TCAP Testing Starts This Week
Beginning this week, students in schools across the state will take the annual Tennessee Comprehensive Assessments Program (TCAP), which is being administered to students in grades 3 – 8 from April 17, 2023 through May 5, 2023.
TCAP assessments include general education subject areas – including English language arts (ELA), math, science, and social studies – and are used to collect valuable data to inform strategic decision-making on how to best support Tennessee students.
“The TCAP assessment is an essential measure to give parents and educators a big-picture perspective about how their student is progressing, including a closer look at each student’s strengths and growth opportunities,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “Parents are a child’s first teacher, and the data gained from this test empowers all those in a student’s life to learn how to set them up for success.”
Annual TCAP assessments are an important part of Tennessee’s public education system and are intended to inform a wide variety of conversations about how well Tennessee is preparing students now and into the future. These assessments serve multiple purposes for parents and families, educators, and elected officials in the state, including:
- Provides feedback about students’ academic progress and how it aligns with what students are expected to know at the end of each grade
- 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 opportunities and the workforce among Tennessee colleges, universities, and employers
- Helps educators strengthen classroom instruction and activities
- Highlights exemplar districts and schools to learn from across the state
Starting in the 2022-2023 school year, if a third grade student scores “below” or “approaching” proficiency on the ELA section of the TCAP this spring, the student is eligible to receive important learning supports from their school for free to ensure they are ready to move on to the fourth grade, including summer learning camps, and high-dosage, low-ratio tutoring.
Additionally, schools track the progress of third grade students’ reading comprehension based off their performance on universal reading screeners, which are administered three times a year. The department also provides a variety of at-home resources for parents to support their child’s reading development, including Decodables, and more on Best for All Central. Click here for additional learning acceleration resources.
“Tennessee’s public school teachers work incredibly hard all school year to prepare students for success on the TCAP,” said a Tennessee parent. “Parents can do our part by encouraging our children to try their best and making sure they are well-rested. Together, we can showcase the achievements of our students, teachers, and schools as well as learn about areas where we can help our children develop additional skills.”
TCAP has been the state’s testing program since 1988, and it includes assessments in math, English language arts, social studies, and science, as well as alternative assessments, like MSAA and TCAP-Alt, for students with special needs. Tennessee students participate in TCAP testing once a year in grades 3-8 and at the end of certain classes in high school. TCAP assessments are meant to measure how well students have gained the knowledge and skills expected for their subject and grade level, which are based on the Tennessee state academic standards.
For more information on the state’s assessments, click here.
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