April 10, 2018
The good news?
Tennessee’s historic rise in student achievement is sustainable. Today’s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results give more evidence for continuing to champion our four policy priorities: higher academic standards, an assessment aligned to those standards, accountability for everyone in the classroom, and more choices in public education.
The less-than-good news?
Along with Tennessee, many states across the country fell flat or showed no statistical improvement in their NAEP scores. Tennessee rose in national rankings in 4th Grade Reading and 8th Grade Math. We fell slightly in 4th Grade Math and 8th Grade Reading. While today’s report does not show another dramatic rise in achievement, it does demonstrate sustainable, ongoing, and repeatable growth remains possible for every Tennessee classroom.
What’s next?
Not letting up. The policies that drove Tennessee to be named the fastest improving state in the nation in education on the last two NAEP reports remain a necessary and integral part of the ongoing work for student success. Students across the state continue to demonstrate an ability to rise to a challenge and have, year-over-year, realized greater levels of achievement in the classroom when compared to the students that came before them. This announcement then gives further evidence for not only continuing these reforms but for demanding that the next Governor and General Assembly push to accelerate the work driving student gains.
We wanted to share today’s NAEP results with you. As well, make sure you had the opportunity to read our full statement on the announcement.
There is still work to be done and we know our students can do better. With a continued focus on championing and aggressively supporting student achievement, we know we can do better for them. Thank you for the work you do and for your continued focus on the importance of student success.