Texas
Success Initiative
Frequently
Asked Questions
General
Questions:
What
is the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA)?
The
TASP test has been renamed the Texas Higher Education
Assessment (THEA). The THEA is one of the tests that can
be administered to students to determine if they are college
ready.
What
tests can we use for the Success Initiative?
You
can use the same tests that you used for TASP purposes:
The ASSET, the ACCUPLACER, the COMPASS and the THEA (formerly
known as the TASP Test). The MAPS was used for TASP purposes,
but it is not on the list of tests for the Success Initiative
because it is no longer being printed and distributed
by the test publisher. The Stanford Achieved Tests, used
under the TASP law for students who are hearing impaired,
is no longer available under the TSI.
Which
of the tests in the list above is the "official"
test?
There
is no one official test. Any or all of the tests listed
above may be used for the initial test and for any state
or institutionally required retest.
Will
the price of the test change and who is supposed to pay
for the test?
The
price of the test is determined by the respective test
companies. We have no indication that the prices of the
tests will change at this time. Students pay the testing
fee.
Questions
for High School Students, Parents and Counselors:
What
does this mean for dual credit students? Under TASP, students
could take dual credit courses if they were exempt from
testing for if they had passed a test taken for TASP purposes.
How has this changed?
High
school students who want to enroll in dual credit courses
must be assessed for college ready skills since they will
be earning college credit. Until fall 2004, high school
students who pass the related section(s) (English/Language
Arts and/or Math) of the Exit-level TAKS will not have
to take a test for the Texas Success Initiative,* High
school students who do not pass the Exit-level TAKS may
still take one of the tests used for the Success Initiative
and may enroll in dual credit courses related to the section(s)
of the test they pass.
*The
Exit-level TAKS test will have college readiness standards
beginning with the 2004-2005 school year. High school
students who score at or above the standard will not have
to take a test for Success Initiative purposes since their
TAKS scores indicate that they are ready for college-level
work. (This is only applicable to students enrolled in
dual credit courses).
Questions
for College Students:
Do
I have to take developmental classes in college if I don't
pass the test?
Yes,
you may have to take a developmental class. Talk to an
advisor to determine what options are available to you
and what you can do to show you are ready for college-level
courses. This process will help you be sure you are taking
classes that you are ready for.
What
if I transfer to another college? Will I have to test
again.
No,
once you have taken a test for Texas Success Initiative
purposes and have been declared college ready, you don't
have to test again if you transfer to another college.
Will
I have to take more developmental education courses if
I transfer to another college?
Once
your college declares you are ready for college-level
work, you won't be put in developmental education classes
at another college if you transfer. They may have some
prerequisite courses, but those prerequisites will apply
to all students at that college.
Is
the Texas Success Initiative the same as the Texas Academic
Skills Program (TASP)?
No,
the TASP law has been repealed and replaced by a new program,
the Texas Success Initiative (TSI). The TSI requires students
to be assessed in reading, writing and math skills prior
to enrolling college, and to be advised based on the results
of that assessment, but now each institution determines
what to do
with students who don't pass one or more parts of the
test. Institutions have the flexibility to determine the
best path for individual students to take to become college
ready and to demonstrate that they are indeed ready for
college-level courses.
Questions
for Administrators:
Who
needs to retest?
The
law requires that individuals who score below a deviation
standard set by the Coordinating Board must
retest. The Coordinating Board has set the deviation standard
and those standards can be found in the Texas Success
Initiative rules (www.thecb.state.tx.us).
Students
who score above the deviation standard but below the passing
standard on their initial test do not have to retest by
law, but institutions may require students
to do so as part of their developmental education plan.
Students
may retest using the test they took initially or any other
Board-approved test.
What
happens to students who still don't score above the deviation
score on the retest?
The
law does not provide guidance, so institutions will make
that determination. The institution decides if the student
needs more developmental education, tutoring, or supplemental
instruction to increase his or her basic skills.
There
should be some discussion of the possible options for
students facing this situation in the institutions's developmental
education plan.
When
do we retest students? The law says that students may
retest at any time. Does this really mean a student can
take a retest anytime, even the next day?
Allowing
students to retest anytime does not mean that institutions
must give the test on demand. Institutions can set testing
schedules and give the tests at their convenience and
not at the demand of the student. The intent here is to
let students retest if there is a good reason to do so,
but not to have test centers open around the clock seven
days a week giving the test to whoever wants it. Institutions
control when tests are administered.
Can
institutions still require students to make a higher score
than the state's minimum as a prerequisite to certain
courses?
