to have a bachelor's degree and prefers experience in education. The written composition is graded on a scale of 0–4. Students must earn a score of 2 or better on their written composition in order to meet the standard in writing or ELA. The open-ended items (short answer) are graded on a scale of 0–3. The ELA (10th–11th grade) raw score is calculated as shown in this chart. The 9th grade reading test raw score is calculated as shown in this chart. The raw score for the 7th grade writing test is calculated as shown. The raw score for the 4th grade writing test is calculated as shown. Then, the raw score is converted to a scaled score. As with the other tests, a scaled score of 2100 meets the standard and 2400 is a commended performance. In 2007, the 11th grade "met standard" level was a raw score of 42, 10th was 44, and 9th was 28; 7th "met standard" with 26 points and 4th with 20. However, the points needed to meet the standard may change slightly from year to year depending on the test's level of difficulty, so all students should do their best and not aim for a particular numeric score. The TAKS reading/ELA scale is linked with the Lexile Framework for Reading. Thus, Lexile measures are reported out for students in grades 3–11. A Lexile measure can be used to match readers with targeted text and monitor growth in reading ability. Graduation requirements Texas high school seniors cannot graduate unless they pass exit-level TAKS tests in English language arts, social studies, math, and science. During their junior and senior years of high school, students are given five chances to pass the test. Students new to Texas public education who enroll after January 1 of the school year in which they are otherwise eligible to graduate may use scores from the SAT or ACT to replace the ELA and Math TAKS. However, students are still required to pass the exit level science and social studies TAKS test as well as satisfy all coursework requirements in order to be eligible to receive a Texas high school diploma. Alternate assessments In 2007, the TEA introduced TAKS (Accommodated), TAKS-M, and TAKS-Alt to assess students receiving special education services. Determination of the appropriate assessment is made by the ARD committee based on each individual student's instructional supports and current level