New research on the 2026 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) found that troubling gaps remain for students from lower-income backgrounds.¶
Education organization Tennessee SCORE found that the gap between economically disadvantaged (ED) students and non-ED students has not closed over the past five years. The gap between ED and non-ED proficiency rates has remained at 23.4 percentage points in English-Language Arts (ELA) and has slightly increased to 25.3 percentage points in math.¶
What The Data Shows
ED students’ proficiency in ELA rose 4.2 percent from 2022 to 2026, just above the 4.1 percent rate at which non-ED students improved. In math, ED students had a more dramatic rise of 7 percent from 2022 to 2026, while non-ED students improved by 7.6 percent.¶
According to SCORE’s report, ED students were twice as likely to be in the lowest ELA performance category compared to their non-ED peers (33.3 percent vs. 16.6 percent), and in math, ED students were three times less likely to be in the highest performance category compared to non-ED students (4.7 percent vs. 17.5 percent).¶
SCORE’s report includes a statement calling for more work to be done in order to ensure sufficient student growth over time.¶
“Strong policy and consistent implementation are helping more students reach proficiency,” the report states. “At the same time, proficiency is still too low for too many students, persistent gaps remain, and improved outcomes are not yet reaching every student. Tennessee must use this moment to sharpen our sense of focus and urgency.”¶
