MEMPHIS, Tenn. — ABC24’s Brittani Moncrease spoke with professional educators and the former assistant commissioner of Tennessee's Department of Education to discuss how TCAP's assessments measure skill.
Seventy percent of Memphis Shelby County Schools’ third graders failed the reading portion of the TCAP. This summer, 8% of those students showed improvement. The number of students who met or exceeded expectations in ELA rose from 21.4% in 2022 to 22.1% in 2023.
“It really did make a difference in the classroom because we had those two individuals in the classroom,” Dorothy Bradshaw, MSCS teacher, said.
Mary Batiwalla, former Assistant Commissioner of Tennessee's Department of Education, said a student failing TCAP’s reading portion does not mean they cannot read, but that they did not meet state standards.
“The measurement that we're using currently--the third-grade TCAP assessment--is not the ideal measurement to gauge whether or not students have mastered foundational literacy skills,” Batiwalla said.
The TCAP might have one question on a standard, which may not give teachers a good understanding of whether a student has truly mastered that standard or not, according to Batiwalla.
“If we're going to say to parents, "Your child can't read," we want to make sure we're using a measure that is measuring reading and not some of these higher-level skills,” Batiwalla said.
She added that teachers struggle to teach all state standards because of time.
“It is not possible to teach in a given year all the standards that the state sets forth,” she said.
Districts will decide on standards, but the state expands upon those standards.
JC Bowman, Professional Educators of Tennessee CEO, said this adds more work for teachers.
The other concern for TCAP results is timing.
“By the time the results come in, the child has already moved on, or has gone to another grade or school. So how can you use those results to help improve the individual education outcomes for that other child?” Bowman said.
He said blame is often put on schools and teachers.
“I think it's really unfair," Bowman said. "And then our public schools get told that they're not performing or something's failing. And the truth is, I just think that the system is the problem. And the processes need to be refined.”
We reached out to the Tennessee Department of Education for comment. They did not want to interview but said they would answer our written question. We have not heard back yet.