TDCJ TSI Assessments
TEXAS SUCCESS INITIATIVE (TSI)
The Texas Success Initiative (TSI) is mandated by Texas law and went into effect in September of 2003. The purpose of TSI is to ensure that all students enrolling in public higher education in Texas possess the academic skills needed to perform effectively in college-level coursework. TSI includes a testing component designed to identify and provide diagnostic information about the reading, writing and mathematics skills of each student. On January 11, 2021, the new version of the exam went into effect and is now known as the TSIA2. The new TSIA 2.0 includes an integrated reading and writing section (ELAR). Students who have not reached the college ready score for enrollment prior to the effective date must take the new TSIA 2.0. Students who are retesting in the Reading and/or Writing sections cannot combine TSIA and TSIA2 test results.
Students who do not receive the minimum required score on an approved TSI assessment are required to enroll in co-requisite courses or participate in other activities designed to assist the students in overcoming the academic deficiencies identified by that assessment.
The state approved assessment instrument is the TSI Assessment. TSI scores are valid for five years.
ASSESSMENT AND PLACEMENT OF STUDENTS
Prior to registering for coursework, students must submit official test scores on an approved Texas Success Initiative (TSI) test unless the student meets one of the TSI exemptions. Students who do not receive the minimum required test scores will be required to enroll in corequisite courses and remain in those courses until passing test scores in each area (reading, writing and math) are received or until passing the corequisite courses.
Students who complete the TSI assessment and meet the minimum benchmarks in effect on the date of testing will be designated as TSI complete in that area. These scores will remain valid for course placement for a period of five years from the date of testing.
EXEMPTIONS
Any student who has been determined to be exempt in mathematics, reading, and/or writing shall not be required to enroll in developmental coursework and/or interventions in the corresponding area of exemption. The following students shall be exempt from the requirements of Administrative Code Title 19, including the TSI, whereby exempt students shall not be required to provide additional demonstration of college readiness and shall be allowed to enroll in any entry-level freshman course as defined in 19 Administrative Code 4.53(12):
- For a period of five years from the date of testing, a student who is tested and performs at or above the following standards that cannot be raised by institutions:
- ACT:
- ACT administered prior to February 15, 2023: Composite score of 23 with a minimum score of 19 on the English test shall be exempt for both the reading and writing sections of the TSI assessment, and/or 19 on the mathematics test shall be exempt for the mathematics section of the TSI assessment; or
- ACT administered on or after February 15, 2023: a combined score of 40 on the English and Reading (E+R) tests shall be exempt for both reading and writing or ELAR sections of the TSI Assessment. A score of 22 on the mathematics test shall be exempt for the mathematics section of the TSI Assessment. There is no composite score.
- SAT:
- SAT administered on or after March 5, 2016*: Minimum score of 480 on the Evidenced-Based and Writing (EBRW) test shall be exempt for both reading and writing sections of the TSI assessment; a minimum score of 530 on the mathematics test shall be exempt for the mathematics section of the TSI assessment. There is no combined score to exempt students from all 3 sections of the TSI.
- SAT administered prior to March 2016*: Combined critical reading (formerly “verbal”) and mathematics score of 1070 with a minimum score of 500 on both critical reading and mathematics is required for both reading and writing sections of the TSI assessment; a combined critical reading (formerly “verbal”) and mathematics score of 1070 with a minimum of 500 on the mathematics test shall be exempt for the mathematics section of the TSI assessment.
- Mixing or combining scores from the SAT administration prior to March, 2016 and the SAT administered on or after March, 2016 is not allowable. For a period of five years from the date of testing, a student who is tested and performs at or above the following standards (on state assessments) that cannot be raised by institutions:
- On the eleventh grade exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) with a minimum scale score of 2200 on the mathematics section and/or a minimum scale score of 2200 on the English language arts section with a writing subsection score of at least 3, shall be exempt from the TSI assessment required under Title 19 for those corresponding sections; or
- STAAR end-of-course (EOC) with a minimum Level 2 score of 4000 on the English III shall be exempt from the TSI assessment required under this title for both reading and writing, and a minimum Level 2 score of 4000 on the Algebra II EOC shall be exempt from the TSI assessment required under this title for the mathematics section.
- ACT:
- A student who has graduated with an associate or baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher education.
- A student who transfers to an institution from a private or independent institution of higher education or an accredited out-of-state institution of higher education and who has satisfactorily completed college-level coursework as determined by the receiving institution.
