Competency Exam Details
Who can take a Competency Exam?
Any student in Grades 9-12 that has a Canyons School District boundary school on record can take a competency exam.
What is a Competency Exam?
A competency exam is also known as a proficiency-based exam or a test out. This exam is where a student demonstrates essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions of a specific course. A competency exam option is
available in most courses.
These exams can include multiple choice, constructed response, essay, and/or performance-based tasks. Students
are welcome to look through the course topics to get a general idea of concepts covered in each course.
A competency exam earns a P (pass) grade and .25 course credit.
Canyons School District has established graduation requirements that use competency-based
standards and assessments, and has allowed students to earn course credit by:
1. demonstrating competency in course standards, and
2. taking a competency exam in the course.
Where can you take a Competency Exam?
Make an appointment to take your competency exam at the CVA Testing Center located at 9800 South 800 East in Sandy. Our Testing Center is located inside Diamond Ridge High School. Use the marked doors on the East side of the school.
When can you take a Competency Exam?
Check out the appointment calendar to find an open day and time to take your competency exam. The competency exam
for a specific course can be taken only once during the academic school year (July 1 to June 30).
Why take a Competency Exam?
A student takes a competency exam for a variety of reasons. If you know the majority of the material in a class, then a competency exam might
- Save you time.
- Make room in your schedule for other classes.
- Help you graduate early.
How can you take a Competency Exam?
To request a course competency exam with Canyons Virtual Academy, students must have a record in a
boundary school of Canyons School District. Students must:
1. Submit a course registration request through the Canyons Virtual Academy Registration System.
Select the desired course and quarter from the registration options provided. Each exam
represents one quarter (.25) credit. Lifetime Fitness FastTrack is .50 credit.
2. In the “Credit Type” field, select “competency exam” (If competency exam option is not present,
the
course does not have a competency exam option.)
3. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain accurate information to determine if a passing grade (P) is the
best option. Students should contact their local high school counselor to discuss this option.
4. Parents and students are notified through email regarding the enrollment in a competency exam course.
5. All competency exams must be proctored at the DVA Testing Center. Students must have
an appointment
and the exam must be completed in one session.
6. Competency exams/assessments must be passed with at least 70% proficiency to receive credit and a
“Pass – P” grade for the course. Please allow two weeks for the passing (P) grade to post to the student’s transcript.
Additional Important Information
- Students may attempt a competency exam for a specific course no more than one time per academic year (July 1 to June 30).
- Credit earned by competency exam does not meet requirements for NCAA and many scholarships. Because requirements change frequently, we recommend students check with NCAA or scholarship sources for any updates to this rule.
- Canyons Virtual Academy courses that have a “competency exam” option are listed in our Canyons Virtual Academy Course Catalog.
- NOTE TO Out of District/SOEP students: CanyonVirtual Academy does not offer competency exams (Test Outs) to non-Canyons District students at this time.
