The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Board Rule R277-705-3C requires school districts to provide students with the opportunity to earn original credit by demonstrating competency. Students can demonstrate competency by passing a state approved Demonstrated Competency Assessment (DCA) or Performance Appraisal Measures (dependent on the subject matter).

• Students who wish to take a DCA must be enrolled in an SLCSD high school.
• Students may not have attended any portion of the course for which they are attempting a DCA.
• Demonstrated competency assessments cannot be given to a student for earning credit for classes enrolled in but not completed or earning credit for classes enrolled in but failed.
• The premise of a competency exam is that a student already possesses the knowledge and skills required, therefore, no study guides or practice assessments are provided in preparation for the assessment.
• The competency exam can be taken only one time per year (July 1 to May 1) per subject tested. The DCAs and Performance Appraisals window is closed for the academic year on May 1 to allow time for record keeping processes.
• Students may attempt DCA beginning July1 of the summer after the completion of grade 8.
• Test fee of $25 applies to World Languages exam only, all others are free.
• A pass (P) will be issued to indicate if credit was earned. Traditional letter grades are not awarded. 
• An online application must be submitted and the DCA must be scheduled in advance.
• Under guidance of a school counselor, the DCA can accelerate a student's education.
• Students must bring a valid current photo I.D. when they come to test.

DCA Format, structure and logistics:

• Each demonstrated competency assessment consists of a minimum of two parts.  Students must pass the first part of the assessment (with an 80%) before they will be permitted to take the second part.
• Students should plan on a separate testing session for each part of the demonstrated competency assessment. Each part will take up to two hours.
• Each part of the assessment must be finished in one sitting.
• 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. 
• DCAs will be given at the Salt Lake School District Office (465 South 400 East, Suite 300) on Mondays 1:00pm-5:00pm. All DCAs must be scheduled in advance. No assessments will be given without an appointment. An appointment may be made by emailing katie.ieremia@slcschools.org at least one week in advance.
• Students must bring a valid current photo I.D. when they come to test.

Academic Honesty:

We expect students to demonstrate high standards of academic integrity. Academic integrity is defined as respect for the others’ ideas and work through proper acknowledgment and referencing. No cheating of any type on schoolwork, tests or quizzes will be tolerated. Academic dishonesty/cheating may include any of the following and may be applied to work in any medium: Inappropriate/inadequate acknowledgment, verbatim copying, artificial intelligence language (AIL), collusion, stealing, and/or ghost writing.

Results:

A notification letter with the test results will be sent to the email(s) provided by the student, parent(s) or guardian(s), and school counselor. A minimum of 30 days are required for assessing, scoring and reporting the results of an assessment.

Registration Process:

Once you have met with your school counselor to determine if the DCAs are an appropriate option for you, you may register using this form. After you complete and submit the form, email katie.ieremia@slcschools.org to set up your appointment. Testing is available Mondays 1:00pm-5:00pm at the Salt Lake School District Office (465 South 400 East, Suite 300).

The following courses are currently available for Performance Appraisal Measures:

• Lifetime Activities
• World Languages
• Fine Arts

The forms to the Performance Appraisal Measures may be found by clicking in the desired topic above. 

Currently, there are more DCAs under development. Information will be posted here when they are available.

It is anticipated that DCAs will soon be available in the following courses:

• ELA 9, 10, 11, 12
• Secondary Math 1, 2, 3
• Participation Skills and Techniques
• Health II
• US Government and Citizenship
• World Civilizations
• Biology
• Earth Systems
• World Languages

BE ADVISED:

·       Credit earned through the Demonstrated Competency Assessment program will be accepted by all public and charter schools within the State of Utah, as supported by state law. Be aware that completing courses this way may limit availability of the number of courses to meet graduation requirements.

·       Students enrolled at private schools or in home-school programs who want to enroll in and graduate from a SLCSD high school should meet with a school district counselor before attempting a DCA.

·       The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) does NOT recognize courses completed through credit-by-exam. Credit earned by taking a Demonstrated Competency Assessment will NOT be accepted to meet NCAA eligibility.

·       Students pursuing the scholarships are responsible to contact the scholarship office to determine if DCAs will meet the scholarship qualifications.

·       Private colleges and universities may or may not accept courses completed through credit-by-exam or performance appraisal. It is the student's responsibility to contact the individual school to determine their policy.