It’s hard to believe we’re in mid-July, but a new school year is almost upon us.
Back to school is always a hopeful time, and this year we have fresh cause for optimism: The Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) showed Nashville’s students improving in all subjects in all grades, third through eighth. If we look closer at not just what the results say, but at how we administer the TCAP, we might find the means of building on this success.
We can start by acknowledging that success is not based solely on one test. Many additional assessments are available to understand student learning, including three yearly reading and math benchmark assessments, aligned with TCAP; three nationally normed screening assessments measuring phonics, reading and math; and bi-weekly progress-monitoring tests for struggling readers…