Gateway tests are mandated by the Tennessee State Board of Education and are untimed year-end tests which students must pass as part of the requirements for earning a high school diploma.  Students enrolled in Algebra I, Biology I, and English 10 must pass the Gateway tests in order to meet the graduation requirements from high school.  The Gateway tests also count as 15% of the students’ second semester grade, and the students’ scores become part of their permanent record.  Calculators are permitted for the Algebra I test.  

Also mandated by the Tennessee State Board of Education are the End-of-Course tests in English 9, Math Foundations II, Physical Science, and U.S. History.   Each test is approximately sixty minutes;  calculators are permitted for math.  The students’ scores become  part of the permanent record and count 15% of their second semester grade in the respective class.  Other piloted, field test assessments in 2005-06 will take place in Geometry, Algebra II, and Chemistry.  Please refer to the State Department web site,  http://www.tennessee.gov/education/, for the latest information.

TCAP 11TH GRADE WRITING ASSESSMENT

The Tennessee State Board of Education mandates the 11th grade English writing test to ensure that all students can communicate effectively in written form.  This test  identifies areas of  strengths and weaknesses in student writing. The TCAP Writing Assessment is a performance-based test in which students are required to write an essay on a specified topic.  Eleventh graders have twenty-five minutes to compose a persuasive essay. Results are scheduled to return to school systems before the end of the school year.  Each student  receives a copy of his/her score along with a description of the six-point holistic grading scale.  Individual student essays are not returned.  This score counts 15% of the student’s second semester English grade.
                

ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM

   The Advanced Placement Program consists of college-level courses and exams that give high school students the opportunity to receive college credit.  About 1,300 institutions, including some of the most selective colleges in this country, award a full year’s credit to students with satisfactory scores on the AP exam.  AP courses are introductory or second year college courses; they require more time and work, but they offer greater opportunity to master a subject and to explore it in greater depth.  All AP classes require summer assignments and/or projects.  Students who enroll in an Advanced Placement course at Collierville High School are required to take the  AP examination.  The College Board fee for the AP Exam is approximately $90.00 but will be determined by the latest information received from the College Board.  This fee is non-refundable and must be submitted with the Application to Enroll in an AP Course.