| Language Arts
The Terra Nova Complete Battery for Reading/Language Arts "reflects current instructional practices. The skills essential for effective communication - - reading comprehension, language, vocabulary, and study skills - - are integrated into one test to provide a coherent assessment experience.
To help student succeed, the directions, passages, and test questions are linked by themes that provide context and stimulate interest. The arrangement of test questions leads to a deepening engagement with the material, much like the process a thoughtful teacher uses in exploring text with students.
The test reflects the diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds and experiences of contemporary students, with the goal of providing equity in assessing achievement. It involves the students in constructing meaning, monitoring their own comprehension strategies, and thinking critically and creatively in response to texts."
The Tennessee English Language Arts Curriculum Framework for Kindergarten through Grade 12 was adopted by the State Board of Education on December 5, 1996. "The framework includes the Content Strands and Learning Expectations necessary to insure K-12 Tennessee students develop the language skills needed to succeed in school, in the workplace, and in their lives."
As a response to the concerns of the business and college communities, the TCAP Writing Assessment was developed. The Assessment measures strengths and weaknesses in the are of writing and provides a basis for developing instructional strategies to improve writing.
Grade 7
The Terra Nova Complete Battery assesses students in seventh grade (Level 17).
The Terra Nova Multiple Assessments assess students in seventh grade (Level 17).
The Tennessee English Language Arts Curriculum Framework identifies the learning expectations for Grades 6-8.
The TCAP Writing Assessment is given to students in Grade 8.
The Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) has been developed by the Tennessee State Department of Education to measure student competency in essential skills in the area of Language Arts. Students must pass this examination before graduation from High School.
The American College Test (ACT) is typically given to students in the later years of high school prior to applying to colleges.
The English II End-of-course test is given after completion of English II.
Genres
This unit includes identifying and comparing key characteristics of literary genres, as designated by a work's subject, theme, style, and time period. Some example of genres are: science fiction, poetry, drama, British literature, and multicultural literature.
Language Expressions
This unit focuses on language conventions, structure, usage, and language study. It also addresses parts of speech, figures of speech, syntax, paragraph and sentence structure, word agreement, modifiers, and grammar.
Language Mechanics
This unit includes comprehending and applying the rules which govern punctuation and capitalization when writing and editing written works.
Listening
This unit includes identifying and distinguishing between sounds and patterns in sounds, constructing meaning from information delivered verbally, and understanding and responding to verbal information.
Reading Operations
This unit includes constructing meaning from fiction and non-fiction selections at comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and judgment levels of understanding. It includes skills which address identifying, discussing, and comparing both concrete and abstract elements of selections (setting, plot, characterization, genre, historical period, theme, tone, moral message, and psychological and political implications).
Speaking
This unit focuses on techniques and strategies (voice modulation, body language, ordering of ideas, visual aids, etc.) to convey meaning and to present information and opinions to groups. This unit includes: formal and informal communication, debate skills, and verbal/nonverbal communication.
Spelling
This unit includes studying language and word structure knowledge to discern the correct spelling of words. It includes skills related to editing passages for correct spelling by making connections between spelling, meaning, and structure.This unit includes studying language and word structure knowledge to discern the correct spelling of words. It includes skills related to editing passages for correct spelling by making connections between spelling, meaning, and structure.
Study and Research Skills
This unit includes developing organization and research skills needed to find appropriate resources, to judge resources as relevant or not relevant to a given topic, to categorize and synthesize information, to take notes in class, and to study for exams.
Technology
This unit addresses technology applicable to all content areas. It includes: educational technology, hardware, software, programming, communications, and word processing.
Viewing/Representing
The focus of this unit is on constructing meaning from visual sources and conveying meaning through visual representation. Meaning is conveyed by applying writing processes (prewriting, writing, revising, publishing) to visual representations of information.
Writing
This unit focuses on each stage of the writing process: prewriting, writing, revising, and publishing. It includes skills covering a variety of organizational formats and purposes for writing (communicating ideas, opinions, and feelings, clarifying thoughts, and solving problems). Some example writing formats are: expository, narrative, poetry, and drama.
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