Testing Preparations Underway

Published April 4, 2013

In just a few weeks, thousands of Williamson County students will participate in assessments for the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program. Descriptions are given below, and more information is available on the WCS website’s ASSESSMENT PAGE.

TCAP Test

Students in grades three through eight take the Achievement tests, and the testing window for Williamson County Schools runs from April 26 through May 3. These four tests are timed, multiple-choice assessments that measure skills in reading and language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.

During the window of May 6-8, students in grades three through eight also participate in the Constructed Response Assessment. This is the final “summative” phase in the CRA series, which assesses mathematics using open-ended, short-answer questions. Students completed the first two “formative” phases earlier in the year.

End-of-Course Exams

Students in certain high school courses – Algebra I and II, English I, II and III, Biology I, and US History – participate in the End-of-Course exams. These tests are untimed, multiple-choice assessments that measure student performance against the standards. The EOC testing window for Williamson County Schools runs May 6 through May 10.

How Test Results are Used

Per state law and WCS School Board policy, scores from the TCAP Achievement tests comprise 15 percent of the second semester final grade for each content area. Scores from the TCAP End-of-Course exams are used as the final exam grade, which accounts for 25 percent of the second semester average. Scores from the TCAP Constructed Response Assessment are not used for grading purposes. In addition, results from all TCAP tests will be used in determining each student's learning path for the future school year.

"The results we receive after testing allow students, parents, teachers, counselors and administrators to make informed decisions for the next year," said WCS Assessment Analyst Kevin Deck. "Identifying areas of strength and challenge can drive enrichment or remediation plans. The detailed scoring reports can help us identify mastery of the previous year’s learning targets, and that in turn helps in planning each student’s course of study."

Study & Practice Resources

Although each student receives a practice test booklet for Achievement and End-of-Course, additional practice items can be found on the TDOE’s TCAP site: ACHIEVEMENT and END-OF-COURSE.