Test Out

• Novi Community School District will grant equivalent credit for a required Michigan Merit Curriculum course if the student earns a qualifying score on a District-approved assessment, defined as a C+ or better. This is often referred to as “testing out”. The following procedures have been established regarding the test out process for credit.
• A student who earns credit in a course by “testing out” will not earn a grade in the course, and the credit will not be considered for determining grade point average or any honors earned based on grade point average.
• This assessment may be in any form the district deems necessary to determine if the student has met the necessary learning standards. These include any combination of multiple choice, short answer, essay, portfolio, performance demonstration, project, or other assessment types. Scoring is determined by the specific criteria of this District-approved, standards-based assessment.
• Families should use the information on this page to plan ahead as the district is not obligated to provide testing out on demand. 
• Testing out is intended only as an opportunity for students to receive credit for understanding they already have so they do not need to take related coursework. The District does not provide lessons, textbooks, study guides, or any other materials to use for study. Students have access to the relevant standards and Michigan Merit Curriculum High School Graduation Requirements.
• A student may only attempt to test out of a course once. Should the student not pass the test out, they will have to take the course in the traditional manner in order to receive credit.
• Students may not attempt to test out of a class in which they are currently enrolled. Testing out of a course does not guarantee the student enrollment in the next sequential course during the current or subsequent semester.
• NCSD’s test out program requires many hours of effort by staff members at an additional cost to the district. These costs are not passed on to students. It is imperative that students who register but subsequently choose not to participate in an exam notify the Novi High School Counseling Department at 248.449.1516 prior to the exam. Your cooperation in this will save time and valuable school resources and is much appreciated. Students who register and do not attend the exam may not be eligible to participate in future test out opportunities.

• Registration must be completed through PowerSchool. Detailed instructions can be found below.
• Testing locations will be shared via email at least one week prior to the test date.
• Students must report to their testing location on time and present their student ID for admission to test out.
• Students will have up to 3 hours to complete tests for 1 credit courses; or up to 1.5 hours for .5 credit courses.
• Students may only bring with them materials allowed in the test descriptions outlined below.
• Students who have not registered will not be able to test. NCSD does not support “walk-in” testing.

• For your reference:
  • State of Michigan Academic Standards 
  • High School Course/Credit Content Expectations, are located below on this page.
• Test descriptions are detailed in the following section.
• Grading tests and notification of scores to parents and counselors will be handled by Novi High School. Every effort will be made to return scores as quickly as possible, but this time frame depends on the number of students testing out and complexity of the assessments being graded.
• The NCAA does not accept test out credit as credit for future college-bound student athletes.

High School Test Out Registration will be open on the PowerSchool Parent Portal from March 18-April 5, 2024. 

Link to Portal: Novi Community School District PowerSchool Portal

• Parents: Please be sure to log in using your parent portal credentials.
  • If you have misplaced your credentials, please contact your student's building with your name, phone number, email address, and child/children's names or send an email to parentportal@novik12.org.
• Once you have logged into the Parent Portal, scroll down and select "Forms" from the Navigation menu on the left side of the screen. (If you are using the app, select “More” from the bottom of the screen, then choose “Forms”)
• The Test Out Registration form will appear under the General Forms tab during the registration window.
• Upon completing your registration in PowerSchool, your screen will show a green check indicating you have successfully registered for the Test Out.

This process is most easily completed using a desktop or a laptop; however, it can also be done on the browser of your mobile device or on the app. Should you need more detailed instructions on how to complete this process, please visit the PowerSchool Portal website.

Students and Parents/Guardians will receive an email the week of April 15th confirming their registration and notifying them of their testing location. Students who are not registered will NOT be able to test on April 25th. Students who sign up, but do not show up may forfeit future test out opportunities.
 

Test Description:

The ELA 9 test out will be an annotation of two passages from Romeo and Juliet and an on-demand essay. Students should read the entire play to prepare and be able to identify and interpret the following elements: explicit meaning, implicit/explicit meaning, character motivation and universal theme/message. The on-demand essay should use evidence from Romeo and Juliet and an independent reading book to explore the connection between the two texts, particularly interpreting the way that both authors develop a universal theme. The essay should have four text-based examples that are accurately cited, embedded and analyzed. The essay should be minimally five to six paragraphs in length and will be graded on the Novi Writing Pathways Rubric.

Standards/Other Resources: CCSS ELA Standards for Grade 9-10

• Students should read Romeo and Juliet in preparation
• Students should read any other independent reading book

Test Description:

Students will write one literary analysis essay with annotations, one argumentative essay with annotations, and one annotated bibliography in a three hour time limit. To prepare for the literary analysis essay students should read both Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Students should prepare to identify and appraise the author’s use of craft including, but not limited to: sensory imagery, direct and indirect characterization, varied syntax, purposeful diction, figurative language, and foreshadowing. The second essay will be a prompted argumentative research essay accompanied by an objective annotated bibliography created in NoodleTools that demonstrates the student’s ability to identify credible, accurate, and relevant research from databases and multimedia sources, as well as the bias those sources may or may not present. 

