Teachers Preparing for TCAP Tests

Students in grades 3-8 will be taking the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Achievement Test this month.
Dr. Carol Hendrix, Supervisor of Instruction for Grades 7 to 12 and Testing Coordinator, says TCAP testing is conducted each spring. “The Achievement Test is a timed, multiple choice assessment that measures skills in Reading, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Student results are reported to parents, teachers, and administrators later in the year.”
“Testing dates for this year are April 15th, 16th, 17th, 20th, 21st, & 22nd. This year the state allowed six consecutive school days to be used for testing instead of the usual five days which allowed our school system to have a weekend between subjects allowing students to rest between tests.”
“On April 15th, we’ll have Reading and Language; on April 16th, we’ll have Math, and then April 17th will be a makeup test day for those two areas as well as any tests that special education students take. April 20th will be Science; April 21st, Social Studies; and April 22nd will be the final makeup test day.”
“The TCAP Achievement Test includes only Criterion-Referenced items for students in grades 3 through 8 in Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.”
“Criterion-Referenced items measure a student’s performance according to specific standards, rather than to the performance of other test takers. The Achievement Test assesses student performance on items directly aligned with the State Curriculum Content Standards. Performance information is grouped by Reporting Categories. Each Reporting Category measures student performance on items linked to specific State Performance Indicators. The TCAP Achievement Test Reports provide information in terms of three Performance Levels: Below Proficient, Proficient, and Advanced.”
“A brochure created to assist parents in understanding the reports they receive after their student has taken the TCAP Achievement Test will be sent to each parent along with specific scores.”
Dr. Hendrix adds that there are specific things parents can do days before the testing to assure that the students do well. “See that your child is rested and eats a good breakfast, see that your child arrives at school on time and is relaxed, and encourage your child to do the very best possible. If your child is sick, I would send my child to school (on testing day), I’d wait until one of the make-up days. These are just some of the things parents can do to assure that their child does well on the tests.”