Testing and Assessments

Applicable Federal/State Law*

These tests are administered in accordance with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 and T.C.A. §49-1-602 pertaining to district and school accountability. Modified assessments in Braille and Large Print are also provided in accordance with the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1990.

ACH Grades 3-8 and EOC

This is required by all students in Grades 3-12 per Federal/State Law*
This includes English language arts, math, science for grades 3-8, social studies for grades 6-8, and High School Algebra I & II, Geometry, English I & II, Biology, and US History.

Purpose & Use

These tests are given to measure how much a student grows academically over the duration of the course. The new format in English language arts and math will measure student understanding of our current state standards, not just basic memorization and test-taking skills.

Administration Dates

EOC (computer-based)

• • Fall – December 1 to December 18, 2025
  • Spring – April 13 to May 5, 2026

ACH Grades 3-8

• • Grades 3-5 – April 13 to May 1, 2026 (paper-based)
  • Grades 6-8 – April 13 to May 5, 2026 (computer-based)

Results to Parents & Students

A quick score is provided to the district for use in final grades. Individual student reports are received in mid- to late-July and sent home with the students in August/September.

TCAP-Alt ELA & Math – are required for select students with disabilities (who qualify for the alternate assessment) in grades 3-8 and grade 11 per Federal/State Law*

This includes English language arts and math for grades 3-8 and grade 11.

Purpose & Use

This assessment is administered to students with the most severe cognitive disabilities to measure academic achievement against modified, more accessible academic standards.

Administration Dates

Fall – September 8 to December 5, 2025 (computer-based)
Spring – February 2 to May 1, 2026 (computer-based)

Results to Parents & Students

Scores are received in mid- to late-July and Individual Student Reports are sent home in August/September.  Results may be discussed during the student’s IEP meeting.

TCAP-Alt Science & Social Studies – are required for select students with disabilities (who qualify for the alternate assessment) in grades 3-8 and grade 10 per Federal/State Law*

This includes science for grades 3-8, social studies for grades 6-8, and Biology for grade 10.

Purpose & Use

This assessment is administered to students with the most severe cognitive disabilities to measure academic achievement against modified, more accessible academic standards.

Administration Dates

TCAP-Alt – March 9 to April 24, 2026 (paper-based)

Results to Parents & Students

Scores are received in mid- to late-July and Individual Student Reports are sent home in August/September.  Results may be discussed during the student’s IEP meeting.

ELPA21 – is required for all English Language Learner students in grades K-12

ELPA21 consists of four tests to evaluate English Proficiency.  Title III of the No  Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires states to administer an assessment designed to measure students’ progress in “…attaining proficiency, including a child’s level of comprehension, speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in English”.

Administration Dates

February 2 to March 12, 2026

Results to Parents & Students

Individual performance reports are received in June and sent home in August/September.

Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) scores are available for parents to review their student’s performance. The TCAP is designed to measure your child’s academic growth and provide valuable information about their strengths and opportunities for growth. It measures grade-level expectations in subjects such as English-Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Meeting grade-level expectations means that your student understands the skills and concepts of the subject and is ready for the next grade.

TCAP scores are just one part of understanding how your child is doing in school, so it is important to also regularly look at report cards, PowerSchool, and communicate with teachers. Parents and caregivers have important roles in their student’s educational journey. Through understanding students’ strengths and opportunities for growth parents can partner with teachers to help students meet their unique goals and continue growing in their academic journey.

Understanding TCAP scores can be overwhelming and frustrating for parents but there are resources to help both parents and students grasp what it all means. From TCAP scores a parent can see where there is an opportunity for their child to grow in specific categories to meet their goals. In other words, a personalized educational checklist of what skills your child can continue to grow in and ways your can support your student. For a more detailed experience and feedback on your individual student’s TCAP scores, log into the TCAP Family Portal, select 2024-2025 scores, and click the Student TCAP Video Results. This video will provide you with a personalized video of your student’s score results and ways to support your student toward improvement and success.

If you feel your child needs additional support, please review our HCS Family Guide for details on HCS Student Resources.

Many Accountability & Research documents are available to view or print in Adobe Acrobat format. If you don’t have the free reader installed on your system, you can download it from the Adobe web site.

TCAP Parent Guide will provide some helpful information for the new TNReady testing format. Please feel free to read through for a better understanding of what is expected with math and English language arts testing this year.

The Calculator Prohibited FAQs will provide assistance and some sample questions to help understand why there is a portion of the math assessment that does not allow the use of a calculator.

The Tennessee Family Portal provides online access to a student’s individual performance data on Tennessee state assessments and will assist with tracking assessment information throughout the student’s academic year. Find out more about utilizing the portal by reviewing the Family Portal Help Guide.

HCDE Benchmark Assessments are given to assist the teachers with planning strategies to prepare the students for the TCAP assessments in April and May (December for Fall Block High Schools). The final assessments will test some skills the students have not been taught as this too is in preparation for the TCAP assessments. You will find more information about Benchmarks in the next section.

Additional Resources:

• • • • State Report Card
      • Additional Resources & Support
      • Detailed Results
      • Getting Started- First Time users
      • Getting Started- Returning User
      • Initiating a Password Reset
      • Test History
      • Test Questions
      • Test Results: Overall Mastery