TCAP tests are on the way
The first standardized test of the academic year, the TCAP Writing Assessment, will be given to area students Tuesday and school system officials are urging parents to ensure their children make it to school that day.
“Our students could have the best scores possible, but we could still be put on notice from the state if we don’t have at least 95 percent of them show up to take the test. It’s an all-or-nothing plan,” said system Director of Instruction Bobby Cox.
The TCAP Writing Assessment is given annually to all Tennessee students in fifth, eighth and 11th grades. Each grade level focuses on a different style of writing: a narrative essay for fifth-graders, an expository essay for eighth-graders and a persuasive essay for 11th-graders.
Under the new accountability measures put in place by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, all standardized tests administered by the state must be taken by a minimum of 95 percent of a school’s students. Failure to meet this mark puts a school “on notice” with the state Department of Education, the first of a series of disciplinary actions that could end with state takeover of the school.
Many Warren County schools failed to meet the required attendance level last year due to the outbreak of the flu. Some schools, in fact, had only 83 percent of students taking the test. Because of the extenuating circumstances, however, the system was granted a waiver.
Over the last three years, the writing scores of Warren County students have seen significant improvement, said system Director of Testing Dianna Zadeh. This is despite the fact, she said, that all students must take the test, even those who can’t speak any English and those enrolled in special education.
In explaining the score increase, Zadeh credited an increased system-wide focus on writing skills. In addition to holding several in-services aimed at instructing teachers as to how the tests are graded, the system has moved to increase writing across the curriculum.
Instead of just teaching writing in English class, writing assignments are now a part of such classes as science, social studies and even PE.
In addition to making certain their children attend school on Tuesday, Cox urges parents to see that their children receive plenty of sleep the night before, eat a good breakfast the day of the test, and arrive to school on time.