Hickman County Board of Education
Descriptor Term:
Descriptor Code:
Issued Date:
4.700
10/21/24
Testing Programs
Rescinds:
Issued:
4.700
10/02/23
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The Board shall provide for a system-wide testing program which shall be periodically reviewed and
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evaluated. The purposes of the program shall be to:
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1. Assist in promoting accountability;
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2. Determine the progress of students;
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3. Assess the effectiveness of the instructional program and student learning;
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4. Aid in counseling and guiding students in planning future education and other endeavors;
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5. Analyze the improvements needed in a given instructional area;
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6. Assist in the screening of students with learning difficulties;¹
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7. Assist in placing students in remedial programs;
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8. Provide information for college entrance and placement; and
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9. Assist in educational research by providing data. 2
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The director of schools shall be responsible for planning and implementing the program, which includes:
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1. Determining specific purposes for each test;
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2. Selecting the appropriate test to be given;
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3. Establishing procedures for administering the tests;
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4. Making provision for interpreting and disseminating the results;
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5. Maintaining testing information in a consistent and confidential manner; and
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6. Ensuring that results are obtained as quickly as possible, especially when placement in a
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special learning program might be necessary.
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State-mandated student testing programs shall be undertaken in accordance with procedures published
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by the State Department of Education. 3
Version Date: August 19, 2026
Testing Programs
4.700
1
The director of schools may exclude Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program scores from
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students' final grades if scores are not received by the district at least five (5) instructional days before
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the end of the school year. 4,5
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TNReady⁴ and EOC⁵ scores will be included in students' final grades as follows:
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a) Grades 3-5 - 5% of the last nine (9) weeks final grade for the spring semester
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b) Grades 6-8 - 10% of the last nine (9) weeks final grade for the spring semester
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c) Grades 9-12 - 15% of the last nine (9) weeks final grade for the-spring semester
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EOC scores will be incorporated into a student's report card using the target score method that compares
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the student score to the distribution of the class. The director of schools may exclude end-of-course
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(EOC) scores from students' final grades if scores are not received by the district at least five (5)
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instructional days before the end of the course.⁴,⁵
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Before being included in the students' final grades, end-of-course (EOC) test scores will be converted
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to a 100-point scale using the Target Score Method, which adjusts each student's score based on the
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average of all students in the class in the county. The conversion is calculated as follows:
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Where, for a specific subject:
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SEOC = the student's EOC score, converted to a 100-point scale using the Target Score Method
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Pearned = points earned by the student on the EOC test
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Ppossible = maximum points possible on the EOC test
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F = scaling factor
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Sₐᵥ₈ = the average classroom grade for all Hickman County Students in the class
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Pavg = the average points earned on the EOC test for all Hickman County students in the class
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INTEREST INVENTORIES AND CAREER ASSESSMENTS⁶
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Interest inventories shall be made available to 9th graders. These will include assessments such as the
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Kuder assessment, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the ASVAB, or the College Board Career Finder.
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Career aptitude assessments shall be administered to 8th graders in order to inform the student's high
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school plan of study. Upon receiving the results from these assessments, the school shall provide students
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Testing Programs
4.700
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with information on any available career and technical education opportunities in which the student is
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eligible to participate in.
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TESTING INFORMATION AND PARENTAL CONSENT
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Any test directly concerned with measuring student ability or achievement through individual or group
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psychological or socio-metric tests shall not be administered by or with the knowledge of any employee
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of the system without first obtaining written consent of the parents or guardians.²
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Results of all group tests shall be recorded on the students' permanent records and shall be made
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available to appropriate personnel in accordance with established procedures.⁷
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No later than July 31 of each year, the Board shall publish on its website information related to state
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and board mandated tests that will be administered during the school year. The information shall
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include:⁸
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1. The name of the test;
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2. The purpose and use of the test;
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3. The grade or class in which the test will be administered;
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4. The tentative date or dates that the test will be administered;
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5. The time and manner in which parents and students will be notified of the results of the test;
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6. How parents can access the questions and answers on their student's state-required tests; and
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7. If a board mandated test, how the test complements and enhances student instruction and
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learning and how it serves a purpose distinct from state-required test.
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Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year and for school years thereafter, the testing information shall
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also be placed in student handbooks or other school publications that are provided to parents on an
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annual basis.
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HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT EXAM FOR ELIGIBLE COURSES9
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The Director of schools is authorized, but not required, to develop credit exams for eligible courses
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designated by the Tennessee State Board of Education. 1 Any credit exams must be developed and
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implemented in accordance with this policy.
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Recognizing that credit exams are a substitute for taking an eligible course, any credit exams must
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cover the entirety of Tennessee course standards. Traditional final exams are not sufficient for this
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policy unless the final exam is aligned to and measures proficiency in the entire course content. Credit
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exams will be offered at the end of the semester in which the eligible course is taught.
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A student in grades 9-12 who is not enrolled in an eligible course may earn credit towards graduation
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by scoring a least 80 on the credit exam. The grade will be computed in the student's GPA. A student
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may take a credit exam only once per course, and the student may earn up to four credits toward
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graduation.
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At the end of the school year, the Director of Schools will provide to the Tennessee Department of
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Education a copy of any credit exam that may have been developed for an eligible course as well as
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Testing Programs
4.700
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data pertaining to how many students took credit exams, in what subjects were exams administered,
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and how many students were successful in the exams.
Legal References
Cross References
1.
TCA 49-10-108
Student Surveys, Analyses, and Evaluations 6.4001
2.
20 USCA § 1232g
Student Records 6.600
3.
TRR/MS 0520-01-03-.03(10)
4.
TCA 49-1-617; State Board of Education Policy
2.102
5.
TRR/MS 0520-01-03-.03(10); State Board of
Education Policy 2.103; TCA 49-1-617
6.
TCA 49-6-412
7.
TCA 10-7-504(a)(4)(A)
8.
TCA 49-6-6007; State Board of Education Policy
2.102; State Board of Education Policy 2.103
9.
TRR/MS 0520-07-01-03(3)
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## Table 1

|  | Hickman County Board of | Education |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | Descriptor Term: Testing Programs | Descriptor Code: 4.700 | Issued Date: 10/21/24 |
|  |  | Rescinds: 4.700 | Issued: 10/02/23 |