TN high school English test scores up; math no so much

Based on test scores released Wednesday, Chalkbeat Tennessee reports that it appears school districts across Tennessee are slowly adapting to the state’s new, more difficult tests for high schoolers.

Three out of every four districts saw English proficiency rise this year, while less than half saw the same trend in math in the second year of TNReady, the state’s new standardized test.

The news was better for the students who struggled the most. Nearly every district reduced the percentage of high school students scoring in the bottom category in English, and about two-thirds did the same in math.

The results provided the first look at whether districts are on track, after scores plummeted last year under the new test. This year, Tennessee logged modest gains statewide, though most students continue to fall far below grade level, especially in math.

Education Commissioner Candice McQueen called the results “encouraging,” even as she cautioned that more substantial improvements will take time. Under TNReady, the goal is to provide a more accurate picture of student performance, in alignment with national tests that show Tennessee is on the rise but still trails much of the nation.

“We are committed to holding all of our students to high expectations while supporting them on the path to get there,” she said in a statement.

To do that, the state has raised its academic standards and developed a test that officials say is harder to game.

The high school scores are the first being released this year. Scores for students in grades 3-8, which took TNReady for the first time this year, come out in the fall. Preliminary data shows that, as expected, those scores dropped.

Note: The Department of Education press release is HERE, with a link to an Excel spreadsheet giving district-by-district results. Chalkbeat has set up a somewhat easier to read and more user-friendly option for looking up a district’s results that accompanies the article at the link above.