- A student who has previously attended any institution and has been determined to have met readiness standards by that institution. For students meeting non-Algebra intensive readiness standards in mathematics as defined in 19 Administrative Code 4.59 (relating to determination of readiness to perform entry-level freshman coursework), institutions may choose to require additional preparatory coursework/interventions for Algebra intensive courses, including MATH-1314 College Algebra/MATH-1324 Mathematics for Business & Social Sciences.
- A student who is enrolled in a certificate program of one year of less (Level One certificates, 42 or fewer semester credit hours or the equivalent).
- A student who successfully completes a college preparatory course under Education Code 28.014 is exempt for a period of 24 months from the date of high school graduation with respect to the content areas of the course. The student must enroll in the first college-level course in the exempted content area in the student’s first year of enrollment with TVCC. This exemption applies only to students who completed the college preparatory course with an ISD that partnered with TVCC to provide the course. Students with a TSI exemption for a college preparatory course who earn less than a C in the students’ first college-level course in the exempted content area will be required to demonstrate college readiness by enrolling in a co requisite model developmental pathway.
- A student who is serving on active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States, the Texas National Guard, or for at least the three-year period preceding enrollment, as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States; or
- A student who on or after August 1, 1990, was honorably discharged, retired, or released from active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States or the Texas National Gu//ard or serves as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States.
- GED--Only on tests taken after 8/23/2016 : minimum score of 165 on the Mathematical Reasoning subject test shall be exempt for the mathematics section of the TSI Assessment. A minimum score of 165 on the Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA) subject test shall be exempt for the English Language Arts Reading (ELAR) section of the TSI Assessment.
- HiSET--Only on tests taken after 8/23/2016: minimum score of 15 on the Mathematics subtest shall be exempt for the mathematics section of the TSI Assessment. A minimum score of 15 on the Reading subtest and a minimum score of 15 of the Writing subtest, including a minimum score of 4 on the essay will be exempt from the ELAR section of the TSI Assessment.
PARTIAL EXEMPTIONS
Students who meet one of the following testing criteria can be partially exempt from the TSI requirements using the following qualifying standards on the ACT, SAT, TAKS, or STAAR EOC tests with scores that are no more than five years old from the date of testing:
- ACT Reading & Writing administered prior to March 2023: Composite score of 23 with a minimum score of 19 on the English test shall be exempt for both the reading and writing sections of the TSI assessment, and/or 19 on the mathematics test shall be exempt for the mathematics section of the TSI assessment; or
- ACT Reading & Writing administered on or after March 2023: A minimum score of 19 on the English test shall be exempt for both the ELAR (reading and writing sections) of the TSI assessment, and/or 19 on the mathematics test shall be exempt for the mathematics section of the TSI assessment.
- ACT Math administered prior to March 2023: Composite score of 23 or higher with a score of 19 or higher on the math subtest. Student must take the reading and writing sections of a test approved for TSI purposes.
- ACT Math administered on or after March 2023: A score of 19 or higher on the math subtest. Student must take the reading and writing sections of a test approved for TSI purposes.
- SAT Reading & Writing administered prior to March 20161: Composite score of 1070 or higher with a score of 500 or higher on the critical reading subtest. Student must take the math section of a test approved for TSI purposes.
- SAT Reading & Writing administered on or after March 5, 20161: Minimum score of 480 on the Evidenced-Based and Writing (EBRW) is required for exemption on both reading and writing sections
- SAT Math administered prior to March 20161: A composite score of 1070 or higher, with a score of 500 or higher on the math subtest. Student must take the reading and writing sections of a test approved for TSI purposes.
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SAT Math administered on or after March 5, 20161: minimum score of 530 on the mathematics test is required for exemption on the mathematics sections.
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STAAR End-of Course (EOC) Math: Minimum of Level 2 (4000) on Algebra II EOC for mathematics. Student must take the reading and writing sections of a test approved for TSI purposes.
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STAAR End-of Course (EOC) Reading and Writing: Minimum of Level 2 (4000) on the English III EOC. Student must take the math section of a test approved for TSI purposes.1 Combining scores from the SAT administered prior to March 2016 and the SAT administered on or after March 5, 2016 is not allowable.
1 Combining scores from the SAT administered prior to March 2016 and the SAT administered on or after March 5, 2016 is not allowable.
