What Is the TSI Assessment? The Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 (TSIA2), the revised version of the TSIA1, is part of the Texas Success Initiative program designed to help a college or university determine if a student in Texas ready for college-level course work in the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics.
All incoming college students in Texas are required to take the TSI Assessment - unless they are already exempt (read below) - to determine their readiness for college-level work.
The TSIA2 exam covers two multiple-choice sections: Mathematics and English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) and the essay.
There are no prerequisites for enrollment in the entry-level college courses. In certain cases exemptions are subject-specific, which means students may qualify for an exemption in one area such as reading but not in another area like mathematics or writing. Y
Students may be exempt if they meet one or more of the following:
Texas Success Initiative Exemptions - Scored a 23 or higher on the ACT composite and a minimum of 19 on both the English and math tests; - SAT administered prior to March 2016: Earned a combined (verbal critical reading + math) SAT score of 1070, with a minimum score of 500 on both sections; - SAT administered March 2016 and later: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) minimum score of 480, Mathematics minimum score of 530 (no combined score needed); - TAKS scale score of at least 2200 on the math section and/or 2200 on the English Language Arts section with a writing subsection score of at least 3; - Veterans, active duty personnel, and a student who is serving as and, for at least 3 years preceding enrollment, has served as a member of a reserve component of the U.S. armed services; - Transfer from another institution having satisfactorily completed college-level coursework; or - Enroll in a certificate program of one year or less (Level One certificates) at a public institution.
What are the college ready scores for the TSI Assessment? THECB recently approved an amendment to TSI rules to remove all language related to "phase-in" scores of the TSI Assessment (TSIA) college readiness benchmarks:
Reading - 351 Mathematics - 350
Writing - (A) a placement score of at least 340, and an essay score of at least 4; OR (B) a placement score of less than 340 and an ABE Diagnostic level of at least 4 and an essay score of at least 5.
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