TSI Information (Texas Success Initiative)
COVID-19 came in with a crash this admissions season, causing testing delays, school closures, and uncertainty for many high school seniors. But there may be good news for Texas seniors who have not yet taken the TSIA for the 2020–2021 school year.
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recommends that institutions postpone fall enrollment decisions until May 1. They expect to have additional guidance for students, counselors, and higher ed institutions by then. In the meantime, they are exploring additional testing options for incoming freshmen.
Online testing options
Currently, THECB is reviewing online testing alternatives to help increase testing options for students during COVID-19. Institutions have been approved to use online testing services Examity and ProctorU to allow students to take the TSIA at home or in other appropriate areas with Wi-Fi. These online services will be launched on April 17, with full capacity expected by May 1.
Institutions can also administer the assessment with TSIA-trained and approved proctors through video services like Zoom, GoToMeeting, WebEx, BlueJeans, and Google Meet.
Students who are unable to test online may still be allowed to take classes
If students or institutions can’t use online testing, there are other options. THECB points to the “exceptional circumstances” rule in the Texas Administrative Code, which allows students to enroll in freshman-level classes without immediate testing. Students admitted without testing will be monitored by the institution. They may eventually be required to take assessments, if they become available in a timely manner, to continue classes.
In some cases, institutions may also enroll students in college-level courses as part of a corequisite model with additional monitoring.
Summer 2020 dual credit update
District contacts will want to verify exemptions for students hoping to enroll in summer 2020 dual credit courses. Students who earned exemptions are still exempt. Those who would otherwise need to take the TSIA have two options:
- Corequisite model enrollment
- Direct enrollment, with TSIA completion before the end of the summer term (Rule 4.55(a) allows dual credit students to enroll in freshman-level courses as long as they are assessed by the end of the term).
Recommendations
- Consider steering 9th- and 10th-grade dual credit students toward non-TSI liable courses. This will help reserve proctor capacity for students who need testing sooner. You can also check with your partnering institution of higher ed to find which course options only have a TSI requirement in one subject area. For example, most freshman-level English courses require TSI compliance in both reading and writing, while many freshman-level history courses require TSI compliance in reading only.
- Examity will launch 4/17, and Proctor U will be up 5/1 for remote proctoring.
- Be sure to check compliance for test administrators and video chat web services. Information can be found on the Resources tab of the TSIA portal.
TSIA2 launch date pushed back
Lastly, the expected launch date for the TSIA2 has been pushed back from August 31 to a tentative launch date of September 28. This is subject to change as COVID-19 developments continue.
Contact your college or university testing center for more information concerning taking the TSI exam for admission.