Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program
Encyclopedia
The Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program is the standardized test
ing program used in public schools in Tennessee
.
Tennessee schools administer a comprehensive exam to their students at the end of each school year beginning in the third grade. Tests are intended to reflect what each child learned in the past year of school. The tested areas include reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies. The TCAP currently includes the Achievement Test (grades 3-8), the Writing Test, the Competency Test, the Gateway Tests and the End of Course Tests. The scores are returned at the beginning of the next school year and these scores help schools make instructional decisions. Special education and limited-English proficiency students are included in the testing and may be accommodated with modifications. This test was previously known as the Terra Nova test.
The current program was influenced by the federal No Child Left Behind Act
.
In 2010, a linking study will be performed so that the TCAP can report out Lexile
measures for students in grades 3-8 and 10. A Lexile measure can be used to match readers with targeted text and monitor growth in reading ability.
Standardized test
A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a...
ing program used in public schools in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
Tennessee schools administer a comprehensive exam to their students at the end of each school year beginning in the third grade. Tests are intended to reflect what each child learned in the past year of school. The tested areas include reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies. The TCAP currently includes the Achievement Test (grades 3-8), the Writing Test, the Competency Test, the Gateway Tests and the End of Course Tests. The scores are returned at the beginning of the next school year and these scores help schools make instructional decisions. Special education and limited-English proficiency students are included in the testing and may be accommodated with modifications. This test was previously known as the Terra Nova test.
The current program was influenced by the federal No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
.
In 2010, a linking study will be performed so that the TCAP can report out Lexile
Lexile
The Lexile Framework for Reading is an educational tool that uses a measure called a Lexile to match readers of all ages with books, articles and other leveled reading resources....
measures for students in grades 3-8 and 10. A Lexile measure can be used to match readers with targeted text and monitor growth in reading ability.