With one of the longest running summative assessment programs in the country, Tennessee’s 2021-22 Spring Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) testing window began on Monday, April 18th and will close on Friday, May 6th. Students in schools across the state are taking the TCAP test's in general education subjects that include English language arts (ELA), math, science, and social studies. These tests collect valuable data to inform strategic decision-making on how to best support Tennessee students.  

During the 2020-21 school year, the state achieved a 95% participation rate in state summative assessments, which far exceeded the 80% goal established by Public Chapter 2, which was passed during the January 2021 Special Legislative Session.

Rutherford County Senators Worked to Ensure Local Students Met the Goals

The goal of 80% was passed in a cautionary measure as schools from across the state came to grips with the devastating impact that the COVID Pandemic had on our education system. Representing Rutherford County, Senate Bill 1 was orchestrated and executed by Senators Dawn White and Shane Reeves. Outside of Rutherford County, Senators Ferrell Haile, Bill Powers, Paul Rose and Ken Yager helped the measure and pushed it forward.

The bill passed and thankfully, the 80% mark was surpassed as the state achieved a 95% participation rate among students in schools throughout the Volunteer State. Now looking back, parents can say their children soared and overcame hardships in education during the pandemic – which was documented as a time of confusion, sickness, obstacles and challenges. In fact, many of those challenges faced by educators equaled technological advances within school systems like Rutherford, Cannon, Bedford, Coffee, Williamson and Davidson Counties.

Prior to precautionary measures being taken at the state level, lawmakers and teachers feared the worst in the battle with COVID. Preliminary data released towards the end of September of 2020 projected an estimated 50% decrease in proficiency rates in 3rd grade reading and a projected 65% decrease in math proficiency. In 2022 and now looking back, the majority of school systems can now say that despite the hardship, a percentage of these declines were mitigated as a direct result of the hard work by Tennessee’s districts, schools and educators.

Tennessee Teachers Worked to put Students First

“Tennessee teachers, districts and schools consistently put the needs of their students first to ensure they are learning each and every day and are on pathway to success,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “For parents and teachers especially, annual assessment data is a helpful measure of student progress that helps support learning and achievement year after year.” 

Scroll down for more...

 

Testing and Schools - Continued...

Annual TCAP assessments are an essential part of Tennessee’s public education system and serves multiple purposes for the state, including:

• Provides feedback about students’ academic progress and how it aligns with grade-level expectations

• Gives families and teachers a high-level perspective about how a student is progressing compared to peers across the district and state, including a student’s strengths and growth opportunities

• Builds confidence and transparency about students’ readiness for postsecondary and the workforce among Tennessee colleges, universities, and employers

• Helps educators strengthen instruction and reflect on their practice

• Highlights exemplar districts and schools to learn from across the state 

Over the past two years, Tennessee has released hundreds of free and optional assessment resources to support educators with a statewide formative platform, Schoolnet. Additionally, the department is continuing to add enhancements to the TCAP Family Portal, which provides parents and caregivers with on-demand access to their students’ state test results. Enhancements will be available in the coming months and include easier to understand graphics and language, historical test information and progress over time, personalized videos of their students’ results, and connections to literacy resources. 

TCAP includes summative assessments for English language arts (ELA), math, science, and social studies for grades 3-8, high school end-of-course (EOC) exams in English I and II, Algebra I and II, Geometry, Integrated Math I, II, and III; Biology, and U.S. History. TCAP also includes the TCAP-Alternate Assessment for students with disabilities, and the optional TCAP Grade 2 Assessment in math and ELA. 

For more information on the state’s assessments, click here. To learn more about the TCAP Family Portal, score reports, and see sample test questions, visit Best for All Central’s Featured Family Resources. 

Video Below - More Details on TCAP Testing and More in Tennessee