Statement from SCORE on 2012-13 Tennessee TCAP Results

The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) released the following statement today from Jamie Woodson, President and CEO, on statewide results for the 2012-13 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP): “Tennessee has made an important commitment over the last few years – we have set a goal that every student graduates from high school prepared for college and the workforce.  Teachers, parents, state and local leaders, and students are working hard to better prepare students for the future.  The early results released today show progress toward this important goal yet also serve as a reminder of the significant work we have to do on behalf of our state’s students. “Results in high school math and science indicate strong gains in areas we know are critical in preparing students for postsecondary education and the workforce.  Strong skills in math and science, and the other STEM areas, are important for success in the fields with strong job growth in our state.  These improvements also show that when we expect more, students achieve more. Nearly 10,000 more Tennessee students are proficient in Algebra II since 2011, the year that subject became a requirement for high school graduation.  Since 2010, there are nearly 91,000 additional students proficient in K-12 math. “Today’s data release also points to areas where work is needed.  The relatively small increases in English/Language Arts proficiency indicate the need for an intentional and aggressive strategy in these subjects, particularly as this is the second year that students have shown minimal gains.  The full implementation of Tennessee’s Common Core State Standards is vital to student improvement as the standards focus on critical thinking, strong literacy and writing skills, and increased work with both literary and nonfictional texts. “Going forward, it will be important to study those schools and districts making the most gains for their students and then share these best practices so that other Tennessee schools can replicate techniques that work.  SCORE looks forward to receiving the more detailed assessment results that will be released later this summer in order to dig deeper into these data.” Tennessee’s TCAP data, released today by the Tennessee Department of Education, are available at the Tennessee Department of Education website.