Credit By Demonstrated Mastery

December 2014

The State Board of Education defines “mastery” as a student’s command of course material at a level that demonstrates a deep understanding of the content standards and the ability to apply his or her knowledge of the material.

What is Mastery?

“Credit by demonstrated mastery” is the process by which a school district shall, based upon a body-of-evidence, award a student credit in a particular course without requiring the student to complete classroom instruction for a certain amount of seat time.

What is CDM?

Section 13 of GCS-M-001 provides the following Credit by Demonstrated Mastery policy:

13. Credit by Demonstrated Mastery

State Board Policy Reference

◦ Beginning with the 2014-15 SY to inform placement for the 2015-16 SY, CDM shall be available for all NC students in grades 9-12 for high school courses and in grades 6-8 for high school courses offered in middle school.

For Hickory Public Schools, CDM is offered for Math I in the middle schools. (current 6th and 7th graders)

When does Credit by Demonstrated Mastery begin and for what group of students?

Middle School◦ 6th graders – Math I◦ 7th graders – Math I◦ 8th graders – Courses offered at HHS

Affects the students’ schedules for NEXT school year.

What does that mean for our students?

Johnny is a current 6th grader. He is amazing in math. His family chooses to CDM Math I. He makes the cut score on the EOC and passes the artifact. He receives CDM for Math I. Next school year, he can take Math II while in the 7th grade and Math III while in the 8th grade. In the 9th grade, he will take a fourth level math.

Example: Current 6th Grade Student

Julie is a math whiz!!! Her family wants her to do the CDM process for Math I. She passes Math I through CDM. In the 8th grade she can start Math II. In the 9th grade she will take Math III.

Example: Current 7th Grade Student

Sammy is a whiz in many core subjects. His family wants him to CDM some of his freshmen level classes such as English I, Math I and Earth Science. Sammy takes but does not pass the exam for Earth Science. In 9th grade, he will sit for that course. Sammy does meet the CDM requirements for Math I and English I so he will jump to Math II and English II during his 9th grade year.

Example: Current 8th Grade Student

Student/family completes application Meet with school team to discuss

application and process Complete Phase I assessment If success, complete Phase II performance

based task and present to content team If success, receive credit for course

CDM Process for Families

Complete the application for CDM prior to the due date

Meet with the school counselors to discuss the long-term benefits/consequences of CDM

Contact prospective colleges/universities to see if any admission concerns

If planning to be a college athlete, contact NCAA to see if all requirements will still be met

Meet all timelines and due dates

Parent/Student Responsibilities

The credit for the class will appear on the transcript as a “P”

There will be no honors credit assigned The class will not count in the GPA The student must pass the Phase I

assessment on the first try, without receiving instruction in the class

If the student does not pass the Phase I assessment, the student must sit for the class the following year

Additional Details

Are some classes excluded in CDM? Yes-CTE classes that are work-based or internships-Performance-based classes-Classes not offered at the school-AP-IB

Frequently Asked Questions

What score does the student need to have on the exam?

- EOCMath I > 264Biology > 261English II > 165

- CTE - 93- Final Exam - 94

◦No. Retesting is not permitted. Students attempting CDM receive one opportunity per course to achieve the minimum standards to earn CDM.

What if a student wants to retest? Is that allowable?

◦Pass. The school shall not grant a numeric or letter grade for the course and shall not include the grade in the student’s GPA. The course will receive standard weight only.

What type of credit does a student receive with CDM?

◦No. Students may earn credit using CDM for as many courses as they wish and districts may not impose local limitations.

Is there a limit to the number of courses for which a student may earn credit using the CDM policy?

◦No. CDM is only available for standard-level courses

May students earn CDM credit for honors level courses?

◦No. This policy currently only applies to students who wish to accelerate without enrolling in a course

Can students enrolled in a course decide to earn CDM partway through the course?

Application due before February 1 of each year for spring testing and scheduling for the next school year

Testing completed the last two weeks of February

Notification of scores mid-March Phase II performance artifact process mid-

March to April

Timelines (Fall Classes)

Application due before June 12 of each year for summer testing and scheduling for the next school year

Testing completed the last two weeks of July Notification of scores last week of July Phase II performance artifact process

August

Timelines (Fall Classes)

Application due before September 1 of each year for fall testing and scheduling for the spring semester

Testing completed the last two weeks of September

Notification of scores first week of October Phase II performance artifact process

October

Timelines (Spring Classes)

Questions?