Recent data from the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission (TPCSC) suggests that more work needs to be done to increase English language arts and math proficiency rates within the charter district.¶
TPCSC Executive Director Tess Stovall said during Wednesday’s TPCSC School Performance and Accountability meeting that the commission’s district did not meet its targets in terms of English Language Arts proficiency in the 2023-24 school year. She said that less than 28 percent of third-grade students in the commission’s district scored proficient on the ELA portion of the most recent Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) exam, adding that the district plans to reach 70 percent proficiency by 2030.¶
However, she said the commission’s recent Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) accountability report showed that TPCSC schools in 2022-23 and 2023-24 recorded significant improvements in third and fourth grade ELA proficiency rates, demonstrating that additional supports for students are leading to increases in proficiency.¶
“The commission did not meet our intended target for third grade proficiency for [2023-24], however, we did see significant growth, as we've discussed in July, between our third and fourth grade cohort. This is showing us that the targeted supports and interventions that schools are using, particularly for third and fourth grade, are really making a difference,” she said.¶
Similarly in math, Stovall said, the commission’s district also fell short of its proficiency goals. The commission also hopes to reach 70 percent proficiency in math by 2030, according to documents provided by the commission.¶
Despite falling short of some targets, Stovall noted that a majority of the commission’s schools “are meeting or exceeding” overall academic performance when compared to their geographical neighbors. ¶
She said preliminary data from the Tennessee Department of Education estimates that about 75 percent of schools met their standards in terms of comparative performance in 2023-24, adding that the commission hopes to reach 100 percent by 2026.¶
“While of course we want to see continued growth and proficiency, we also want to be making sure that our schools are a high-quality option compared to the schools surrounding them,” she said. “We are really pleased by this initial percentage.”¶
