Credit by Demonstrated Mastery or CDM is a process that allows students to earn high school course credit by demonstrating mastery of course material/content without taking the actual course. This process occurs in two phases:

• Phase 1 completing and passing the final exam for that course with a 90% or higher
• Phase 2 creating an artifact that demonstrates your understanding of the content standards.

Middle school students may participate in the CDM process for those high school courses which are allowed to be taught in middle school: 

• English I
• Math I, II, or III
• World Language Levels 1 and 2

Students interested in participating in Credit Demonstrated by Mastery must first complete the CDM application. 

Application Timeline

• Application window will be May 1 - May 15, 2023.
• CDM Application
• No late applications will be accepted.
• Students will be notified of their application status during the first full week in June via email.
• Phase 1 testing will take place in person, between July 18 and July 19 at the Professional Development Center (PDC). Students approved for CDM will be provided with a choice in their testing times on those two days.
• Phase 2: Students who move on to Phase 2 will be given July 21 - August 4 to complete/turn in their artifact/presentation/interview.
• Phase 2 CDM results will be shared with students by Monday, August 14, 2023.

Please Note: All course prerequisites for both middle and high school students must be met prior to attempting the CDM process.

For more information, please contact Ashley Ponscheck at Ashley.Ponscheck@ucps.k12.nc.us.