Tennessee students still aren’t completely back to pre-pandemic levels on the Nation’s Report Card but they’re beating the national average
Students in a classroom (Photo by NAEP)
Wednesday morning’s release of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test scores show Tennessee students are outperforming their peers across the country in both math and reading.
The NAEP test, frequently called the Nation’s Report Card, is given to select fourth and eighth-grade students across the country every two years to measure their math and reading proficiency and Tennessee students outperformed the NAEP national average for proficiency in both subjects for both grades.
Researchers with the State Collaborative on Education and Reform (SCORE) found this is the first time that’s happened and the first time Tennessee is listed among the top 25 states on the NAEP. Tennessee students have largely been below the national average in both math and reading going back to 2003, with the exception of 2015, when fourth-graders exceeded the national average in math and eighth-graders exceeded it in reading. Tennessee still ranked below the national average in fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math that year.
This year’s most notable improvements came in math where fourth-graders raised their proficiency by 6 points to 42 percent, top ten in the country. Eighth-graders raised their math proficiency by 7 points to 31 percent.
Graphic by NAEP
Graphic by NAEP
“I never cease to be amazed by the resilience of Tennessee’s educators and how they continue to be relentlessly focused on improving student outcomes, as seen by the 2024 NAEP results,” said Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds. “While we know there is still much work to do, we are thankful for historic investments by Governor Lee and the General Assembly, and we appreciate the continued work of district leaders and educators to implement the right interventions and supports to continue moving our students forward.”
In reading, fourth-graders saw a 2-point proficiency increase on the NAEP to 32 percent while eighth-graders raised their proficiency 4 points to 32 percent.
Graphic by NAEP
Graphic by NAEP
Education advocacy organization Tennesseans for Student Success (TSS) attributed the state’s NAEP growth to education reforms passed in recent years and legislative “commitment” to high academic standards.
"This year's NAEP scores show the real impact Tennessee's investments in literacy, tutoring, school funding, and high academic standards are making in the lives of students," said TSS President and CEO Lana Skelo. "While other states are still trying to fully recover from pandemic related academic losses, Tennessee students have exceeded proficiency rates from 2019 in 4th grade math and outperformed the national average for both math and reading in 4th and 8th grade. This invaluable assessment data should serve as a signal for the 114th General Assembly to build upon the student-focused education reforms that have helped Tennessee buck negative national trends and resist any effort to lower academic standards and school accountability. When the future of one million Tennessee public school students is on the line, we must prioritize measurement over political convenience."
The Tennessee Firefly is a product of and supported by Tennesseans for Student Success.
The U.S. first began testing students through NAEP in 1969. The test involves a selected sample of schools that reflect the varying demographics of each state. Within each school, students are chosen at random. Approximately 112,700 fourth-graders from approximately 5,770 schools and 111,300 eighth-graders from approximately 5,170 schools participated in the test administered between January and March of 2024.
