In response to inquiries from parents and teachers, School Leadership has developed this set of frequently asked questions concerning the district’s decision to not administer the Assessment of Course Performance (ACP) for fall and spring of the 2020-2021 school year. For future updates on the ACP, please continue to follow us on The Hub.
What is the Assessment of Course Performance (ACP)?
The Assessment of Course Performance (ACP) is a cumulative semester exam that typically makes up 15% of a high school student’s semester grade and 10% of the semester grade for middle schoolers. While it is given to elementary students, the ACP is not a stand-alone part of their semester grade.
Will Dallas ISD students take the ACP for 2020-2021?
On Dec. 17, 2020, the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees waived specific language related to the Assessment of Course Performance grading requirements in EIA (Local) for the fall ACP, due to circumstances arising from COVID-19. Therefore, no student in any grade was required to take the ACP for fall 2020.
The Board of Trustees also waived the spring ACPs for 2020-2021 for all applicable grade levels, elementary and secondary. No ACP will be given this spring semester.
Why was the decision made to cancel the ACP?
Given student learning loss, teachers require more time to address instruction rather than spend that time implementing the ACP. Instead, the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) will provide data on student learning for the teacher, campus, and district.
Will teachers administer an assessment in place of the ACP to track student progress?
Teachers have the flexibility to decide whether they want to give a cumulative exam, but it should be treated as a regular test, rather than carrying the weight of a traditional ACP. Sample exams will be made available to teachers as a support.
How will semester grades be calculated?
Students’ semester grades will be calculated by averaging their scores in the first and second nine-week periods.
Are students’ grades negatively impacted by the decision to waive the Assessment of Course Performance?
Because the ACP and the exam grade are being waived, the students’ grade will consist of the average of the two nine-week marking periods. The ACP will simply be removed from the equation.
