Academic Standards
Academic Standards
All Cadets must:
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- Maintain a 75% average for each subject area within each course,
- Must pass all assigned final exams administered for each subject area in each course with a 75% or higher grade, AND
- Must pass all skills exams administered for each subject area in each course.
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This is required to be eligible to take the ACCFTA comprehensive final exam. This requirement applies to all subject areas found in the level one certificate. Cadets who successfully complete the ACCFTA and pass the end of course comprehensive exam with a score of 75% or higher will be eligible to take the TCFP Basic Fire Suppression Skills Exam. Cadets who pass the skills exam will be eligible to take the TCFP Basic Fire Suppression Written Exam. If the Cadet successfully passes the written exam, they can apply for certification with TCFP pending they meet all requirements set forth by TCFP.
First Attempt Failure for a Skill or Written Examination
A Cadet who fails his/her first attempt to pass the written portion of an examination or skill test will be offered one opportunity to pass the re-examination. The Cadet will not be permitted to take a retest on any written exam (to include the ACCFTA comprehensive final exam) on the same day the failure occurred, this re-exam will occur on the next day of training or when designated by the primary instructor.
Retest Failure for a Skill or Written Examination
If the Cadet fails the retest for a written exam or skills exam they will fail that subject area and be required to complete the entire course over again (Course repeats will occur in the next semester the ACCFTA is offered). For example, if a Cadet fails the subject area HazMat Operations, which is found in FIRS-1423 Firefighter Certification V, the Cadet will be required to repeat the entire FIRS-1423 course. If a Cadet fails their first attempt and passes the retest with a 75% or better, the grade recorded will not exceed 75% when the final grade average is calculated.
ACCFTA Final Exam
The ACCFTA Final Exam is a requirement set forth by TCFP. In accordance with the Texas Administrative Code Testing Requirements, a comprehensive final test must be administered. The ACCFTA requires a minimum passing score of 75% on the comprehensive final exam in order to be eligible to take the TCFP Basic Structure exam for certification. Firefighter Certification courses I – VII contain the required curriculum mandated by TCFP and NFPA (NFPA 1403 Section 3-1 and 4-4).
State Skills Examination
All Cadets shall take the ACCFTA comprehensive final exam prior to the TCFP skills exam. A Cadet who fails to complete and pass the state mandated performance skills upon their first attempt will be allowed one retest. If the Cadet fails the retest, remedial training conducted by an academy staff instructor is required prior to a third attempt. If the Cadet fails the third attempt, they must requalify by repeating the entire certification curriculum and will not be eligible to take the state written exam.
Effective January 01, 2017 Cadets sitting for the TCFP certification examination must score a minimum of 70% in all four sections (Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Hazardous Materials Awareness, and Hazardous Materials Operations) of the examination to meet the TCFP requirements for certification.
Student Accessibility Services
Cadets with documented disabilities who need classroom, academic, or other accommodations must request them through the office Student Accessibility Services (SAS). SAS offices are located at each major campus. Cadets are encouraged to request accommodations when they register for courses or at least three weeks before the start of the semester; otherwise, the provision of accommodations may be delayed.
Cadets who have received approval for accommodations from SAS for this course must provide the instructor with the document titled “Notice of Approved Accommodations” from SAS before accommodations will be provided. Accommodations will not be provided retroactively. Arrangements by the instructor for academic accommodations can only be made after he or she receives the “Notice of Approved Accommodations” from the Cadet. Link to additional information about SAS.