Standards/Other Resources: CCSS ELA Standards for Grade 9-10

• Students should read both Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

Test Description:

Students will be required to write two, handwritten, on demand essays,  short answer responses, and a multiple choice assessment. The first essay will be an argumentative essay in which students must  present a convincing argument while focusing on effective use of author’s craft to persuade their reader in an entertaining and compelling way. The second essay will require that students have read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and viewed the 2013 version of the film, directed by Baz Luhrmann. This essay will be a literary analysis essay in which they will compare how Fitzgerald creates a scene using author’s craft and how Luhrmann adapts that scene to film by using specific film techniques. The essay must have textual evidence that is smoothly integrated into the essay with proper MLA citation and specific references to the film. Students must read Into the Wild by John Krakauer in advance and complete short answer responses. Students will also complete a multiple choice assessment on satire. 

Standards/Other Resources: CCSS ELA Standards for Grade 11-12

• Students must read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and view the 2013 version of the film, directed by Baz Luhrmann
• Students must read Into the Wild by John Krakauer in advance

Test Description:

Multiple choice and short answer exam; exam covers both semesters of Algebra 1 in one test; please bring a scientific calculator and #2 pencil.

Standards/Other Resources: Michigan K-12 Mathematics Standards (pg. 62-66)

Test Description:

Multiple choice and short answer exam; exam covers both semesters of Geometry in one test; please bring a scientific calculator and #2 pencil.

Standards/Other Resources: Michigan K-12 Mathematics Standards (pg. 74-78)

Test Description:

Multiple choice and short answer exam; exam covers both semesters of Algebra 2 in one test; please bring a graphing calculator and #2 pencil.

Standards/Other Resources: Michigan K-12 Mathematics Standards

Test Description:

Multiple choice and short answer exam; exam covers both semesters of Pre-Calculus in one test; please bring a scientific calculator and #2 pencil.

Standards/Other Resources: Michigan K-12 Mathematics Standards

Test Description:

The test will be a multiple choice exam. You may use a calculator. 

Standards/Other Resources: Michigan Science Standards (begin on pg. 27)

Test Description:

The test will be a multiple choice exam. You may use a calculator.

Standards/Other Resources: Michigan Science Standards (begin on pg. 27)

Test Description:

The test will be a multiple choice exam. You may use a calculator.

Standards/Other Resources: Michigan Science Standards (begin on pg. 27)

Test Description:

Students wishing to test out of United States History will complete the Michigan Department of Education course test (multiple choice) as well as complete an extended response essay.  The student must demonstrate proficiency with a C+ on the multiple choice exam and a proficient score on the essay.

Standards/Other Resources: MDE social studies standards (pg. 102)

Test Description:

Students wishing to test out of Civics will be required to pass a comprehensive exam that measures their understanding of course standards with a score of C+ or higher. This test contains a mixture of multiple choice and essay questions. 

Standards/Other Resources: MDE social studies standards (pg. 136)

Test Description:

Students wishing to test out of Economics will be required to pass a multiple choice test with a score of C+ or higher. The test consists of questions that cover general microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts. This test contains a mixture of multiple choice and application questions.

Standards/Other Resources: MDE social studies standards (pg. 136)

Test Description: 

Students wishing to test out of World History will be required to pass a comprehensive exam that measures their understanding of course standards with a score of C+ or higher. This test contains a mixture of multiple choice and essay questions.

Standards/Other Resources: MDE social studies standards (pg. 89)

Test Description:

The exam is composed of multiple choice, matching, true/false, short answer and essay questions.

Standards/Other Resources: MDE Health Standards

Students will take Stage 1 during Advisory the day of the Test Out. If they pass, they will return after school to complete Stage 2.

Stage 2 - Written portion of the exam involves multiple choice, short answer, and an essay. 

Standards/Other Resources: Students will be required to show that they have achieved the 5 standards for physical education established by the Michigan Department of Education: MDE PE Standards

French, German, Japanese and Spanish test out opportunities will be offered through the Avant STAMP 4S, an online, computer-adaptive test that measures language proficiency in Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking.

Students must review the Test Taker Guide and take a STAMP 4S Practice Test prior to the test date. Students must bring a charged device (i.e. chromebook) and headphones to the test session. Students must complete the Technology Check on the device they will use prior to test day. The test may last 3-4 hours depending on the individual student. This test will begin at 1:00pm and students will be excused from their Advisory course the day of the Test Out. They will continue the test after school the day of the Test Out.

Students receiving a score of Novice Mid will receive 1 credit in the testing language.
Students receiving a score of Novice High will receive 2 credits in the testing language.
Students receiving a score of Intermediate Low will receive 3 credits in the testing language.
Students receiving a score of Intermediate Mid will receive 4 credits in the testing language.

Students may choose to enroll in the next level of world language based on their score. They may not enroll in courses in a lower level after passing a test out (for example, if a student receives a score of Intermediate Low in Japanese, they may not enroll in Japanese 3 or below because they will have already received that credit).

Students scoring Intermediate Mid or above may request to enroll in the AP/IB SL2 level of the world language for the following school year.

Students wishing to pursue the Seal of Biliteracy must be in at least 9th grade and are recommended to test during their 11th grade year. A score of Intermediate High on the STAMP 4S (or other state approved test) is required to apply for the Seal of Biliteracy. For more information on the Seal of Biliteracy, please reference the Counseling Schoology Resources Group.