Yes,
institutions have always had the prerogative to require
higher standards if they choose to do so. For instance,
the suggested math score on the THEA that would indicate
readiness for college algebra is 270. Institutions can
still use that suggested higher score to determine which
students they will admit to college algebra courses.
Who
is college-ready via transfer?
The
law and rules allow Texas public institutions to declare
a student college ready. When they make that determination
it will be recorded on the student's official transcript.
Once this happens, the student cannot be required to be
retested or placed in developmental education (for TSI
purposes) if they transfer to another Texas public institution
The
law and rules also permit a student transferring to a
Texas public instituition from a private or out-of-state
institution to be declared college-ready by the receiving
institution. The receiving institution needs to review
the incoming students
transcript from the private or out-of-state institution
and determine if the student has successfully completed
college-level work. That determination is made solely
by the receiving Texas public institution.
To
summarize, students at Texas public institutions will
need to have an indication of college-readiness shown
on their transcript. Texas public institutions will determine
the college-ready status of students who transfer to them
from a private or out-of-state institution by reviewing
their transcript.
Are
only those students with college credit from Texas based
"private" colleges and/or out of state colleges
exempt? What about students that attended public colleges
or universities in Texas?
Students
who transfer to an institution from a private or independent
institution of higher education or any accredited out-of-state
institution of higher education and who have satisfactorily
completed college-level coursework as determined by the
receiving institution are exempt from the requirements
of the Success Initiative.
Students
who transfer from a public community college or university
should have already been assessed using an approved assessment
instrument such as THEA, ACCUPLACER, ASSET, or COMPASS.
If the transferring student has not satisfied the requirements
of the Success Initiative, they must be assessed and a
written individualized plan must be developed for them.
If they have had a plan developed by the public college
or university that was not completed, it is up to the
receiving institution to evaluate the plan and determine
what would be needed by the student in order to satisfy
the Success Initiative requirements.
How
does the Texas Success Initiative apply to health science
centers?
The
Texas Success Initiative law applies to all public institutions
of higher education in Texas and the term "institution
of higher education" means any public technical institute,
public junior college, public senior college or university,
medical or dental unite, public state college, or other
agency of higher education in Texas. Heal Science Centers
that admit undergraduate lower division student will need
to comply with the Texas Success Initiative. They will
have to assess entering students and determine when they
are ready for college-level coursework. If these students
transfer from a Texas public institution or a private
or out-of-state institution, the Health Science Center
can use the options in the answer to the question above
to determine if the student has met the Success Initiative
goal of college readiness. Health Science Centers with
rigorous admission requirements will be able to determine
if their candidates have shown college-readiness skills.
What
tests are approved for various populations?
There
are no separate or special tests for special populations
or students with disabilities of any kind. All students
who must be tested for college-readiness skills will take
one of these tests: the THEA, ACCUPL.ACER, COMPASS, or
ASSET. If an individual needs special accommodations due
to a disability, they must show documentation supporting
the request to the institution or test company administering
the test. Accommodations will be provided by the institution
or the test company.
Are
there any exemptions from testing?
Students
are exempt from taking a test for the Texas Success Initiative
if a qualifying score has been made on the TAKS, the SAT,
or the ACT. There are other exemptions /exceptions that
may apply, so check with an advisor or see Board rules
at www.thecb.state.tx.us.
Do
we really have to assess students prior to enrollment?
Many of our inquiries come from people who are interested
but not yet committed to enrolling.
It
was never intended that students who had not committed
to your school would have to be assessed unless they requested
it. Once a student signs an enrollment agreement they
can be scheduled for testing. The purpose of testing before
classes begin is to allow the college and the student
to determine which classes are best suited for the student.
For students who cannot be tested before classes start,
the college can test them in their first semester of enrollment.
Could
an institution set its own cut scores and use specific
sections of one of the approved assessment instruments
as an entrance/placement test, then add the remaining
sections of the same instrument to fulfill the TSI requirement?
Yes.
Many college use one or two sections of an assessment
as part of an admission requirement. If the student meets
the entrance requirements and is accepted, the institution
can give the student the section(s) he or she didn't take
and have a complete test for TSI purposes.
We
have several students who completed all course requirements
but were not awarded a diploma because they did not fulfill
their TASP obligation (either by passing all sections
of an assessment or earning a grade of "B" or
higher in a related college-level course). Is their any
help for these students under the Success Initiative?
Yes,
Students who have completed coursework but have not received
their diploma may return to their institution, and with
the institution's approval, enroll in a course (based
on the institutions advice) and when they successfully
complete that course, may be awarded a diploma under the
Success Initiative.
