NATIONAL ASSESSMENTS
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is currently the only consistent measure to compare
student achievement in fourth and eighth grades across all states. In 2013, Tennessee students surpassed their
peers across the country in overall gains on national math and reading tests, making Tennessee the fastest
improving state in the nation, with only the District of Columbia having slightly greater overall gains. The charts
below illustrate the gains on the biannual exam that Tennessee made between 2011 and 2015 in terms of both
scores and the percent of students proficient or advanced by subject and grade. For the first time, this year
Tennessee students scored in the top half of test-takers in grade 4 math. Students also continued NAEP gains in
eighth-grade math and reading. In fourth-grade reading, however, Tennessee students fell five rankings, reflecting
the state’s ongoing need to address early grades literacy.
Tennessee’s National Ranking on the NAEP
Math and Reading Exams, 2011-15
Math
Reading
4th Grade
8th Grade
4th Grade
8th Grade
2011 Ranking
46th
45th
41st
41st
2013 Ranking
37th
43rd
31st
34th
2015 Ranking
25th
37th
36th
30th
TENNESSEE NAEP PROFICIENCY RATES 2011-15
Percentages of Tennessee NAEP Test-Takers Scoring Proficient or Advanced by Subject Area
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
30
40
41
24
27
29
26
34
34
33
27
33
20
10
0
4th Grade Math
8th Grade Math
4th Grade Reading
8th Grade Reading
2011
73
2013
2015