NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee students are showing signs of academic progress post-COVID, according to new Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) results released by the TN Department of Education.

The latest results show improvements across all subjects for grades three through eight. Math proficiency levels increased across all grade levels. Overall, proficiency levels ranged from 0.4% to 3.9%, according to the results.

“The students did the work and the teachers did their job," JC Bowman, executive director and CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee, said.

Bowman told News 2 the results reflect a renewed focus on the basics — reading, writing, and arithmetic.

"The big things that we’ve got to focus in on, they’re starting to pay off for Tennessee, and we’re starting to see some of that," Bowman said.

The TCAP is particularly critical for third and fourth-graders thanks to a controversial third-grade retention law that went into effect in 2023. The legislation puts third and fourth-graders who don't score at least proficient on the English Language Arts portion of the test at risk of being held back if they don't complete summer school or receive tutoring.

This year, more third graders passed the ELA section of the TCAP compared to last year. According to the results, 41.7% scored proficient on that portion this year, 0.8 percentage points higher than last year.

In addition, 47.7% of fourth graders scored at least proficient on the ELA portion of the TCAP, and the number of fourth graders who failed that portion was at an all-time low.

Bowman said it's a sign students are bouncing back from COVID, and the state's investments in reading are finally producing results.

“Crissy Haslam, people forget the First Lady at the time, that was her whole eight years as First Lady, was an emphasis on reading," Bowman said. "Dolly Parton with Imagination Library. We have really pushed an emphasis on reading in our state, and I think it’s really starting to pay off.”

Overall, 40.9% of students across all grade levels scored at least proficient in reading, and 39.1% of all students scored proficient in math, according to the results.

However, educators say they won't stop working until every student passes the test.

“Today, I'm optimistic. I think we have to have more discussions on testing. The question still becomes, 'Are we doing it right? Can we make adjustments to do adaptable testing; adjust where the kids are?" Bowman said. "While I think growth is important and proficiency is important, both are really critical to measures, so I think it’s an important fact to keep it going.” 

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-news/tcap-results-tn-students-show-improvements/