2 The composite score and the subtest scores of the SAT/ACT must be earned on the same test administration.
3 ACT and SAT partial exemptions are only valid for tests dated April 2004 or later.
For more information, visit THECB rules for TSI.
DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION COREQUISITE PROGRAM
Before registering for coursework, students pursuing an AAS, or a qualified Certificate must submit official test scores on the state-approved Texas Success Initiative (TSI) A2 test unless the student meets one of the TSI exemptions. Students who do not receive the minimum required test scores will be required to enroll in corequisite courses and remain in those courses until:
- passing TSIA2 scores in each area are received, or
- successfully completing the credit-bearing corequisite course.
Corequisite courses are designed to assist students in attaining mastery of basic skills needed for college success. These courses are required for students whose college readiness level (as identified by TSIA2 scores) demonstrates a need for skills development in reading, writing, and/or mathematics.
Corequisite courses are also an option for students who wish to review and develop basic educational skills, even though the courses may not be required based on TSIA2 scores. The non-credit-bearing corequisite courses carry no semester hour credit, do not transfer, do not calculate into a student’s academic GPA, and cannot be used for graduation purposes.
BLOCKED COURSES
Some academic courses are blocked from enrollment based on TSI requirements. In such instances, students must pass the appropriate section on an approved TSIA2 test or complete the required corequisite paired course sequence to become eligible to enroll in the courses that are blocked in their degree plan. Blocked courses in each TSI area (reading, writing, and math) are outlined below:
Students must be TSI complete in reading to enroll in the following courses:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ARTS-1301 | Art Appreciation | 3 |
| ARTS-1303 | Art History I (prehistoric to the 14th Century) | 3 |
| ARTS-1304 | Art History II (14th Century to Present) | 3 |
| BIOL-1406 | Biology for Science Majors I | 4 |
| BIOL-1407 | Biology for Science Majors II | 4 |
| BIOL-2401 | Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| BIOL-2402 | Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| BIOL-2404 | Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| BIOL-2420 | Microbiology for Non-Science Majors | 4 |
| CHEM-1405 | Introductory Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM-1407 | Introductory Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM-1411 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM-1412 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM-2423 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| DRAM-1310 | Theater Appreciation | 3 |
| DRAM-2366 | Film Appreciation | 3 |
| ECON-2301 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON-2302 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| MUSI-1306 | Music Appreciation | 3 |
| MUSI-1307 | Music Literature | 3 |
| SPCH-1321 | Business and Professional Communication | 3 |
| PHYS-1415 | Physical Science I | 4 |
| PHYS-1417 | Physical Science II | 4 |
Students must be TSI complete in reading and writing to enroll in the following courses:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL-1302 | Composition II | 3 |
| ENGL-2322 | British Literature I | 3 |
| ENGL-2323 | British Literature II | 3 |
| ENGL-2327 | American Literature I | 3 |
| ENGL-2328 | American Literature II | 3 |
| ENGL-2332 | World Literature I | 3 |
| ENGL-2333 | World Literature II | 3 |
Students must be TSI Algebraic complete in math to enroll in the following courses:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT-2401 | Principles of Financial Accounting | 4 |
| ACCT-2402 | Principles of Managerial Accounting | 4 |
| BIOL-1406 | Biology for Science Majors I | 4 |
| BIOL-1407 | Biology for Science Majors II | 4 |
| CHEM-1407 | Introductory Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM-1411 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM-1412 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM-2423 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| MATH-1324 | Mathematics for Business & Social Sciences | 3 |
| MATH-1325 | Calculus for Business and Social Sciences | 3 |
| MATH-1350 | Mathematics for Teachers I (Fundamentals of Mathematics I) | 3 |
| MATH-1351 | Mathematics for Teachers II (Fundamentals of Mathematics II) | 3 |
| MATH-2320 | Differential Equations | 3 |
| MATH-2312 | Pre-Calculus Math | 3 |
| MATH-2413 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH-2414 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH-2415 | Calculus III | 4 |
| MATH-2318 | Linear Algebra | 3 |
| PHYS-1401 | College Physics I | 4 |
| PHYS-1402 | College Physics II | 4 |
| PHYS-2425 | University Physics I | 4 |
| PHYS-2426 | University Physics II | 4 |
MATH
Students must be TSI non-algebraic complete in math to enroll in the following courses:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM-1405 | Introductory Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM-1407 | Introductory Chemistry II | 4 |