In 1998, the Kentucky legislature made adjustments to the assessment and accountability system established by the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 to create a new system, the Commonwealth Accountability and Testing System (CATS). The Kentucky Core Content Tests (KCCT) are a component of CATS. KCCT assessments are given in grades 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12 in reading, mathematics, science, social studies, writing, arts and humanities, and practical living/vocational studies. Content areas are not assessed every year; a schedule shows the years tested. Norm-referenced assessments are given in grades 3, 6, and 9. In 1999 and 2000, the state was in transition between the old and new testing systems, resulting in an interim accountability cycle. The purpose of this technical report is to provide information about the technical characteristics of the 2000 Interim Accountability Cycle of the CATS. A secondary purpose is to track the changes that have occurred to the system during the time span covered by the report. The empirical reliability and validity of the assessments are reported explicitly in this document. Chapters of the Technical Report are: (1) Introduction; (2) Test Specifications; (3) Test Development Process; (4) Item Analysis; (5) Test Administration; (6) Scoring; (7) Scaling, Linking, and Producing Scale Scores; (8) Standard Setting; (9) Writing Portfolio Assessment: Scoring and Student Performance; (10) Alternate Portfolio Assessment; (11) Reliability and Student Classifications; (12) Reporting to Schools and Districts; (13) Interim Accountability; and (14) Validity. Seven appendixes provide information about scale score tables, academic expectations, and test reports. (SLD)