GO TO PERSPECTIVES

Perspective

What Matters: Celebrating NAEP Firsts, Pressing Forward

January 31, 2025 | David Mansouri

For the first time, NAEP rankings put Tennessee in the top 25 states for proficiency in fourth- and eighth-grade math and reading. David Mansouri offers highlights of the latest results on the Nation’s Report Card from the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Dig even deeper into NAEP scores with our on-demand recording of a Jan. 31 data talk. Slides are also available for download.

 

Tennesseans woke up to remarkable news on Wednesday when the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released the “Nation’s Report Card” — a biennial measure of the nation’s fourth-grade and eighth-grade achievement in math and reading, broken down by state. NAEP scores reveal that Tennessee’s fourth and eighth graders are outpacing the nation in math and reading proficiency rates, showing gains in measures that students across the nation are struggling to achieve. For the first time, Tennessee is now in the top 25 states for proficiency across both tested grades and subjects. Tennessee now ranks 13th in the nation in fourth-grade math and 21st in the nation in eighth-grade reading. Among Black students, Tennessee ranks first in the nation in eighth-grade math based on scale scores.

These results should make all Tennesseans — including Tennessee educators, policymakers, philanthropic partners, and state and local leaders — proud. Student focused policies and investments, and strong, consistent implementation, are paying off and helping us achieve the goals we’re setting for our students.

Let’s dig into the data!

Key Takeaway 1: Overall performance shows Tennessee bucking national trends

Tennessee saw promising gains across all grades and subjects, surpassing the national average for the first time. Tennessee ranks among the top 10 states for improvement since 2022 in all four NAEP assessments, and in the top 10 since 2013 in three of four assessments based on scale scores, significantly outpacing national trends. 

Grade 4 Performance 

Reading  

  • Proficiency rose 2 percentage points. 
  • Tennessee is ranked 24th in the nation based on scale scores, and only six states are significantly outperforming Tennessee. In 2009, the state ranked 38th. 

Math 

  • Proficiency rose 6 percentage points. 
  • Tennessee is ranked 13th in the nation based on scale scores, and only four states are significantly outperforming Tennessee. In 2009, the state ranked 45th.

Grade 8 Performance 

Reading 

  • Proficiency rose 3 percentage points.
  • Tennessee is ranked 21st in the nation, based on scale scores, and only five states are significantly outperforming Tennessee. In 2009, the state ranked 34th. 

Math 

  • Proficiency rose 6 percentage points. 
  • Tennessee is ranked 20th in the nation, based on scale scores, and only five states are significantly outperforming Tennessee. In 2009, the state ranked 42nd. 
  • Tennessee is #1 in the nation for improvement over the last decade (since 2013) in eighth-grade math, based on scale scores

Key Takeaway 2: In eighth-grade math, Black students ranked first overall and first for improvement since 2022

In addition to overall progress, Tennessee shows important gains for specific student groups. Notably, Black students in Tennessee are leading the nation in improvement across both grades and subjects and narrowing gaps with their peers. 

  • Grade 4 Reading: Proficiency rose 7 percentage points. 
    Ranked sixth overall and second in the nation for improvement since 2022 based on scale scores. 
  • Grade 4 Math: Proficiency rose 10 percentage points.
    Ranked seventh overall and first in the nation for improvement since 2022 based on scale scores. 
  • Grade 8 Reading: Proficiency rose 3 percentage points.
    Ranked fifth overall and ninth in the nation for improvement since 2022 based on scale scores. 
  • Grade 8 Math: Proficiency rose 8 percentage points. 
    Ranked first overall and first for improvement since 2022 based on scale scores. 

Key Takeaway 3: Despite historic gains, students aren’t where we aspire for them to be

While we celebrate the gains, there are also clear areas of needed focus and a recognition that, even with improvement, overall proficiency still does not meet our ultimate goals for student success. With Tennessee proficiency rates at 32% for fourth-grade reading, 42% for fourth-grade math, 32% for eighth-grade reading, and 31% for eighth-grade math, we have a lot more work to do before all students excel and we reach the proficiency rates we aspire for as a state. Even though we now rank first in the nation in the performance of Black students in eighth-grade math based on scale scores, the proficiency rate for those students on NAEP is only 16%. 

