[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6334797,"mediaKeyId","2294220-829d7f367507016884128740aeac2a8e","parentId",2294220,"title","SCORE: Tennessee Climbs NAEP Rankings but Proficiency Rates remain Low; Gaps Persist for Economically Disadvantaged Students","audioSeconds",3324,"startMs",659000,"endMs",3983000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2294220-829d7f367507016884128740aeac2a8e&start=659&end=3983","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2294220-829d7f367507016884128740aeac2a8e/thumbnail_659000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6334797/Tennessee/SCORE-Tennessee-Climbs-NAEP-Rankings-but-Proficiency-Rates-remain-Low-Gaps-Persist-for-Economically-Disadvantaged-Students","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6334797-409309a5a9e37eac24fd06bd4058abfa/orig.mp4?Expires=1771109097&Signature=bgBUXQAR8wOst-EFp9JclRWikVZ6cYXET0o12hZJGUXdTA82IpuCNdLXiJsccUWFbkxRUPgTTELBmSTweoXIvRtjI4snnTw-OOwTmxr4A8rrkOAx~9v8etq0L-jhpvRskxf0wbJkJUm6ZozYo446D5pylxuxXEJckd7H1gIIJjvJG9vcFgd9ELqhsdosRAZhwu6m4GJwZHyyfc01SNo4hb6qXrycMLNaiooYP9sKEqV23wj6gJJf89O1CoT~C3dbCSX3G3B9pz3enkiLo~5dlcLn-8w4MeLGpNrbTlt3KaGfApJ1KeWrMsHLOq3D9FK-HNNqiGVfpRvGwFUrTJogdg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Tennessee House of Representatives","date","2025-02-12T23:41:05Z","article","During a meeting of the House Education Full Committee, SCORE (the State Collaborative on Reforming Education) presented analysis of the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress and outlined state-level goals to raise proficiency by 2030.

\"For the first time, Tennessee has surpassed the national average across all four assessments,\" said Aliyah Guthrie, vice president of policy and government relations at SCORE, summarizing statewide results reported from NAEP testing conducted January–March 2024. Alexis Parker, SCORE’s director of data, walked the committee through scale scores and state rankings, saying Tennessee ranks in the top 25 in all four NAEP subjects and hit a high watermark at No. 13 for 4th-grade math.

The nut graf: the results show both measurable recovery after pandemic declines and continuing shortfalls. SCORE credited a decade of policy changes — more rigorous standards, alignment of TCAP assessments to those standards, increased teacher feedback, and targeted use of federal recovery funds — for much of the state’s gains. But presenters stressed that statewide proficiency remains low: \"Today, only about 1 in 3 Tennessee public K–12 students are proficient across grades and subjects,\" Guthrie said.

Key facts and context

- NAEP testing window: January–March 2024. NAEP is a national measure that allows comparison across states. SCORE emphasized NAEP as a cross‑state benchmark rather than a classroom diagnostic.

- Gains and rankings: SCORE reported Tennessee showed growth in 4th- and 8th-grade reading and math while many states stagnated or declined; Tennessee ranks among the fastest-recovering states since 2022 and, by some measures, is first in 8th-grade math improvement.

- Student-group results: Parker highlighted pronounced gains for Black students, noting Tennessee ranks first nationally in 8th-grade math for Black students by scale score. SCORE also reported stagnation for Hispanic students in some measures and limited progress overall for economically disadvantaged students; the gap between economically disadvantaged and non-economically disadvantaged students remains large (SCORE cited a gap of more than 20 scale points).

- Policy context: Guthrie and Parker attributed improvement to statewide policy changes over the last decade, including revised academic standards, aligned annual TCAP assessments, strengthened teacher feedback systems, and targeted uses of ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds and other supports.

Goals and recommendations

SCORE presented an aspirational, achievable framing: if each classroom produced one additional proficient student per year, Tennessee could reach ambitious 2030 targets. Examples SCORE gave (methodology based on TCAP classroom counts): third-grade ELA proficiency could increase from roughly 41% to about 71%; seventh-grade math from about 38% to roughly 58%; postsecondary enrollment from about 57% to about 77%; and on-time postsecondary completion from 44% to about 64% with 75% of credentials aligned to high-wage, high-demand careers.

Committee questions and discussion

Committee members asked about accountability and measurement for students participating in private-school programs that receive public dollars. Guthrie said private school students can appear in NAEP samples nationally but that NAEP does not provide state-level scores for private schools because samples are too small; she added SCORE’s work focuses on public-school results (TCAP and NAEP) and that reporting for new programs will require monitoring as data become available.

