Results show Tennessee students are outpacing the nation, indicate state priorities and investments are working
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Nashville, Tenn. — Following today’s release of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, the State Collaborative on Reforming Education released the following statement from President and CEO David Mansouri:
Tennessee students, educators and policymakers have a lot to be proud of as NAEP scores reveal that Tennessee’s fourth and eighth graders are outpacing the nation in math and reading proficiency rates. The scores represent increases from the last NAEP administration in 2022 and the first time that Tennessee has been above the national average in both subject areas and grades. Tennessee’s reading improvement is especially notable given the decline in reading proficiency nationally. Tennessee stands out as a bright spot, with only six states significantly outperforming our state’s students in fourth-grade reading and only four states significantly outperforming Tennessee in fourth-grade math.
NAEP has consistently been a reliable measure as we track student outcomes, serving as one of the only objective ways to compare academic performance across the country. Over the last 15 years in particular, NAEP has served as an important bellwether of progress, informing Tennessee’s nationally leading education improvement efforts. Today’s results are a testament to the hard work of our students and educators, as well as the 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.
While we celebrate these gains, there are also clear areas of needed focus and a recognition that even with improvement, overall proficiency still does not meet our 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.
NAEP is one important data point and provides a check on our state system of education. In order to continue improving, we must also glean 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.
Now is the time to capitalize on Tennessee’s positive momentum and work toward even more ambitious goals, such as those outlined in SCORE’s TN2030 initiative. We look forward to continuing our work to help accelerate and support the progress we are seeing today so that all Tennessee students can achieve success in college, career and life.