Dept. of Ed promises fewer school tests next year

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WDEF) – Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen says he department has approved recommendations that will cut student testing in 2018-19.

They come from the third Task Force on Student Testing and Assessment.

McQueen says those and other steps announced today will reduce the number and the length of student tests.

Some examples:

1. Eliminate the TNReady chemistry end-of-course exam; instead, the department will provide a chemistry test form as an option for local
administration and scoring
2. Eliminate the TNReady English III end-of-course exam; additionally, the department will prioritize adding a statewide dual credit English composition option that will be available beginning in 2019-20
3. Collaborate with the Tennessee Board of Regents to use the TNReady U.S. History end-of-course exam as a dual credit exam and help students earn college credit from their TNReady score

In addition, next year the department will:
4. Eliminate the stand-alone field test for at least the next two years
5. Reduce time on the TNReady English language arts exam in grades 3 and 4 to make it a combined 78 minutes shorter; this will not impact the ability to generate TVAAS, and the department will still generate scores across all four performance levels

“Since my first day as commissioner, I have been listening to and learning from teachers and parents across the state, and repeatedly I hear that we must make every effort to protect instructional time,” Commissioner McQueen said. “At the same time, we hear from our teachers, advocates, and parents how important our state test is in providing big-picture feedback about how our students are doing and guiding future instruction. We believe these reductions and adjustments reflect our commitment to reduce testing where we can and streamline administration while still providing this key feedback loop and meaningful information for teachers, administrators, and parents.”