INTRODUCTION:
In 2013, Tennessee reached an important milestone, becoming the fastest-improving state in the nation in fourth and eighth-grade math and reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP), following only the District of Columbia.6 In 2014, Tennessee also saw improvements in student
ACT scores, with composite scores increasing from a 19.5 to a 19.8. Tennessee students, alongside students in Kentucky and Wyoming, showed the largest growth among the 12 states that require all students to take the ACT.7 These data serve as early indicators of the impact the collaborative efforts of
students, parents, teachers, school and district leaders, and state policymakers are having on student
learning in Tennessee.
Beginning with the State Board of Education’s approval of
the Tennessee Diploma Project Standards in 2008 and the
passage of the First to the Top Act in 2010, Tennessee implemented a series of programs and policies collectively aimed
at preparing Tennessee students for success in college and
career. As Tennessee works to maintain this impressive rate
of student growth, it is important to recognize and scale up
best practices, acknowledge the challenges still faced in
classrooms across the state, and identify innovative solutions to persistent problems.
Since 2009, SCORE has published an annual report on the
state of education in Tennessee. These reports provide
an update on the work taking place to improve student
achievement in Tennessee, highlighting successes and
challenges faced over the past year and setting education
priorities for the coming year. These priorities are developed collaboratively through conversations with teachers,
principals, district leaders, business leaders, policymakers,
and state-level education leaders. The recommendations
set forth in each of these priorities intend to guide the work
of education partners in Tennessee in the coming year, all
with the ultimate goal of improved learning for all students.
This report is informed first and foremost through conversations with teachers and principals across the state,
highlighting both successes and challenges faced on the
ground in Tennessee classrooms. SCORE also gathers information through one-on-one interviews with district
leaders and state-level education leaders, and looks to
other states, national education partners, and research for
evidence-based best practices that can inform solutions
in Tennessee. In addition to policy research, legislative research, and research on best practices in education, this
report reflects information gathered through:
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21 focus groups with over 130 teachers and principals in 8 different cities across the state.
7 in-depth interviews with over 20 district leaders.
9 in-depth interviews with state-level leaders in education.
5 in-depth interviews with national education partners.
Results from a survey of 45 Tennessee superintendents.
SCORE’s 2013-14 State of Education in Tennessee report set
forth the following education priorities for the state:
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Maintaining a commitment to rigorous standards and assessments
Strengthening schools through effective leadership
Expanding student access to great teaching
Investing in technology to enhance instruction
Supporting students from kindergarten to career
Over the past year, Tennessee made notable progress in
many of these priority areas. An overview of this progress is
provided below and is highlighted in detail throughout this
report.
Maintaining a Commitment to Rigorous Standards and Assessments: The continued and expanded implementation of
Tennessee’s State Standards for English Language Arts and
Math has led to improved instruction and student learning in many classrooms across the state.8 The Tennessee
Department of Education provided teachers with access
to professional learning opportunities on these standards,
equipping teachers with a better understanding of the standards and the instructional shifts necessary to improve students’ mastery of the standards.9 Since 2012, the Tennessee
Department of Education has trained over 63,000 teachers
on the new standards.10
While these are notable areas of improvement, the delayed
implementation of an aligned, college and career ready assessment was a significant setback for students and educators across the state. New standards set higher expectations for what students should know and be able to do, but
aligned assessments make those expectations concrete,
establishing measurable goals for teachers and students
to work toward. Tennessee’s continued implementation of
Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) assessments that are not fully aligned with academic standards in English language arts and math sent mixed ͥ