Parents and guardians hoping to view their children's TCAP scores can now do so online with the "TCAP Family Portal."
By logging on to the site, families can receive on-demand access to student's TCAP scores. The student's 9-digit student ID number is required as well as date of birth for those logging into the site for the first time.
After the TCAP exam, many parents across the state were struggling to teach their kids about how to cope with results — particularly after the new third grade retention law went into effect this year.
After only 40 percent of Tennessee third-graders scored proficient on the reading portion of the exam, many children are dealing with the stress of possibly repeating the third grade.
These children have had to submit to attending summer school or risk being held back. Tennessee School psychologist Amanda Collins said because of the new state law, her daughter experienced high stress through the exam experience.
"They knew how much was riding on this test," Collins said. "I asked her today — I said 'When was the first time y'all started talking about this?' She said the first day. Her teacher said 'Make sure y'all are paying attention because the TCAPs are coming up, and they are a big deal this year."
Collins said, in years past, third graders were usually excited to take the TCAP exam — seeing it as a sign of "growing up."
This year, the feeling was different. Still, Collins encourages parents to use positive reinforcement with their kids when it comes to future testing.
She adds, in many cases, not passing the TCAP exam now could have negative effects on a student's future performance.
"Basically your body puts a bookmark on that experience, and every time you have a similar experience, it pulls that bookmark back up to see how to respond, so it's going to pull up those feelings and those concerns every time there's a similar situation," she said.
She added that parents should talk to their kids about all the good things that happened this past year and not just the test.
"You have to consider that one day to all of the other days — that day is not more important," Collins said. "It is very serious, and you do want the kiddos to take it very serious, but you say to them 'As long as you tried your best and I know that, then we are good" because you don't want it to be a double punishment. You don't want to be punished twice for the same thing."