criterion-referenced tests that cover the essential knowledge and skills in reading/language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science for the grade level they wish to skip. 

A student in elementary school will be eligible to accelerate to the next grade level if the student scores at least 80 on each exam in the subject areas of language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Also, if a district administrator recommends that the student be accelerated, and the students' parents give written approval of the grade advancement. 

Grades 6-12 Score Requirements
A student in grade 6 or above will earn credit with a passing score of at least 80 on the examination, a scale score of 50 or higher on an examination administered through the CLEP, or a score of 3 or higher on an AP examination, as applicable. 

If a student fails to achieve the designated score on the applicable examination before the beginning of the school year in which the student will need to enroll in the course, the student must complete the physical course. 

Credit by Examination Note

Texas Tech University Credit by Examination (CBE) assessments are administered as on‑level course credit and may be used for recovery, verification, or acceleration when applicable.

Additional credit options, such as CLEP or Advanced Academics (AA) assessments, are available for students who wish to pursue them, however, the associated examination costs are the responsibility of the student and family. If you have questions about available credit by examination opportunities, please contact your campus counselor for more information.

A no-show counts as an attempt, and the student may NOT register for that exam in the same testing window.  A student may only attempt a CBE for the same course once per testing window and no more than twice overall.

Registration forms are available through the campus counselor during the registration window. The deadline is at 3pm on the last day of registration.

CBE Registration Process

• Complete the Credit By Examination Registration Form and submit to your student's counselor before the desired testing window deadline. 

• Your students' counselor will complete and submit an internal Google form to order exams. 

• A no-show counts as an attempt, and the student may NOT register for that exam in the same testing window. A student may only attempt a CBE for the same subject once per testing window and no more than twice overall.

Registration Eligibility (Students must meet all eligibility requirements)

• Students are enrolled in Humble ISD. *

• Elementary students must meet the state law age requirement—five years old by September 1st for Kindergarten, or six years old by September 1st for First Grade.

• Registration form is completed indicating grade level/subject for testing.

• School counselor must sign a registration form to verify the student’s grade level and CBE eligibility.

• All registration forms must be received by the school counselor by the registration deadline.

• Registration forms must be completed and signed by a counselor and approved by a principal before the deadline.

• For students interested in advancement/ acceleration without prior instruction, testing will be available on the dates listed below.

CBE Calendar 2025 - 2025

Credit by Examination for Acceleration (CBE for Acceleration)
Humble ISD offers Credit by Examination (CBE) for Acceleration via TTU to give highly capable students the opportunity to skip certain courses or grade levels when no prior instruction has been taken. This program is available to students at all levels (elementary, middle, and high school) in accordance with the Texas Education Code and district policies.

High School Students

High school students may use CBE to earn credit for a required high school course (0.5 or 1.0 credit) for which they have had no prior instruction. The examination must be for a course beyond those the student has already completed.

• Performance Criteria: A student must score 80% or higher on a state-approved, criterion-referenced test covering the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and district curriculum objectives.
  

• Credit and GPA Impact: The examination score will be recorded as an on level credit on the student’s official transcript and calculated into the student’s GPA and class rank.
  

• Examinations: The examination will be administered through Texas Tech University. Students can download the CBE review sheet to prepare for the exam they plan to take at https://www.depts.ttu.edu/k12/cbe/review/. The review sheet will explain how to study for the exam and what assignments or additional materials are due at the time of the exam.
  

• Application Process: The student must obtain an application from the counselor, and complete the application with parent or guardian approval before the designated deadline.

Fees: The district does not charge for CBE for Acceleration via Texas Tech.

Middle School Students

Middle school students may use CBE for Acceleration to earn high school credit for courses taken while still enrolled in middle school, or to skip an entire grade level.

• Performance Criteria: To earn high school credit via CBE, the student must score 80% or higher on the examination. To accelerate an entire grade level for which no prior instruction has been provided, a grade 6-8 student is required to take CBE’s covering the State and District objectives for each semester of English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies - a total of eight (8) tests. The student must score an 80 or above on each test. 

• Mathematics CBE placement exams are offered for middle school students who wish to: 

1) move from their current on-level class to an Adv math class for the next school year. 

• Adv Math courses typically cover 1 ½ years of material each year. 

• 6th grade Adv Math covers material for a full year of 6th grade, plus the 1st semester of 7th grade. 

• 7th grade Adv Math covers material for the second semester of 7th grade, plus a full year of 8th grade. Or 

2) move ahead 1 year from their current Adv class.

• To earn high school credit via CBE, the student must score 80% or higher on the examination.

• Credit and GPA Impact: Middle school students who earn high school credit through a Credit by Examination (CBE) will have the credit recorded on their high school transcript as credit only. However, the exam score will not be included in the calculation of the student’s high school GPA or class rank. Additionally, if a student uses CBE to skip a grade, the credit earned is used strictly for placement and promotion purposes and does not impact GPA or class rank.

• Examinations: The examination will be administered through Texas Tech University. Students can download the CBE review sheet to prepare for the exam they plan to take at https://www.depts.ttu.edu/k12/cbe/review/. The review sheet will explain how to study for the exam and what assignments or additional materials are due at the time of the exam.

• Application Process: The student must obtain an application from the counselor, and complete the application with parent or guardian approval before the designated deadline.

Fees: The district does not charge for CBE for Acceleration via Texas Tech.

