Optional Assessments
ASSESSMENT
WHAT DOES THIS ASSESS?
HOW IS IT USED?
K-2 Assessment
The K-2 assessment is an optional assessment that
districts can use to assess math and reading in the
early grades.37
The K-2 assessment assesses basic skills in math and
reading, providing a benchmark of how students are
progressing on the foundational skills they need for
success in later grades.38
Constructed
Response
Assessment (CRA)
CRAs are math assessments that were offered to
students in grades 3-8, Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra
II. CRAs were optional in the 2013-14 school year. This
allowed districts that valued the instructional data they
received from the CRA to continue implementation, while
other districts could opt out of implementation and
rededicate that time to instruction.
CRAs were intended to provide teachers and students
with assessments that reflect the level of rigor that will
be present on new, aligned math assessments. While
the results from these assessments did not factor into
teacher evaluations or student grades, they provided
teachers and students with valuable information about
their progress on the new standards.39
Writing Assessment
The online writing assessment was available for students
in grades 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, and 10 in the 2013-14 school year.
While the online writing assessment was required
for students in grades 5, 8, and 11, it was optional for
students in grades 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, and 10. As noted above,
this provided teachers and students valuable experience
with the type of writing tasks that will be present on new,
college and career ready assessments.40
Partnership for
Assessment of
Readiness for College
and Careers (PARCC)
Pilot
The PARCC pilot was optional and was only implemented
in a select number of districts and schools across
the state in 2014. PARCC assesses student mastery of
Tennessee’s State Standards for English Language Arts
and Math.
Tennessee planned to implement the PARCC assessment
in the 2014-15 school year. For this reason, a representative
sample of students, schools, and districts piloted the PARCC
assessment in spring 2014. This pilot was meant to provide
schools with experience on the new assessment and to
inform further improvements to testing items.41
Table 2
The optional assessments in Table 2 were intended to support teachers and students in their transition to new assessments that were planned to be implemented in the 2014-15
school year. While the state’s current TCAP assessments
consist mostly of multiple-choice questions focused more
on procedural skills and recall of information, these optional
assessments included more rigorous questions that required
extended written responses and reflected the new skills emphasized in Tennessee’s State Standards for English Language Arts and Math.
Technology-Based Assessments: The writing assessment and
PARCC pilot also provided schools with an opportunity to pilot online assessments. During SCORE’s 2014 Listening Tour,
teachers and principals provided feedback on the assessments
implemented in their schools. Many teachers and principals
noted significant challenges surrounding the online administration of these assessments, indicating some technical issues
with the assessment itself, inadequate infrastructure, and inadequate access to technology. Teachers and principals also
often noted concern around students’ preparedness for technology-based assessments, expressing a need for additional
student instruction in technology and keyboarding skills. This
concern was particularly prevalent in the early grades. While
the majority of educators were concerned about the transition
to technology-based assessments, some teachers indicated
that their students were more engaged when using technology
and had the technology skills they needed to succeed on these
assessments.42 This diverse feedback is indicative of the gaps
that exist in access to and familiarity with technology across
the state.
Delay of an Aligned Assessment: While the assessments in Tables 1 and 2 provide useful insights into students’ progress
on Tennessee’s State Standards, the misalignment between
the standards in English language arts and math and current TCAP assessments continues to challenge teachers, students, and principals across the state. As noted earlier, Senate Bill 1835/House Bill 1549 delayed the implementation of
an aligned, college and career ready assessment, which was
scheduled to replace the