The following guidelines are to be followed in instances where students wish to obtain credit by taking a District or Utah State Board of Education demonstrated competency assessment.
Eligibility
Any student in grades 9 through 12 may request to take a demonstrated competency assessment.
A student may take a demonstrated competency assessment for credit only as a means of accelerating his/her learning for reasons such as:
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- graduating early or enrolling in an Advanced Placement course
- demonstrating that knowledge has been received outside of the school setting which is commensurate with the learning received in the classroom.
Demonstrated competency assessments cannot be given to a student for reasons such as:
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- earning credit for classes enrolled in but not completed
- earning credit for classes enrolled in, but failed.
Before taking a demonstrated competency assessment, the students should check with their school counselor to verify that the assessment is for a graduation requirement which they need.
Administration of Demonstrated Competency Assessments
Students who would like to earn credits by successfully passing a Utah State Board of Education demonstrated competency assessments may do so at the Granite Regional Testing Center. Students must have a referral from their school counselor before they are eligible to take an exam. Referrals consist of a “Demonstrated Competency Assessment (DCA) Student Application which must be signed by the student’s school counselor and a school administrator. For information about available demonstrated competency assessments and the application visit http://www.graniteschools.org/curriculuminstruction/testing-center/ Students are responsible for contacting the Granite Regional Testing Center for information regarding specific exams, as well as for information regarding testing requirements and procedures required by the center. Students are also responsible for scheduling their own appointments for taking a demonstrated competency assessment. A minimum of 30 days are required for assessing, scoring and reporting the results of an assessment.
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- Each demonstrated competency assessment consists of two parts. Students must pass the first part of the assessment before they will be permitted to take the second part. It is recommended that students plan on a separate testing session for each part of the demonstrated competency assessment.
- Each demonstrated competency assessment may only be taken once per school year. If a student takes the first part of the demonstrated competency assessment for a subject and does not pass it, they will not be allowed to take another assessment for that subject until the next school year.
The Fitness for Life test is coordinated and administered by Jordan District high school Physical Education departments.
Digital Studies/IC3 (Internet and Computing Core Certification)
Students who would like to pass a demonstrated competency test to fulfill the Digital Studies graduation requirement have the following options:
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- Granite Testing Center offers a demonstrated competency exam for high school students at no cost. The link to their website is: http://www.graniteschools.org/curriculuminstruction/testing-center/.
- There is also a Testing Guidelines Booklet and a Testing Application which the student's parent/guardian, school counselor and a school administrator need to sign.
- Entrada Adult High School, which is located in Canyons School District, is an approved Certiport Testing Center for the IC3 exam. Students who are not enrolled in a Canyons District school can make special arrangements to take the exam. For more information about the exam, exam fees and how to register for the exam, call 801-826-6656.
- The Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) ATC, which is located on the Miller Campus at 9750 South 300 West, Sandy, Utah, is another approved Certiport Testing Center which offers the IC3 exam to high school students. For more information about the exam, exam fees, and how to register for the exam, call 801-957-5221.
Fees
The Jordan District Board of Education approved a $35 fee for the Fitness for Life demonstrated competency assessment, which is to be paid at the local high school which administers the test. District competency test fees can be waived by request as part of the regular District fee waiver policy.
The Granite Regional Testing Center does not charge a fee for any demonstrated competency assessments which they administer.
Fees for the Digital Studies/ IC3 demonstrated competency assessment are approximately $100. The actual fee is determined by the entity administering the exam. Students will need to contact the testing center for the most up to date fee schedule.
The fee for the SLCC CSIS 1020 Challenge Exam is $50 plus the admission fee, so the total cost for this demonstrated competency option is approximately $100 as well.
Credit
A student who successfully passes the Jordan District Fitness for Life demonstrated competency assessment will earn .50 credit.
For more detailed information about earning credit through demonstrated competency assessments, see: https://www.schools.utah.gov/curr/graduationrequirements?mid=1014&tid=3.
Students may also contact the Granite Regional Testing Center at 385-646-6042 or visit their website http://www.graniteschools.org/curriculuminstruction/testing-center/.
Grading
Students will receive a “P” grade for passing a demonstrating competency assessment.
When the demonstrated competency assessment is taken from an accredited source outside of Jordan School District, the student and/or parent are responsible for the official transfer of documentation for the listing of those courses on the school transcript.
School counselors will verify that demonstrated competency assessment credit is applied to the correct high school graduation requirement.