© 2020 College Board. 1
Texas Success
Initiative
Assessment 2.0
INTERPRETING YOUR SCORES
The Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 (TSIA2)
assesses your readiness for college-level coursework
in English language arts and reading and mathematics.
The results of the assessment, in conjunction with your
academic background, goals, and interests, are used by
academic advisers to place you in the appropriate courses
that match your achievement level. For high school students
seeking eligibility for dual credit courses, counselors will
use TSIA2 scores according to Texas Education Code,
Section 4.85. NOTE: Any references in this brochure to
developmental courses, interventions, and corequisite
models aren’t applicable to high school students seeking
to enroll in college-level coursework via dual credit.
TSIA2 Score Report
In most cases, TSIA2 provides a score report immediately
after testing. Use the score report to learn about your
academic strengths and areas for improvement. Your
adviser or counselor will use the report to make the best
recommendations for courses or interventions that meet
your needs.
Generally, score reports indicate scores on a combination of
the following tests:
§ TSIA2 English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR)
College Readiness Classification (CRC) Test
§ TSIA2 Essay Test
§ TSIA2 Mathematics College Readiness Classification
(CRC) Test
§ TSIA2 English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR)
Diagnostic Test
§ TSIA2 Mathematics Diagnostic Test
Scores on the College Readiness Classification (CRC) and
Essay Tests primarily determine whether you’re ready
to take college-level courses. If you’re college ready,
you may enroll in any related entry-level college course
without having to take developmental courses or receive
interventions.
You’re considered college ready if you receive at least the
following scores on the CRC and Essay Tests.
College Readiness Benchmarks
ELAR: A score in the range of 945–990 on the ELAR CRC
Test and a score of at least 5 on the Essay Test or an ELAR
CRC Test score below 945 and an ELAR Diagnostic Test
score of 5 or 6 and an Essay Test score of 5 or higher.
Mathematics: A score in the range of 950–990 on the
Mathematics CRC Test or a Mathematics CRC Test score
below 950 and a Mathematics Diagnostic Test score of 6.
WHAT IF I DON’T MEET THE COLLEGE READINESS
BENCHMARK?
If you’ve scored below one or more college readiness
benchmarks, you may be automatically routed to the
TSIA2 Diagnostic Test for ELAR and/or Mathematics. Your
score report will include a diagnostic profile based on your
performance. The diagnostic profile consists of descriptors
of your proficiency in each content category and your
diagnostic level based on your overall performance on the
Diagnostic Test.
There are three proficiency descriptors for each content
category: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced.
§ Basic indicates that your performance needs to
improve significantly in the content area.
§ Proficient indicates you have demonstrated skill in the
content area, but there’s room for improvement.
§ Advanced indicates that you have well-developed skills
in the content area.
Accompanying the descriptors are statements that provide
information about strengths and weaknesses in the
content category.
Information in the diagnostic profile is used to help place
you into appropriate courses and determine any necessary
interventions to improve your knowledge and skills
and prepare you for academic success in college. Your
institution may use additional factors to determine your
placement, such as your high school grade point average/
class ranking, other test scores, and courses from your
high school or college transcripts. The institution will also
consider your selected major or program.
TSIA2 LEARNING RESOURCES
If you’ve scored below one or more college readiness
benchmarks, your score report will include a Learning
Locator Code (LLC), which gives you free access to
TSIA2 Learning Resources. TSIA2 Learning Resources is
an online library with practice and instructional materials
that specifically address the content areas of TSIA2 tests.
Use your LLC for immediate access to a custom set of
materials in the library specific to your performance in
each content area. Materials may include printable or
interactive worksheets and tutorials and instructional
© 2020 College Board. 2
videos. Use these resources with the goal of improving
your overall performance. Access to the full library of
TSIA2 Learning Resources is also available without a LLC at
tsia2pearsonperspective.com. Select resources to address
skill gaps you may have.
CAN I RETAKE THE TEST?
If you’re not satisfied with your scores, you may retake
TSIA2 at any time. However, before you attempt to retest,
we strongly encourage you to set aside time for additional
study (see TSIA2 Learning Resources) as your scores are
unlikely to substantially improve otherwise. Speak with
your adviser, counselor, or faculty member about additional
resources. You can obtain information about retesting from
the testing center at your college or university.
Understanding Your ELAR Scores
The ELAR component of TSIA2 consists of up to three
tests: the multiple-choice College Readiness Classification
(CRC) Test, the multiple-choice Diagnostic Test, and the
Essay Test. Your performance determines the combination
of tests given.
MULTIPLE-CHOICE TESTS
There are 30 questions on the ELAR CRC Test and 48
questions on the ELAR Diagnostic Test. The questions on
both tests address two content categories.
Reading-focused questions measure your skills in
comprehension and analysis of literary texts, as well as
informational and argumentative texts, including paired
passages. On the ELAR Diagnostic Test, this content
category is called Text Analysis and Synthesis. It contains
questions about other kinds of texts, such as workplace
documents.
