1. (a) A student must take the exit-level assessment instruments required by Texas Education Code (TEC), §39.025(a), before entering the program or within the first year in which the student is enrolled in the program.
2. (b) A student participating in a High School Equivalency Program (HSEP) after January 1, 2002, must take the exit-level assessment instruments before taking the high school equivalency examination.
3. (c) Beginning with the 2002-2003 school year, a student may take the assessment instruments required for Grade 10 students under the TEC, §39.023(a), instead of the exit-level assessment if the HSEP receives prior written approval from the commissioner.
4. (d) The school district or open-enrollment charter school operating an approved HSEP must present to the General Educational Development (GED) testing center, on a form provided by the agency, proof that a student has been administered the assessment instruments required by TEC, §39.025(a) and §39.023(a). GED testing centers will not allow an HSEP student to take the high school equivalency examination without proof from the approved HSEP that the student has been administered the required assessment instruments. A student who is enrolled in an HSEP as described in this section and withdraws from the HSEP before taking the exit-level assessment cannot take the GED until after the individual's 18th birthday.
5. (e) The school district or open-enrollment charter school operating an approved HSEP must inform each student who has completed the program of the time and place at which the student may take the high school equivalency examination as authorized by TEC, §7.111. A student must be over 17 years of age or meet other requirements specified in TEC, §7.111, to take the high school equivalency examination.

Source Note:The provisions of this §89.1409 adopted to be effective November 27, 2001, 26 TexReg 9620.