Elementary School Students

Elementary students may use CBE for Acceleration to skip an entire grade level.

• Performance Criteria: The student must score 80% or higher on each subject-area examination (Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies) required for the grade level they wish to skip.
  

• Credit and GPA Impact: Credit earned via CBE is used strictly for placement and promotion purposes only and does not impact GPA or class rank.
  

• Examinations: The examination will be administered through Texas Tech University. Students can download the CBE review sheet to prepare for the exam they plan to take at https://www.depts.ttu.edu/k12/cbe/review/. The review sheet will explain how to study for the exam and what assignments or additional materials are due at the time of the exam.
  

• Application Process: The student must obtain an application from the counselor, and complete the application with parent or guardian approval before the designated deadline.

Fees: The district does not charge for CBE for Acceleration via Texas Tech

Credit by Examination for Verification (Prior Instruction)

The District allows eligible students the opportunity to earn credit in courses for which they have prior instruction through Credit by Examination (CBE). This applies to students who have:

• Participated in homeschooling and were not enrolled in any public school,

• Attended a non-accredited school, or

• Had a non-traditional academic background.

Performance Criteria for Verification

To qualify for credit, students must achieve a score of 70% or higher on the CBE’s that covers the required Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and district objectives.

Examinations for Verification

Examinations: The examination will be administered through Texas Tech University. Students can download the CBE review sheet to prepare for the exam they plan to take at https://www.depts.ttu.edu/k12/cbe/review/. The review sheet will explain how to study for the exam and what assignments or additional materials are due at the time of the exam.

Granting and Recording Credit for Verification

• High School Credit:

  • Students must score 70% or higher.

  • The examination score will be recorded as an on level credit on the transcript and calculated in the GPA and class rank.

• Middle School:

  • The examination score applies to placement only and will NOT impact GPA/class rank.
    
    

• Elementary School:

  • The examination applies to placement only and will NOT impact GPA/class rank.

Important: No entry will be made for scores below 70%.  Scores verifying high school courses taken prior to Grade 9 will be recorded as a numeric score but without grade points assigned.

Credit by Examination for Retrieval (Credit Recovery)

The District allows eligible students the opportunity to recover credit in courses for which they have had prior instruction through Credit by Examination (CBE). This applies when a student:

• Failed a course,

• Did not receive credit due to excessive absences, or

• Did not complete the course requirements due to extenuating circumstances.

Important: Students who are currently enrolled in a course are not eligible to take a Credit by Examination (CBE) while still enrolled in the same course to earn credit.

Performance Criteria for Retrieval

To be granted credit, students must achieve a score of 70% or higher on a CBE covering the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and district objectives.

Examinations for Retrieval

The examination will be administered through Texas Tech University. Students can download the CBE review sheet to prepare for the exam they plan to take at https://www.depts.ttu.edu/k12/cbe/review/. The review sheet will explain how to study for the exam and what assignments or additional materials are due at the time of the exam.

Granting Credit and Recording Grades for Retrieval

• Credit will be granted if the student scores 70% or higher.

• The examination score will be recorded on the transcript.

• No entry will be made for scores below 70%.

• The original grade earned in the course remains on the transcript and is included in GPA and rank calculations, regardless of the retrieval exam result.

High School Credit

• The CBE score will be added to the transcript and calculated in the GPA and class rank as an on level credit. 

• The original failing or no-credit attempt will remain on the transcript.

Middle School Credit

• The CBE score applies to credit or placement only and will NOT impact GPA/class rank.

Elementary School Credit

• The CBE applies to placement only and will NOT impact GPA/class rank.

Fees for Examinations for Retrieval

• The student is responsible for any examination fees.

• Other options for recovery may include summer school, correspondence courses, or repeating the course during the following year.

• Original Credit: Credit earned via CBE for a high school course will be included in the student’s official transcript and calculated in the GPA/class rank as an on level credit.

• Middle School Exception: Credit earned via CBE for a high school course while in middle school, applies for credit only and does NOT affect the student’s GPA/class rank.

• A student may NOT forfeit earned credit.

• Scores below the passing threshold (70% for prior instruction, 80% for acceleration) will NOT be posted and will NOT award credit.

• STAAR assessments can NOT be used for Credit by Examination.

• CBE scores can NOT be averaged with coursework or other test scores.

• Testing windows and deadlines are published on the Humble ISD website and announced through campus publications.

• Contact your campus counselor for more information about available courses, testing windows, and registration.

CBE Resources

• Vendor Website

• Study Guides

• CBE Certification Information - EOC

• CBE Certification Information - Non EOC

CBE Parent Information Frequently Asked Questions

• CBE Parent Frequently Asked Questions

Humble ISD does not provide review resources for credit by exams. Texas Tech University ISD develops and scores credit by exams for all tests. The links below will provide information related to applicable credit by exam information.

Important Note:  
Some exams require that students complete reading and/or project assignments PRIOR to testing. It is the responsibility of the student and parent to check the review materials to ensure that any pretest requirements are met. 

Credit by Exam Preparation Material

• TTU Website

• Study Guides

• Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

• Texas Credit by Exams Policy: 19 TAC §74.24 

• CBE Certification Information - EOC

• CBE Certification Information - Non EOC

Annual Credit by Exam Reports

• Annual Credit by Exam Report 2022-2023

• Annual Credit by Exam Report 2023-2024