Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program

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Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program

• Gateway and End of Course
• 2007

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Why Are We Assessing?

• TCA 49-1-608 and TCA 49-6-6001(a)(1)
• High School Examinations Policy in August, 2002,
  the State Board stipulated that beginning with
  students entering the 9th grade in 2001-2002,
  students must successfully pass examinations in
  three subject areas - Mathematics, Science, and
  Language Arts - in order to earn a high school
  diploma.

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Purpose

• Accountability
• Exit Exams for High School Diploma
• Measure Growth of Schools/Systems
• Inform Instruction Through Reporting

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Gateway/EOC Assessment

• The TCAP Gateway Assessments measure knowledge of
  Tennessee curriculum objectives in mathematics,
  language arts, and science covering curriculum
  content through Algebra I, English II, and
  Biology I.
• Students are required to pass each of the Gateway
  Assessments to be eligible for a regular high
  school diploma.
• The End of Course Tests measure student
  performance in Math Foundations II, English I,
  Physical Science, and U.S. History.

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Competency to End of Course

• Gateway Tests, were intended to raise the
  academic bar for all high school students and add
  accountability for students' academic
  performance.

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(No Transcript)
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Gateway/EOC Test Item Development
Gateway/EOC Curriculum Standards
Performance Indicators and Reporting Categories
Content and Bias Reviews
Item Writing
Field-test Items/Calibration
Operational Test
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Standard Setting Performance Levels
Live Calibration
Standard Setting Committee (Bookmark Procedure)
State Department Review
Technical Advisory Committee Review
State Board Approval
Below Proficient Proficient Advanced
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Proficient and Advanced Cut Scores
Summer 2007 Gateway/EOC Cut Scores
For Summer 2007 the passing scores, presented as
number of items answered correctly, are
 
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Results

• Results of individual student performance from
  all administered end of course tests including
  the three gateway examinations shall be provided
  to the individual teacher in a timely fashion to
  facilitate the inclusion of these results as part
  of the student's grade in that subject. This
  result shall count not less than 15 of the
  student's grade in the semester in which the test
  was administered.

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Reporting Category Performance

• Mathematics Reporting Categories
• Number Sense/Theory
• Computation
• Algebraic Thinking
• Real World Problem Solving
• Data Analysis and Probability
• Measurement
• Geometry

• Real World Problem Solving
• Grade 6
• State Performance Indicator (SPI)
• 6.1.2 Solve one-step real-world problems
  involving whole numbers and decimals.
• 6.2.5 Extend rate charts to solve real-world
  problems.
• 6.4.2 Solve real-world problems involving elapsed
  time.
• 6.4.6 Use scales to read maps.
• 6.4.7 Solve real-world problems involving
  perimeter and area of rectangles.
• 6.5.2 Interpret bar and line graphs to answer
  questions and solve real-world problems.

State Performance Indicators (SPIs) are
categorized under each Reporting Category.
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Intervention

• Course work should be structured and scheduled to
  ensure that all students are successful.
  However, each local education agency shall
  provide research based academic interventions and
  require participation of students who have not
  met the minimum standard on any gateway
  examination.
• At least one intervention must be offered during
  the regular school day.
• All interventions shall be designed to meet the
  individual students needs, not simply repeating
  the course, and shall be conducted by a teacher
  endorsed in the subject area.

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Adequate Yearly Progress

• Starting in Spring 2006
• High School in Gateway Mathematics, Gateway
  Language Arts, and writing (grade 11)
• Science is assessed but not included in
  AYP calculations.