District Of Columbia Practice Tests
District Of Columbia Practice Books and Flashcards
District of Columbia's State Tests at a Glance
In grades 3 through 8, DC CAPE covers English language arts and math every year, plus science in grades 5 and 8. The tests follow the DC CAPE Next design: ELA and math use Smarter Balanced content, with a computer-adaptive section and a performance task, and science uses a new design with fewer sections and fewer written answers. The tests are given online, and paper editions are used only as an accommodation. The tests are untimed, and the times below are OSSE's estimates for most students. Results are reported on four performance levels, and Level 3 means a student has met grade-level expectations.
English Language Arts
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 | Online; computer-adaptive section plus one performance task; the performance task uses a set of sources and ends in a full written response | Untimed; about 45 minutes for the adaptive section and 2 hours for the performance task | Reading literary and informational texts, writing, listening, research |
The full written response is scored on three traits: organization and purpose, evidence and elaboration, and conventions.
Mathematics
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 3, 4 and 5 | Online; computer-adaptive section plus one performance task; no calculator | Untimed; about 45 minutes for the adaptive section and 1 hour for the performance task | Concepts and procedures, problem solving and modeling and data analysis (reported together), communicating reasoning |
| Grade 6 | Online; computer-adaptive section plus one performance task; built-in four-function calculator on calculator items only | Untimed; about 1 hour for the adaptive section and 1 hour for the performance task | Concepts and procedures, problem solving and modeling and data analysis (reported together), communicating reasoning |
| Grades 7 and 8 | Online; computer-adaptive section plus one performance task; built-in scientific calculator on calculator items only | Untimed; about 1 hour for the adaptive section and 1 hour for the performance task | Concepts and procedures, problem solving and modeling and data analysis (reported together), communicating reasoning |
Any conversion or formula a question allows is printed in the question itself or in the performance task; basic ones, such as the area of a rectangle or 1 foot = 12 inches, are never given.
Science
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | Online in two units; not adaptive; standalone questions and question sets built around science phenomena; built-in calculator throughout | Untimed | Physical science (35 to 45%), life science (25 to 35%), earth and space science (25 to 35%) |
| Grade 8 | Online in two units; not adaptive; standalone questions and question sets built around science phenomena; built-in calculator throughout | Untimed | Life science (35 to 45%), physical science (30 to 40%), earth and space science (20 to 30%) |
The grade 5 test covers the science standards for grades 3 to 5, and the grade 8 test covers grades 6 to 8.