TNReady EOC English I and English II (Tennessee): complete guide to the three subparts, the text-based writing prompt and the Tennessee writing rubric, the item types, and the performance levels

The TNReady End-of-Course (EOC) assessments in English I and English II are the Tennessee high school English exams, administered by the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) as part of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP). They assess transferable skills applied to unseen texts: close reading of literary and informational material, evidence-based writing, command of language, and the ability to revise and edit. This page is the index for our TNReady English I and II content: a map of the three subparts, the writing subpart and its rubric, the item types, the Tennessee Academic Standards behind the test, the performance levels, and how to study, with links to every dot point.

The assessment at a glance

English I and English II are each delivered as three subparts. The writing subpart comes first because it is hand-scored; the reading and language subparts follow.

• Subpart 1, the writing subpart. You read a passage or paired passages and write one text-based essay to a prompt, drawing evidence from the texts. Scored by trained readers on the Tennessee writing rubric. Taken in the first week of the testing window.
• Subparts 2 and 3, reading and language. Multiple-choice and technology-enhanced items on literary texts, informational and argumentative texts, vocabulary in context, and revising and editing.
• Texts. Literary (fiction, drama, poetry, literary nonfiction) and informational or argumentative passages. Some passages are paired so you can compare them.
• Question formats. Multiple choice plus technology-enhanced items: multiselect, hot text, drag-and-drop, and two-part evidence-based items.
• Timing. The full assessment runs about 230 minutes across the subparts, with the writing subpart timed separately from the reading and language blocks.

Scores are reported in four performance levels (Below, Approaching, On Track, Mastered) using TDOE's standards for that administration.

Reading literary texts

The assessment presents unseen literary texts and asks you to analyze them. Questions test theme and central idea, plot and structure, character and point of view, the craft of fiction and poetry, and figurative language. The reliable approach is to read actively, then answer with the text in front of you, returning to the lines a question points to.

• Analyzing theme in literary texts
• Plot, conflict, and structure
• Character and point of view
• Figurative language and literary devices
• Reading poetry on the EOC

Reading informational and argumentative texts

Informational passages ask you to analyze central ideas, the structure and logic of an argument, an author's purpose and craft, and how two texts relate. The questions test reading skill, not background knowledge of the topic.

• Central ideas in informational texts
• Analyzing argument and claims
• Author's purpose and craft
• Text structure and organization
• Text evidence and inference
• Comparing and synthesizing paired texts

Language and vocabulary

The Language strand is tested in context: vocabulary in a passage, figurative and connotative meaning, word parts, and the conventions of standard English. These skills also feed the Conventions dimension of the writing rubric.

• Vocabulary in context
• Word parts: roots, prefixes, and suffixes
• Denotation, connotation, and figurative meaning
• Grammar and usage conventions
• Punctuation and sentence structure

The writing subpart

Subpart 1 is the text-based essay: one response to a passage or paired set, scored on the Tennessee writing rubric. You establish a clear claim or controlling idea, develop it with specific evidence from the texts and analysis, organize it logically, and write with clean conventions.

• Understanding the writing subpart
• Analyzing the prompt and the writing mode
• Writing a claim or controlling idea
• Using text evidence in the essay
• Developing and organizing the response
• The Tennessee writing rubric and scoring

Revising and editing

Revising and editing items present a draft and ask you to improve it. Revising targets clarity, development, and organization; editing targets grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling. The same conventions are scored on the essay.

• Revising for clarity and organization
• Editing for grammar and usage
• Sentence boundaries and combining
• Word choice and precision
• Revising and editing item types

Exam strategy

Knowing the three-subpart structure, the item types, the timing, the rubric, and the performance levels is its own skill. These pages cover how to navigate the test and budget your time.

• The three-subpart structure
• Technology-enhanced item types
• Pacing the assessment
• Reading the prompt and the rubric
• Performance levels and what they mean

The Tennessee writing rubric

The writing subpart is scored on the Tennessee writing rubric for grades 6 to EOC, and learning it is one of the highest-leverage things you can do.

• Three dimensions, each 0 to 4. Statement of Purpose, Focus, and Organization (a clear claim or thesis and a logical structure); Development and Elaboration of Evidence (specific, relevant text evidence with explanation); and Conventions and Clarity of Language (grammar, usage, mechanics, and precise word choice).
• Judged holistically by dimension, then combined. A reader reads the whole response and chooses the best-fitting score point for each dimension, then the dimension scores are combined.
• The writing mode shapes it. At the EOC level the prompt asks for argumentative or informative or explanatory writing, so the development you provide must match the task the prompt sets.

The standards behind the assessment

TNReady English I and II are aligned to the Tennessee Academic Standards for English Language Arts. The standards are organized into five strands: Reading: Literature (RL), Reading: Informational Text (RI), Writing (W), Speaking and Listening (SL), and Language (L). The reading strands group their anchor standards under Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, and Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. Reading questions assess RL and RI; the essay and the revising and editing items assess Writing and Language; vocabulary items assess Language. Speaking and Listening is taught in class but not tested on the written EOC.

How to study TNReady English I and II

1. Treat reading and writing as one connected skill, because the essay is text-based and the reading items reward the same close analysis.
2. Read unseen texts widely (literary prose, drama, poetry, and informational or argumentative pieces), practicing close analysis and inference.
3. Write toward the rubric. Know the three dimensions so your claim is clear, your evidence is specific and explained, and your conventions are clean.
4. Find the line that proves it. Most reading items and all good essay evidence come back to a specific place in the text; practice locating it quickly.
5. Practice the item types and the pacing (multiple choice, multiselect, hot text, drag-and-drop, two-part items) using released TDOE practice materials, and rehearse the writing subpart under time.

For the official exam materials

TDOE publishes practice tests, the TCAP writing rubrics, the writing task guidance, blueprints, and family resources on its assessment pages. See the TCAP English Language Arts page, the TCAP writing rubrics page, and the testing times by grade and subject page. The Tennessee Academic Standards for ELA are published on the Tennessee academic standards page. Always study from the current rubrics and released materials, because the item types, scoring, and performance levels are set by TDOE.