First, the gap between Black students and their White peers has narrowed in all areas except eighth-grade reading. While we can be proud of some progress, eighth-grade reading is still critical to future success, and the overall average proficiency rate gap between Black and White students still hovers around 20 points. That gap is still much too large, and we must continue to work to close it. 

Another area of concern is the gap that persists between Hispanic students and their White peers. The gap narrowed for fourth-grade math, remained the same for eighth-grade reading, and actually widened for fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math. 

Finally, we remain focused on narrowing the gap between our top and lowest performers. Students in the 90th percentile made steady gains this year while students in the 10th percentile continued a trend of decline that started in 2017, leading to wider gaps.  We know that educators across the state are implementing high-impact strategies — like instructionally coherent instruction — that are proven to lift outcomes for children who are falling behind. More interventions like this are necessary to see all students move closer to proficiency. 

Percentile performance

Grade 4 Reading 

  • Students scoring in the 90th percentile saw a scale score increase of 2 points — recovering to 2019 highs. 
  • Students scoring in the 10th percentile continued to decline to a new record low — a trend that has continued since 2017. 

Grade 4 Math 

  • Students scoring in the 90th percentile saw a scale score increase of 4 points, now surpassing 2019 highs. 
  • Students scoring in the 10th percentile declined 1 point. 

Grade 8 Reading 

  • Students scoring in the 90th percentile saw a scale score increase of 2 points — recovering to 2019 highs. 
  • Students scoring in the 10th percentile remained stagnant. 

Grade 8 Math 

  • Students scoring in the 90th percentile saw a scale score increase of 9 points — recovering to 2019 highs. 
  • Students scoring in the 10th percentile declined 1 point, a new record low. 

Reflecting on the results and what made them possible

Reflecting on these results, it is worth recognizing why we were able to improve so much and buck the national trends. While it’s hard to say exactly what led to these gains, there are a few things that data, research, and observation elevate as likely levers.

The results are a testament to intentional decisions our state has made to improve student outcomes. From our commitment to effective teaching and annual student assessments to broad implementation of high-quality instructional materials and strong early literacy practices, Tennessee is leading the way in prioritizing the policies, investments, and innovations that are making a real difference for students.  

We could not do any of this without a commitment to utilizing assessment and evaluations to uncover the data points that can drive smart decision-making. Without data, we cannot see progress or pinpoint specific areas that are ripe for growth. 

Fortifying all of these decisions is a level of commitment and consistency that Tennessee has enjoyed from the highest levels in our state. Governors and legislative leaders have invested time, talent, and funds into education and maintained a focus on the foundational policies the state has in place — even through transitions. State and local education leaders collaboratively joined these efforts, partnering with teachers through innovative, research-backed strategies to carry out instruction in a way that moves the needle for students. 

We’ve also had a commitment to pursuing new policies and investments that could improve student success — from expanding innovative school models that serve high-needs students particularly well to reimagining how we fund K-12 education. We are not resting on our laurels until all students are prepared for success.

That consistency likely bolstered our response when crisis hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling us to make the most of additional investments in education and focusing those investments on the actual levers that would improve student achievement. Based on a national scan from Edunomics Lab, an education finance project of Georgetown University, Tennessee stands out among the top states for NAEP gains in 2024. 

Where do we go from here? 

As Tennessee has done so many times before, we learn from the data and use it to take action toward continued improvement so that ALL students can achieve success. 

I’m reminded of when Tennessee received an “F” from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 2007 for truth in advertising regarding student proficiency rates. It was a wakeup call. At a time when it could have been easy to disregard the data or make excuses for the results we saw, Tennessee leaders responded with action. We set high expectations for all students and then started working hard to meet those expectations. 

We need to keep pushing for students, implementing policies well, embracing new ideas that could lead to improved student success, and resisting the urge to feel content or look away from the data. NAEP is one important data point and provides a check on our state system of education. To continue improving, we must also look at insights from our annual Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) scores to focus on district, school, classroom, and student needs. Measurement of student performance, both through NAEP and TCAP, is a foundational tool to tailor and focus educational improvement efforts and ensure every student has the opportunity to reach their potential. 

Let’s capitalize on Tennessee’s positive momentum and work toward even more ambitious goals. We’ve outlined what we think those goals could look like as part of our TN2030 initiative. If one more student in each classroom across Tennessee was proficient each year, where could we be by 2030? 

The answer is that we’d be leading the nation — once again.