Tennessee’s latest assessment results show that student-centered policies and investment are paying off. More students are reaching proficiency across key grades and subjects, continuing a steady upward trend. The momentum is real, but so is the fact that progress is not yet reaching all students.
As clearly as the data show progress, they also show concerning gaps. As students move through school, too many lose ground and fall off track. While fewer students are in the lowest-performing group, many are still not meeting grade-level expectations. And even as outcomes in key gateway courses like Algebra I improve, too many students are not fully prepared to succeed.
To sustain student progress and ensure it reaches all students, Tennessee must move beyond momentum and focus on translating gains into consistent, grade-level success across subjects and student groups. Building off SCORE’s key takeaways from the 2026 TCAP results, three priorities stand out: sustaining literacy gains beyond the early grades, ensuring students receive coherent supports that meet grade-level expectations, and strengthening the math pipeline to ensure students succeed in higher-level math.
Sustaining Early Literacy Gains Through Middle School
Investments in early literacy are working. More students are reaching third-grade reading proficiency, a critical milestone for long-term success. But too many of those gains are not sustained. By middle school, fewer than one in three students are reading proficiently.
This drop off signals a clear next challenge: Students who are not yet proficient in the later grades need structured, explicit support to catch up while continuing to engage with grade-level content. A stronger focus on adolescent literacy is needed or the state risks losing the progress made in the early years and allowing gaps to widen as students move through the system.
Moving More Students to Grade-Level Success
There is meaningful progress to build on. The share of the lowest-performing students in third-grade English language arts (ELA) has declined from a high of 31.9% in 2021 to 22.2% in 2026, meaning fewer students are falling into the most at-risk category.
But moving out of the lowest group is not the same as reaching grade-level proficiency. Many of these students are still not on track, and without stronger support they remain at risk of falling further behind as content becomes more demanding.
This highlights a core challenge in how students experience instruction today. Too often, learning is fragmented. Students, particularly those who are furthest behind, encounter grade-level expectations in their regular classroom setting and disconnected or below-grade-level work in other academic settings like intervention or tutoring. When instruction is not aligned, students struggle to make sustained progress.
The evidence is clear that students are more likely to catch up and stay on track when instruction is anchored in consistent, grade-level expectations across academic settings. The next step is providing coherent learning across settings so that more students move out of the lowest category and into grade-level proficiency.
Preparing More Students to Succeed in Higher-Level Math
Algebra I is a critical gateway to advanced coursework, postsecondary opportunity, and long-term economic mobility, and Tennessee’s math results show meaningful progress. Algebra I proficiency has increased from 20.7% in 2022 to 32.3% in 2026. Yet even with these gains, fewer than one in three students are meeting expectations.
This gap points to a fundamental challenge. Too many students are reaching Algebra I without the prerequisite skills needed to succeed. Without stronger preparation and support, growth will not translate into mastery.
To build on recent gains, the state must focus on strengthening the math pipeline leading into Algebra I. This includes ensuring students develop strong foundational skills in earlier grades, aligning instruction to grade-level expectations, and providing targeted supports that accelerate, rather than remediate, the learning leading up to Algebra I. Students who struggle in Algebra I also need timely, embedded support that keeps them engaged with rigorous, grade-level content.
Algebra I proficiency is rising. The next step is making sure more students are ready to succeed when they get there.
Making Momentum Last for More Tennessee Students
Tennessee has proven that progress is possible. The work ahead is to build on that momentum so that more students not only move forward but also stay on track for success along their entire K-12 journey.
The path ahead must include a greater focus on adolescent literacy, strengthening instructional coherence, and better preparing students to succeed in critical gateway courses like Algebra I. Now is the moment to act with urgency so that progress translates into lasting success.
This analysis highlights statewide trends. To explore district-level results, visit our interactive TCAP data dashboard where you can filter the results by district, subject, grade level, and student group.
Courtney Bell is SCORE’s vice president of research and innovation.