STATE OF EDUCATION IN TENNESSEE: 2012-2013 – Section I: Year in Review
STATE OF EDUCATION IN TENNESSEE: 2012-2013 – Section I: Year in Review
State Academic Results
Chart 2: Comparison of Tennessee Proficiency on 2012 TCAP and NAEP (2011)
TCAP
Improving Student Achievement
O
posite page)
Chart 1: TCAP Reading and Math Proficiency (Grades 3-8)
TCAP Reading Proficiency (Grades 3-8)
TCAP Math Proficiency (Grades 3-8)
60
50
Percent Proficient/advanced
ver the last year, Tennessee’s students improved more than they have in any previous
year on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) exams. Data from
the 2011-12 school year show that student outcomes improved on 23 out of 24 tested
subjects for grades 3-8. Proficiency in reading has steadily increased over the past two years in
nearly all grades, and now 50 percent of students are reading at or above grade level. (Eighth
grade reading is the only subject in which scores did not increase in 2012.) Math scores showed
similarly positive growth. Across the state, 55,000 more students in Tennessee are proficient or
advanced in math compared to two years ago. Science scores improved as well, with 60 percent of students scoring proficient or advanced. Over the past two years, proficiency levels in
science have increased by more than 15 percentage points, meaning 38,000 more students are
at or above grade level in science.8 While improvements on state assessments are significant,
the state must still address the gap between proficiency on state and national assessments,
which shows a 20-25 point difference between Tennessee’s assessments and the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) exams, which provide a common measure of academic
achievement for all states. The transition to the Common Core State standards will help ensure
consistency across state, national, and international assessments moving forward. (See Chart 2 on op-
NAEP
49.9
47.3
40
30
27
26.5
20
10
0
Reading
Math
In addition to the significant gains in grades 3 through 8, high school students also made progress in 2012.
Achievement increased for most high school end-of-course (EOC) exams. More than half of students taking exams in English I, English II, Algebra I, biology, and history scored proficient or advanced for the
first time since Tennessee began raising its academic standards in 2009.9 The state has also made
important progress in increasing student access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses and improving overall achievement. In 2012, 24,924 students enrolled in an AP course—up from 22,816 in
2011—and 60.4 percent passed the final exam – a 1.8 percentage point increase from the
year before.10 (See Chart 3 on pg 17)
Percent Proficient/advanced
60
49.9
50
47.5
44.8
47.3
41
40
Common Core State Standards
34.6
The Common Core State Standards are a set of English/language arts and mathematics
standards that were developed by state leaders to ensure that every student graduates
high school prepared for college or the workforce, regardless of the state in which they live.
Common Core standards are internationally benchmarked, and are designed to promote
critical thinking and depth of understanding of course content. Page 28 of this report provides more detailed information on the implementation of the new standards in Tennessee.
30
20
10
15
0
2010
2011
2012
16