Get Ready for Tennessee Testing with a TCAP Practice Test

When test time rolls around, you want your students to be ready for whatever Tennessee throws their way on the TCAP tests. You know the Tennessee Academic Standards — but do you know how well your students have mastered their grade-level standards? With virtual TCAP practice tests, you can know this and more.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Here’s what you need to know about Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) — and how to get the most out of TCAP practice tests.

What Is TCAP?

The Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) is exactly what it sounds like: a testing program that comprehensively assesses student learning. Beginning in grade three, with optional assessments for grade two, Tennessee students are tested on their achievement of Tennessee Academic Standards in English language arts, math, science, and social studies. The standard TCAP assessments are also called TNReady assessments.

TCAP tests cover the following subjects and grade levels:

• English language arts (grades 3–8)
• Mathematics (grades 3–8)
• Science (grades 3–8)
• Social studies (grades 6–8; the exams for lower grade levels are currently paused)

TCAP scores must, according to state law, make up a percentage of a student’s grade, so these tests have a tangible impact on student outcomes beyond accountability reporting.

For high school students, Tennessee requires TCAP End-of-Course Assessments in a variety of subjects. The EOC exams offered include:

• English I
• English II
• Algebra I
• Algebra II
• Geometry
• Integrated Math I
• Integrated Math II
• Integrated Math III
• U.S. History and Geography

High school students must also take either the ACT or the SAT in grade 11 in order to graduate (retests are available).

Students with significant cognitive disabilities that prevent them from accessing standard TCAP assessments may qualify to take Tennessee’s alternative assessments instead. Tennessee uses the Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA) for English language arts and math, and the TCAP-Alt for science and social studies. MSAA is administered online to qualifying students in the same grades tested by TCAP, while TCAP-Alt is administered on paper in grades 3 through 8 for both science and subjects, as well as grade 10 for biology.

English language learners in the state are assessed on their proficiency in academic English with the ACCESS for ELLs exam, administered to Kindergarten to through grade 12 students until they test high enough to demonstrate proficiency.

The testing windows for TCAP usually run from mid-April to early May. Visit the TN DOE website for more information on testing windows and dates.

How to Use TCAP Practice Tests to Prep Your Students

One of the challenges throughout every school year is making sure your students are progressing toward mastering the grade-level learning standards outlined in the Tennessee Academic Standards. Annual summative tests like TCAP provide insight on what students have (and have not) learned, but those insights come after an entire school year with them in your class. You can apply some of those outcomes to your next cohort of students — but what about the students in your class right now? How do you make sure they’re learning what they need to know?

This is where TCAP practice tests come in.

When done right, virtual TCAP practice tests can give you actionable insights long before the real test rolls around. Administer practice tests — of your own making or what we’ve already uploaded — via Pear Assessment, and you’ll be able to see:

• What learning standards your students have mastered
• What sorts of concepts or questions they’re struggling with
• How you can better equip them not just for TCAP for their educational future

TCAP Practice Tests Are Available in  Pear Assessment

We already have TCAP practice test content and Tennessee Academic Standards uploaded into the  Pear Assessment platform. All you have to do is set up a free account and you’ll be ready to start giving your students low-stakes assessments that provide key insights for your classroom practice.

Ready to get started?

Join  Pear Assessment for FREE to administer TCAP practice tests

Resources

• /tnready-practice-test/
• https://www.tn.gov/education/assessment/testing-overview.html
• https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/education/events/TCAP_Assessment_Calendar_2021-22_Final.pdf
• https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/education/events/School%20Day%20ACT%20Dates%20Through%20Spring%202022.pdf
• https://www.tn.gov/education/assessment/tnready/assessment-faq.html