Subject: English Language Arts
Grade Level(s): 3, 7
Measures Growth: No
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A component of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, the Constructed Response Assessment features open-ended questions in ELA, math and science. The test questions were developed with input from Tennessee teachers. ELA is measured in both 3rd and 7th grades.
Pros: Aligned to the standards I teach • Assesses higher-order thinking • Assesses a range of students, including those from far below to far above grade level
Cons: Misses growth of some students, such as those far below and/or far above grade level
Pros: Easy to administer • Data I receive helps me understand where I am teaching well and where I need to improve
Cons: Results are not returned quickly • Doesn't help me track my students' learning gains over time • It is hard to use the data
I did not appreciate the CRA until after it was administered and I got the data. I felt that it was administered too prematurely considering students were assessed on items that, according to our district's pacing guide, were yet to be introduced. Overall, the format of the test was refreshing. I was pleased that the test incorporated both writing as well as higher order thinking skills. I look forward to this test's evolution.
Submitted by Adrienne in Tennessee on April 13, 2012
Pros: Aligned to the standards I teach • Assesses higher-order thinking • Assesses a range of students, including those from far below to far above grade level • Takes students a reasonable amount of time to complete
Pros: Easy to administer • Data I receive helps me understand where I am teaching well and where I need to improve
Cons: Results are not returned quickly
This is the best assessement I have seen for Language Arts. This test takes out the guessing game, it allows a great objective, valid and reliable measure of student learning. This test looks at higher level thinking more than any other Tennessee Test I have utilized.
Submitted by Charles in Tennessee on January 24, 2012
Pros: Aligned to the standards I teach • Assesses higher-order thinking • Takes students a reasonable amount of time to complete
Pros: Easy to administer • Results returned quickly
Cons: Doesn't help me track my students' learning gains over time
I was a member of the CRA committee that wrote the items for piloting this program in Tennessee. I can speak to the high level of quality of teachers chosen for this project. They were very perceptive and extremely demanding of the process. The test itself, when adminsitered later that fall, was perceived in the building as testing overkill, i.e., we test kids too much with formative assessments already. The CRA, though, in spirit and in application, allows feedback about critical thinking skills. With an open-ended response, teachers and evaluators can see writing skills, how students process information and testing situations, and how their teaching aligns to higher order thinking skills. The deeper we can teach, the better results can be on standard tests. This is a positive step in the right direction for a broader test that captures deeper data than the multiple choice format of standard tests.
Submitted by Darrell in Tennessee on January 19, 2012
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