Writing-focused questions measure your skills in revision
and editing of sentences, paragraphs, and early drafts of
essays. On the ELAR Diagnostic Test, this content category
is called Content Revision and Editing for Conventions.
Like the Text Analysis and Synthesis content category,
it contains questions about other kinds of texts, such as
workplace documents.
ESSAY TEST
The Essay Test requires you to provide a 300- to 600-word
essay in response to one randomly selected prompt. Your
essay is scored based on six qualities that are highly valued
in college courses:
§ Purpose and Focus: The extent to which you present
information in a unified and coherent manner, clearly
addressing the issue.
§ Organization and Structure: The extent to which you
order and connect ideas.
§ Development and Support: The extent to which you
develop and support ideas.
§ Sentence Variety and Style: The extent to which you
craft sentences and paragraphs demonstrating control
of vocabulary, voice, and structure.
§ Mechanical Conventions: The extent to which you
express ideas using Standard English conventions.
§ Critical Thinking: The extent to which you
communicate a point of view and demonstrate
reasoned relationships among ideas.
HOW IS MY ESSAY TEST SCORED?
Essays are electronically scored by an automated system
that’s specifically designed to score writing samples. This
system evaluates the meaning of text, not just grammatical
correctness, or spelling. Your essay is compared for similarities
to a set of at least 500 other student essays that have been
graded by two expert human readers. It’s then placed in the
same scoring category as the essays it most resembles.
Once you enter your essay into an on-screen textbox and
submit it for scoring, the system automatically evaluates the
essay and returns a score from 1 to 8, as well as a holistic
score description that summarizes the quality of your essay.
The score and description also appear on your score report.
© 2020 College Board. 3
Score Holistic Score Description
8
The essay demonstrates clear and consistent
mastery of on-demand essay writing.
7
The essay demonstrates consistent mastery
of on-demand essay writing.
6
The essay demonstrates reasonably consistent
mastery of on-demand essay writing.
5
The essay demonstrates adequate mastery of
on-demand essay writing.
4
The essay demonstrates developing mastery
of on-demand essay writing.
3
The essay demonstrates little mastery of
on-demand essay writing.
2
The essay demonstrates very little mastery of
on-demand essay writing.
1
The essay demonstrates no mastery of
on-demand essay writing.
If your essay is too short to be evaluated, written on a topic
other than the one presented, or written in a language other
than English, you’ll be given a zero.
WHAT ELAR SCORES GET ME TO A
COLLEGE-LEVEL COURSE?
You’re considered college ready in two ways:
1. If you score in the range of 945–990 on the multiple-
choice CRC Test and a 5 or higher on the Essay Test, or
2. If you score below 945 on the multiple-choice CRC Test,
receive a diagnostic level of 5 or higher on the Diagnostic
Test, and score of 5 or higher on the Essay Test.
If your scores don’t meet these criteria, you may be placed
in a developmental course or provided an appropriate
intervention. You may also be in a corequisite model course,
where you enroll in a college-level course while taking
a developmental education course/intervention to help
ensure your success in the college-level course.
Contact the adviser at your college or university for more
information.
Understanding Your Mathematics
Scores
The Mathematics component of the TSIA2 consists of two
tests: The College Readiness Classification (CRC) Test and
the Diagnostic Test. Both are multiple choice. The CRC Test
is made up of 20 questions that cover the following
4 content areas. The Diagnostic Test is made up of
12 questions from each of these same 4 content areas,
for a total of 48 additional questions.
Quantitative Reasoning: Calculating ratios, proportions,
and percents, as well as identifying, manipulating, and
interpreting linear equations and expressions.
Algebraic Reasoning: Solving equations (linear, quadratic,
polynomial, exponential, rational, and radical), evaluating
functions, and solving algebraic problems in context.
Geometric and Spatial Reasoning: Converting units
within measurement systems, solving geometric problems
(perimeter, area, surface area, and volume), performing
transformations, and applying right triangle trigonometry.
Probabilistic and Statistical Reasoning: Classifying
data, constructing appropriate representations of data,
computing and interpreting probability, and describing
measures of center and spread of data.
WHAT MATHEMATICS SCORES GET ME TO A
COLLEGE-LEVEL COURSE?
You’re considered college ready in two ways:
1. If you score in the range of 950–990 on the CRC Test or
2. If you score below 950 on the CRC Test but receive a
diagnostic level of 6 on the Diagnostic Test.
If your scores don’t meet these criteria, you may be placed
in a developmental course or provided with an appropriate
intervention. You may also be placed in a corequisite model
course, where you enroll in a college-level course while
taking a developmental education course/intervention
to help ensure your success in the college-level course.
Contact the adviser at your college or university for more
information.
For more on TSIA2, contact an adviser or counselor
at your institution. NOTE: Any references in this
brochure to developmental courses, interventions,
and corequisite models aren’t applicable to high
school students seeking to enroll in college-level
coursework via dual credit.
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