For the past two years, Memphis-Shelby County Schools students have showed signs of improvement on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) tests.
And in the coming months, the district is poised to see if this trend continues.
In the spring, state assessments will again be administered to public school students in Memphis area and throughout the state. According to the Tennessee Department of Education’s TCAP calendar, grades three through five are slated to take the tests from April 15 to April 30, while grades six through eight are set to take them from April 15 to May 3. A TDOE spokesperson told The Commercial Appeal that high schoolers are also slated to test from April 15 to May 3. And second grade tests – which are optional for districts – are poised to be given from April 15 to April 30.
Raw scores are tentatively expected to be made available by May 20, and they could have significant implications for both students and the schools they attend.
TCAP scores measure student performance in a variety of subjects, and reading scores, in particular, could have significant implications. In 2021, the state passed a reading retention law that requires the bulk of third graders to earn at least a proficient mark on the English Language Arts tests. And those that miss the mark are required to attend summer school to move onto the fourth grade.
Students who earn an “approaching” score – the category just beneath proficiency – must attend summer classes and show 5% improvement on a posttest. If they don’t meet that mark, they can still move onto the fourth grade, but they’ll be expected to receive year-round tutoring. And students who earn a “below” score – the bottom category – must attend summer school and agree to year-round tutoring to move onto the fourth grade.
Last year, districts were told which third graders would need to attend summer school or be held back on May 19, and TDOE intends to retain a similar timeline this year.
In the 2022-2023 academic year, 23.6% of MSCS students earned a proficient score, showing discernable improvement. Just 16.5% of those same students earned proficient scores when they were in second grade. But the 2023 number still left roughly three-fourths of students needing extra support, and MSCS is looking to continue improving its literacy rates through activities like high-dosage tutoring.
By 2030, MSCS wants 52% of third graders to earn proficient results in the TCAP ELA tests. And if it can achieve this goal, it could bolster not just students’ prospects, but the letter grades of its schools.
In December, TDOE unveiled A-F letter grades for schools across the state, and the results were based, in part, on TCAP scores. There were four indicators for the letter grade calculations, and the two weighted most heavily were achievement and growth – with both taking TCAP into account.
The achievement indicator focused on proficiency success rates on TCAP tests and end-of-course exams, while the growth indicator focused on Tennessee Value Added Assessment System results – which are based on students’ year-over-year academic growth on TCAP tests.
Of the 198 MSCS schools ― including charter schools ― that received letter grades in 2023, nine received As, 30 received Bs, 72 received Cs, 44 received Ds, and 43 received Fs. Statewide, 294 schools received As, 441 received Bs, 513 received Cs, 350 received Ds, and 92 received Fs.
MSCS officials, however, have taken issue with standardized test scores being made a driving factor in the letter grades, especially since the same evaluation method is used throughout the state.
“It’s important to acknowledge that a single letter grade ― based largely on one week of standardized testing ― tells really only one part of the story,” interim superintendent Toni Williams said in mid-December. “Many of our students face significant challenges outside of the classroom. The system doesn’t take into account the poverty, the lack of kindergarten readiness, the impact of community violence… These issues significantly impact learning… I urge state officials and stakeholders to work with us to develop a more holistic model that acknowledges the entire child ― not just a grade, but the whole child.”
When will Tennessee students take TCAP tests in 2024? And when will results be ready? – Commercial Appeal
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