Every spring, students in DC's public and public charter schools take the state test, DC CAPE. In 2027 that test looks different. OSSE, DC's state education agency, is replacing the English and math tests with DC CAPE Next, a shorter, computer-adaptive design built with questions from the Smarter Balanced consortium. Here is what changes, what stays the same, when your child will test, and how to help them get ready.
DC CAPE at a glance
| Question | Answer for spring 2027 |
|---|---|
| Full name | District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessments of Progress in Education |
| Run by | OSSE, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education |
| English language arts | Grades 3–8, plus ELA I and ELA II in high school |
| Math | Grades 3–8, plus Algebra I and Geometry in high school |
| Science | Grades 5 and 8, plus high school Biology |
| Testing window | April 5 – May 21, 2027; each school picks its days |
| Format | On a computer in the TestNav app; ELA and math have an adaptive section and a performance task |
| Scores | Four performance levels in ELA and math; Level 3 means the student met grade-level expectations |
What changes in spring 2027
DC gave the multi-state PARCC tests from 2015 to 2023. When the PARCC group disbanded, DC kept using its questions under a new name, DC CAPE, for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 tests. OSSE announced in October 2025 that DC had joined the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, a group of states that develops tests together, and that the new ELA and math tests would start in spring 2027. According to OSSE's DC CAPE Next page and its FAQ, these are the main changes:
- The test adapts to your child. In the computer-adaptive section, the next question gets harder or easier depending on the answers so far, while staying at grade level. Students answer fewer questions, and the exact number can vary slightly from student to student.
- Every ELA and math test has a performance task. Alongside the adaptive section, each grade and course includes a longer task that asks students to apply what they know.
- Scores use four levels instead of five. On DC CAPE Next, Level 3 means a student met grade-level expectations. On the old test it took a Level 4.
- Less testing time overall. OSSE chose the adaptive design partly to shorten the test.
- No more Algebra II test. It was required only for students who finished Geometry before ninth grade, about 120 students a year.
- A redesigned science test. Science keeps the same grades but drops from four sections to two, with fewer written-response questions.
What stays the same: the standards the test measures (the Common Core State Standards in ELA and math, the Next Generation Science Standards in science), the TestNav app students log in to, and the alternate tests for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, MSAA in ELA and math and DLM in science.
How long the test takes
DC CAPE Next is untimed, so a student who needs more time gets it. OSSE's system overview gives these estimates for most students. Schools split the time into several sessions on different days.
| Test part | Grades 3–5 | Grades 6–8 | High school |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELA adaptive section | 45 min | 45 min | 1 hr |
| ELA performance task | 2 hr | 2 hr | 2 hr |
| ELA total | 2 hr 45 min | 2 hr 45 min | 3 hr |
| Math adaptive section | 45 min | 1 hr | 1 hr |
| Math performance task | 1 hr | 1 hr | 1 hr 30 min |
| Math total | 1 hr 45 min | 2 hr | 2 hr 30 min |
OSSE had not yet published time estimates for the redesigned science test in that overview.
How DC CAPE scores work
On the 2026 test, every ELA and math score fell into one of five performance levels:
- Did Not Yet Meet Expectations
- Partially Met Expectations
- Approached Expectations
- Met Expectations
- Exceeded Expectations
Levels 4 and 5 counted as proficient: on track for the next grade. From 2027, ELA and math move to four levels, as science already uses, and Level 3 means a student met grade-level expectations.
One thing to know before the next score report arrives: because the old and new tests use different levels and different scales, OSSE says a student's 2027 score cannot be compared directly with their 2026 score. OSSE is working with its vendors on a study to keep citywide trends comparable, and the DC School Report Card will skip its growth measures in 2027 and bring them back in 2028. Treat your child's first DC CAPE Next report as a new starting point.
How DC students did in 2026
The last test in the old design showed a fourth straight year of gains, according to the results OSSE and the Mayor released on August 20, 2026:
| Students proficient (Level 4 or 5) | ELA | Math |
|---|---|---|
| All tested grades | 39.6% (up 2.0 points) | 28.5% (up 2.1 points) |
| Grades 3–8 | 40.1% | 31.8% |
| High school | 37.5% | 14.8% |
| Level 3 or higher, all grades | 60.3% | 50.7% |
Math is where the gap is widest: about half of DC students reached at least Level 3, and only about one in seven high school students was proficient.
When results arrive and where to find them
For the 2026 test, schools received individual student reports in September and sent them home. OSSE's results page also links the DC CAPE Family Portal, where caregivers see results with an access code from their child's school, and a parent guide to reading the score report. The DC School Report Card adds the 2026 results in December.
Expect 2027 results to come later than usual. In summer 2027, OSSE will hold a standard-setting process to fix the score ranges for the new high school ELA and math tests and the redesigned science tests, and its FAQ says this will delay reporting.
How to help your child prepare
- Try the official practice tests. The DC CAPE Next portal has free practice tests for each grade in ELA, math and science, including ELA performance tasks, plus tutorials for the testing app. Doing one at home takes the surprise out of the format.
- Practice reading and writing with evidence. The performance tasks ask students to work with what they read, so short, regular practice helps: read an article together and write a paragraph that answers a question about it, using details from the text.
- Build stamina. An ELA test of nearly three hours is long for a nine-year-old, even split across days. Reading for 20 to 30 minutes at a stretch and finishing multi-step math problems without a break both help.
- Ask the teacher what the year's checks show. In 2026–27 every DC school can use Smarter Balanced interim assessments, check-in tests aligned to DC CAPE Next. Ask whether your child's class uses them and which skills need work.
- Keep test week calm. Find out your school's testing days, protect sleep and breakfast, and remind your child that the test is one measure of one year, not a verdict.
When a tutor can help
If your child's 2026 report showed Level 1 or 2, or their grades are slipping in math or reading, steady extra help between now and April can make a difference. When it released the 2026 results, OSSE noted that at least 20 hours of high-impact tutoring was associated with better score changes. Two one-hour sessions a week from mid-January add up to more than 20 hours before the April window opens.
A tutor can find the specific gaps, from fractions in fourth grade to linear equations in Algebra I, practice the performance-task format and give feedback on written answers. You can look for a math, reading or writing tutor on Edtalk, where every profile shows the tutor's price before you book and lessons take place online or in person in Washington, DC. If you are budgeting, our guide to what a tutor costs in DC and Baltimore has current rates.
Key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| October 3, 2025 | OSSE announces DC CAPE 2.0 (DC CAPE Next) |
| August 20, 2026 | 2026 DC CAPE results released |
| September 2026 | Schools receive 2026 individual student reports |
| December 2026 | DC School Report Card adds 2026 results |
| April 5 – May 21, 2027 | DC CAPE Next testing window |
| Summer 2027 | Standard setting for the new tests; 2027 results later than usual |
Families in Maryland are going through a similar change: the state replaces MCAP with a new test, MSTAR, in spring 2027. Our guide to MSTAR covers it.
