Analysis: NAEP results prove Tennessee's strategic investments in literacy, funding, instruction, and standards made a real impact

Graphic by NAEP

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a congressionally mandated program that is overseen by the National Center for Education Statistics within the U.S. Department of Education and provides important data about student achievement and progress nationally, in each state, and in 27 large urban districts.  

NAEP is considered The Nation’s Report Card and biannually conducts assessments for a representative sample of student performance in fourth, eighth, and twelfth grades across subject areas. NAEP performance is measured both as average scores on a subject scale, and percentages of students attaining NAEP achievement levels of Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. It should be mentioned that NAEP achievement does not represent grade level proficiency as measured by state or other assessments. NAEP Proficient is the metric most commonly used to measure trends in progress as students scoring at least Proficient demonstrate “solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter”.  

Assessments conducted in 2024 were the second set of post-pandemic assessments conducted, and nationally students showed progress compared to 2022 proficiency levels but remained below 2019 levels on average (assessments were deferred from 2021 to 2022, resulting in a 3-year gap between assessments during the pandemic).  

In reading, thirty-one percent of fourth-grade students nationally performed at or above Proficient, a 2-point decrease in proficiency from 2022, and 4 points below 2019 proficiency rates. For eighth graders assessed, thirty percent of students scored at or above Proficient, a decrease of 2 points from 2022, and 5 points below 2019 rates. Decreasing scores were statistically significant for fourth and eighth grade reading for students scoring in the 10th percentile, 25th percentile, and 50th percentile, as well as the 75th percentile in fourth grade, with historic percentages of students scoring below Basic signaling a widening gap between the lowest and highest-performers and illustrating the critical need to think about strategic ways to bolster growth for students significantly behind proficiency.  

While reading scores were more troubling than math scores, achievement gaps between students scoring at the 90th percentile and those scoring at the 10th percentile continue to widen for both fourth and 8th graders. Nationally in math, thirty-nine percent of fourth-graders were at or above Proficient, a 3-point increase from 2022 levels, but still 2 points lower than in 2019. Twenty-four percent of fourth-graders scored below Basic, a decrease of 1 point from 2022 levels, though this is still 5 points higher than the percentage of students scoring below Basic in 2019. The average score for fourth grade was 2 points higher than 2022, with score increases driven by higher-performing students. There was no score change for students at the 10th and 25th percentiles. Twenty-eight percent of eighth-graders scored at or above Proficient in 2024, 2 points higher than 2022 but still 6 points lower than 2019. Thirty-nine percent of eighth-graders scored below Basic, a 1-point increase in share of students in the lowest achieving student group, and 8 points higher than 2019, showing a continued lack of pandemic recovery for eighth-grade math amongst the lowest achieving students. Average scores for eighth grade was not significantly different in 2024 compared to 2022, but remains 8 points below 2019 averages. Again, this is driven by score increases for higher-performing students and score decreases for lower-performing students, resulting in widening gaps. Addressing foundational numeracy for students must be a policy priority moving forward to reverse the increasing achievement gap and support lower-performing students and schools.  

Overall national trends demonstrate the critical need to think strategically about investments in high-quality instructional materials, curriculum and instruction, and aligned assessments that can measure progress and work towards continued, intensified growth for students.

While national trends and proficiency results are quite sobering, Tennessee has tempered some of the declines through intentional investments in high standards, quality-instruction, and strong assessment requirements. In fourth-grade reading, Tennessee average scores increased from 2022 to 2024 and outpaced national averages, with the percentage of students scoring at or above Proficient improving 2 percent. While this growth is indicative of the strong work being done in classrooms across the state, thirty-nine percent of Tennessee fourth-graders remain below Basic, an increase from thirty-four percent of fourth-graders in 2019. Similarly for eighth-grade reading, Tennessee average scores improved from 2022 but remain below 2019 levels. Thirty-one percent of eighth-graders scored at or above Proficient in 2024, compared to twenty-nine percent nationally, and up from twenty-eight percent of Tennessee eighth-graders at or above Proficient in 2022. When looking at student sub-groups, Tennessee posted significant improvements in proficiency rates for English Learners, with an average score increase of fifteen points from 2022-2024, and an increase of one point each for economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities while national average scores declined in each of those three subgroups. Tennessee’s commitment to accountability for all students is delivering results, but there is more to be done to ensure that each student has the opportunities and supports needed to thrive in the classroom and in the workforce.

As with Tennessee’s reading improvements, Tennessee’s math performance outpaced national averages and rebounded to 2019 levels in overall scores for fourth-graders. In 2024 forty-two percent of fourth-graders performed at or above Proficient in fourth-grade math, an increase of six percent from 2022 levels, and a two percent improvement from 2019 levels of proficiency, with average scores increasing by four points from 2022 to mirror 2019 score averages. Within subgroups, English Learners saw the most drastic improvements in average score, with an average increase of 11 points in fourth-grade math. Economically disadvantaged students saw an average score increase of four points, while students with disabilities had an average score decrease of two points. Math scores for eighth-graders were similarly improved, with an overall average score improvement of four points from 2022, though average scores remain four points below 2019 levels. Thirty-one percent of Tennessee eighth- graders scored at or above Proficient in 2024, six percent higher than proficiency rates in 2022 and mirroring proficiency rates in 2019. English Learners saw the most significant average score improvement of Tennessee’s measured subgroups, improving an average of 13 points in eighth-grade math.

 In total, Tennessee students performed above national averages in both fourth and eighth grade, and in both reading and math. These results, while still showing room for improvement, particularly for the lowest performing subgroups of students, prove that the strategic investments that Tennessee has made in literacy, funding, instruction, and standards make real impacts for students. It is incumbent on all Tennesseans to ensure that students are prepared and able to thrive so that our great state can continue to flourish. NAEP is a snapshot of where our students are, but it is up to us to answer the question of where we go from here, and examining what is already working to expand upon our progress is a good start.

Meredith McGann is the Director of Policy and Outreach for Tennesseans for Student Success. The Tennessee Firefly is a product of and supported by Tennesseans for Student Success.