Texas Success Initiative - What you need to know.

Students attending Texas public institutions of higher education must be in compliance with the Texas Success Initiative (TSI), as of fall 2003 (Texas Education Code §51.3062) in order to enroll in public institutions of higher education.

The law requires all entering college students to be assessed for college readiness in reading, mathematics and writing unless the student qualifies for an exemption.

Each student who fails to meet the minimum passing standard of the exam offered by the institution must be placed in a developmental education program designed to help the student achieve college readiness.

Texas Success Initiative Exemptions
A student may be exempt from meeting Texas Success Initiative standards by meeting one of the following standards:

• ACT Composite score of 23 or higher with at least a 19 on both English and math sections
• SAT Combined verbaland math score of 1070 with a minimum of 500 on both the verbal test and math test
• TAKS Minimum score of 2200 on both the English and/or math sections with at least a 3 on the writing component of the 11thgrade TAKS (for a period of 3 years from the date of testing)

For a complete list of TSI exemptions, see Texas Education Code, §51.3062(r) and Coordinating Board rules, §4.54 .

Effective AY 2013-2014, those students who are not exempt will begin taking one TSI, the Texas Success Initiative Test.

COMPASS, THEA and ACCUPLACER will no longer be utilized. The new TSI requirements are to be implemented on the institution's first day AY 2013-2014.  

Check out the College Board Southwest Forum' Power Point to learn more about the changes.