Members also pressed for ideas to strengthen the teacher pipeline and reduce teacher turnover. Guthrie noted SCORE’s work on teacher scholarships and preparation—\"a scholarship for teachers, for future teachers\"—and emphasized supports that reduce non-instructional burdens on classroom teachers, plus use of high-quality instructional materials and targeted professional development.

What SCORE did not claim: SCORE did not present direct causal proof that any single policy produced the gains. Presenters described a package of reforms and investments they said together correlated with improvements; they also warned that proficiency rates remain well below levels needed to ensure broad economic opportunity.

Ending

SCORE recommended continued investment in instructional supports, teacher recruitment and retention, and attention to subgroup gaps — especially economically disadvantaged students and Hispanic students where gains lagged. \"We want to celebrate, and also we should not let up,\" Guthrie said, urging the committee to maintain focus on both statewide metrics and classroom-level practice.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Education Committee- February 11, 2025- House Hearing Room 1","oneSentenceSummary","During a meeting of the House Education Full Committee, SCORE (the State Collaborative on Reforming Education) presented analysis of the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress and outlined state-level goals to raise proficiency by 2030.","taxTitle","Education, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Tennessee","taxId",78388,"location","Tennessee","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6334791,"Fisk University President Briefs House Education Committee on Institution’s History, Enrollment and Community Impact",4249,164000,4413000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2294220-829d7f367507016884128740aeac2a8e&start=164&end=4413","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2294220-829d7f367507016884128740aeac2a8e/thumbnail_164000.jpg","/articles/6334791/Tennessee/Fisk-University-President-Briefs-House-Education-Committee-on-Institutions-History-Enrollment-and-Community-Impact","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6334791-f2cb25552f7e2c1c8eef3e93b6e4c9ea/orig.mp4?Expires=1771109097&Signature=onWVCmVDNUVvjIaT4Rl1kE2Y16W--dWhY51mUYH2pLsr2x39TcpDhFUwmX42K5fVZDyf7AW~QBNpdUaAuwIvDRSIhmYXuOHTYPyrJqTDvkWOfEgkZ-CqguR~-0oHh2GeqETsJcnKhIcs0961OO~nk8llmE5y8ZPm5UW6PaKnoSIo4LF2KmmA-K-V95O7jT6XhYNW~JQdqVFNNpAIsobielx8e9a3cx6W~YKIGSnzhbR9Nrsan06uqKTk742uFfYxmxiOl-B2u5VNuzB-eBt07GJUmpjcR65S25ICnJDYCzrIPuDxIOkHitWLtJm7ouVy~FgU1Vw8ufnvnIFGgw5IvA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dr. Eugenia Walker Clark, president of Fisk University, addressed the House Education Full Committee and offered a brief history of the university and a snapshot of its current enrollment and community role.

\"Fisk came onto the scene in 1865,\" Clark said, tracing the university’s origins and its early role in Nashville’s development as a center for higher education and music. She told the committee Fisk was chartered \"to serve all\" and remains accredited as a higher-education institution.

Clark said Fisk serves about 1,000 students and employs more than 200 faculty and staff. \"Fisk is proud to have more than $7,000,000 of economic impact in our community,\" she said, and added that more than 90% of Fisk students receive financial aid and more than 60% are Pell-eligible. Clark also highlighted historical points, including the Fisk Jubilee Singers’ long-running performance tradition and a post-Reconstruction arrangement in which the state land-grant institution (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) paid Fisk to enroll some African American students under state scholarships beginning in 1881.

Why it matters

Fisk is an historically Black university whose career-long alumni and cultural programs (notably the Fisk Jubilee Singers) have been part of Nashville’s identity and workforce pipeline. Clark framed the university’s work as contributing both to local economic activity and to broader educational access, particularly for students who rely on financial aid.

Details and next steps

Clark invited committee members and staff to a performance by the Fisk Jubilee Singers during the day’s events; later in the session a committee member confirmed the group would perform in Room 8C in the afternoon. Clark said Fisk continues to emphasize access and community impact while preserving historical buildings and traditions.

Ending

The committee recognized Fisk’s history and contributions; Clark and Wendy Thompson, Fisk’s vice president and chief of staff, accepted members’ thanks and encouraged further engagement with the university’s students and programs.

","Fisk University president Dr. Eugenia Walker Clark and Vice President Wendy Thompson addressed the House Education Full Committee, recounting Fisk’s founding, its historical role in Nashville and details about current enrollment, student financial aid and the Fisk Jubilee Singers’ ongoing role in the university’s identity.","actionData","errors"]

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SCORE: Tennessee Climbs NAEP Rankings but Proficiency Rates remain Low; Gaps Persist for Economically Disadvantaged Students

Fisk University President Briefs House Education Committee on Institution’s History, Enrollment and Community Impact