What is the TSIA?

The TSIA (Texas Success Initiative Assessment)  is to determine your college-readiness, which is a requirement to take HCC courses. When your grade level is about to be tested, please be prepared to take the test at a Saturday and time(s) indicated in the link sent to your email. The spots will fill up on a first-come-first-served basis, and you must be signed into your HISD account in the web browser to use the link. If you cannot attend, you need to please let me know so that I may schedule you for another Saturday.

TSIA2/TSIA 2.0

The TSIA has a new version as of January 11, 2021, called the TSIA2 or TSIA 2.0, where you will only be tested in 2 sections: “Math”, and “English Language and Reading” (ELAR). This is a notable change from the TSIA1, which covered 3 sections ("Math", "Reading", and "Writing").

Passing scores for the TSIA2 are as follows:

TSIA 2 ELAR College Ready Scores:

CRC 945 – 990 AND Essay 5 – 8  

OR

CRC 910 – 944 AND Diagnostic Level 5 – 6 AND

Essay 5 – 8

TSIA 2 Math College Ready Scores:

CRC 950 – 990

OR

CRC 910 – 949 AND Diagnostic Level 6

TSI English Preparation

• purpose and focus
• organization and structure
• development and support
• sentence variety and style
• mechanical conventions
• critical thinking

The TSIA2 mathematics suite consists of

TSI Assessment

How to access TSIA2 PAA in ACCUPLACER  

After you apply to HCC (applytexas.org) and get accepted, you will contact Dean Hernandez about your schedule, and then fill out the HCC Dual-Credit Waiver Form. Please make a note of what classes you will take, and what the high school equivalent is, in order to properly fill out the form.

Here are a few common mistakes to watch out for:

• Your full first and last name need to be typed when asked for your name
  • It will cause problems later upon graduation or credit transferring
• Anywhere it states “Date” needs to have today’s date, not your birthdate
  • There is only one place for your birthdate: "Date of Birth"
• Only one choice needs to be selected for the Bacterial Meningitis Vaccination form, otherwise your answer is invalid. They cannot all be answered Yes, because
  • Choice 1: I have my meningitis vaccine record and will submit it
  • Choice 2: I will submit a doctor’s note stating that I cannot take my meningitis vaccine because I will get sick/die from it.
  • Choice 3: I’m submitting an official record stating that I refuse to take my meningitis vaccine for personal reasons.
• Never answer N/A (Not Applicable) for anything or the form will not be submitted.

ApplyTexas Application

You will also need to fill out your ApplyTexas.org application in order to be accepted to HCC (Houston Community College). Please note your application number before you submit it, as you may need to reference it later. If you do not get your acceptance email and HCC ID (W followed by 9 digits, W#########) after a week, please check your application status on ApplyTexas, then contact HCC to find out why. You will not be allowed to take the TSIA without your HCC ID.

Please see the video below on how to complete the ApplyTexas.org application. This video is from Texas Tech University from 2020 so it's focused on their standards, but HCC doesn't require essays, nor an application fee from dual-credit students. Anything with an asterisk (*) needs to be filled out, or else your application will not be able to be submitted. Please ask Dean Saikin if you have any questions.

To Prepare

Before your test day arrival, please apply to HCC if you have not already done so: https://www.applytexas.org/adappc/gen/profile.WBX

If you do not complete the application and get issued an HCC Student ID number, then your scores cannot be submitted to HCC. These instructions can also be found on the CECHS website’s banner.

There’s also a Pre-Assessment Activity (PAA) specifically for CECHS students that's mandatory before taking the TSIA 2.0: https://www.tsipreview.com/welcome/hisd-challengeechs

However, before you attempt to test/retest, it is strongly recommended that you set aside time for additional study, so you don’t waste another Saturday to retest later. It is very unlikely that your score will be your best/improve greatly without review and study.

I recommend going to THECB (The College Board) for practice tests and study materials: https://tsia2.pearsonperspective.com/perspective/.

If you need to retest, please have your diagnostic test result's Learning Locator Code handy to get a personalized study guide. The example in the picture shows the diagnostic results for a TSIA 2.0 ELAR test that was taken, and where to find the Learning Locator Code.

Here’s the link for Accuplacer.org for more free practice tests, study materials, and tips on how to get the best results: https://accuplacer.collegeboard.org/students/prepare-for-accuplacer/practice

HCC has a TSI Prep Boot Camp for you to attend if you prefer (aged 16+ only): https://www.hccs.edu/programs/adult-education/tsi-prep-boot-camp/

To find out if you passed your TSIA sections, please click on https://studentportal.accuplacer.org/#/home to view your scores. You will use either your State ID or HISD ID in order to identify yourself in the Student Portal.

Best of luck to all of you!

TSIA Administrator