MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Thousands of students across Tennessee are prepping for a big state-wide test that starts Monday, April 15th.
Students in third through tenth grades are required to take the TCAP exam.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools is doing something a few other districts are not. This year, second graders are taking this test.
Seven-year-old Dominic Gould will take the test for the very first time. He’s a second grader at Balmoral Elementary School.
His proud dad, Richard Gould, said Dominic is an outgoing honor student.
“Dominic is an extrovert,” Richard Gould said. “He is very friendly, very willing to come up, talk to you, tell you anything you want to know. Sometimes he'll tell all of our secrets and some. I mean, that's who Dominic is.”
Dominic is one of several second graders entering testing season, which can be overwhelming for kids.
“Here we are entering into this first round of testing, which is for him, it can be stressful, you know,” said Richard Gould. “We try to just tell him that, you know, these tests are to measure where he's at. Not to say, this is who you are.”
At home and at school, Dominic and other students are preparing by reading and review testing strategies. Dominic is taking it all in stride, feeling confident.
“I'm feeling so confident about the test,” said Dominic Gould. “When I start the test. I’m going to get myself ready, with my pencil in hand.”
But even if he doesn’t make the score he wants, Dominic said he will do his best.
“Even if I don't get the score, I’m going to try,” said Gould. "The main word here is try. Learn from your mistakes.”
The district has thousands of new test takers like Dominic, but the spotlight is on third graders again this year, who must pass the reading portion of the test.
For the first time, there’s another group under a lot of pressure: the now fourth graders, who failed last year’s reading test.
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The Tennessee Department of Education allowed 12,000 of those students to move on, despite their scores. If they don’t show improvement this time, those same students could repeat fourth grade, unless they can show “adequate growth.”
Here’s why.
In 2023, third grade students who received an “approaching” score in reading, were required to receive tutoring all year in fourth grade to be promoted.
Students who received a “below” score in reading, were required to attend summer school and receive tutoring in fourth grade.
According to the state’s promotion and retention policy, those students must now show ‘adequate growth’ in reading this year to advance to fifth grade.
This is how the state will measure ‘adequate growth.’
The outcomes will be different for every child, based on their test scores.
Let’s use Johnny as an example.
He’s a fourth grader, with a third grade TCAP reading score of 200, which didn’t allow him to pass reading ELA.
Using the state’s adequate growth formula, the state estimates Johnny’s probability of passing the fourth grade reading test is 25%.
Let’s plug in the numbers to their formula.
Eight years represents the number of years Johnny will take the TCAP.
That equals a growth target of 3.125%, which the state says is adequate.
Next, add that to Johnny’s projected passing probability.
That’s 25% + 3.125% = 28.1%. That is Johnny’s “adequate growth” metric.
So, in order to pass fourth grade, Johnny must score 28% higher than his third-grade score.
Remember, he scored 200 in third grade. This year, he needs to score at least 256.
The Department of Education has a number of resources available on its website for districts and parents to explain the requirements of the law/rules and how they affect certain students.
Click HERE, to view it.