Interim superintendent presents preliminary TCAP gains and a district academic plan focused on literacy, interventions and staffing

Interim Superintendent Richmond presented preliminary Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) results and an overview of a new academic plan at a Memphis‑Shelby County Schools Board of Education meeting, saying the district saw modest gains in student proficiency across subjects and will push for expanded literacy supports and staffing before the start of the school year.

The presentation, led by Bill White of the district's research, evaluation and accountability and data strategies team and followed by Alicia Kiner, deputy chief academic officer, described the data as "just 1 piece of the puzzle" and repeatedly cautioned that the figures are preliminary and subject to state accountability business rules. "Quite frankly, it's not even a complete piece," White said.

White summarized year‑to‑year proficiency changes the district has observed from 2022 to 2025: math showed the largest reported growth (+8.4 percentage points), science rose by 7.5 points, English language arts (ELA) by 3.2 points and social studies by 4.4 points. Looking at grade bands for 2024 to 2025, White reported elementary (grades 3–5) ELA proficiency rose 2.3 points (26.8% to 29.1%); middle grades (6–8) rose 0.3 points (17.6% to 17.9%); high school (9–12) declined by 0.6 points. Math increased across grade bands to a districtwide 21.2% (from 18.7%). Science moved from 25.7% to 26.7% overall. White stressed these are preliminary proficiency rates the state has released and that the Tennessee Department of Education applies additional accountability filters (for example excluding some alternate assessment scores and students enrolled less than 50% of the year) before publishing final accountability measures.

Richmond told the board the district will continue to press for more timely data from the state. "We do not get the full picture until halfway through the school year," Richmond said, adding that district leaders will keep the public informed about what is available and when. White and Richmond offered a timeline the district expects from the state: school‑level results may be released around Aug. 15 (subject to change), additional TVOS data around Aug. 28, federal priority designations (often called "the list") around Nov. 21, and the remainder of state report card data and school letter grades sometime in December.

Kiner outlined the district's academic plan, describing it as grounded in the instructional core (students, teachers and content) with an added focus on leadership. She summarized five academic priorities that will drive the plan: foundational literacy, high‑quality curriculum, tiered interventions through MTSS, college and career readiness, and job‑embedded professional development with leadership coaching. "This plan is designed to bring clarity and coherence and excellence, to every school, every classroom and every student," Kiner said.

On literacy, Kiner said the district will protect a 45‑minute foundational skills block and a 90‑minute daily literacy block in elementary schools and will align instruction to the science of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension). The presentation named adopted instructional materials and teacher tools and said the district has created lesson plans to help teachers align classroom work to standards and assessments.

Kiner described a four‑tiered intervention system that determines the intensity and frequency of coaching and supports. Under the framework she outlined: some schools or teachers will receive consultant‑level support, others will receive monthly, biweekly or weekly coaching depending on need. Kiner said the district will deploy academic coordinators and coaches to provide planning, side‑by‑side support and feedback rather than one‑time observations.

Board members pressed presenters on several points. Board member Huitt Garcia asked whether current results represent recovery to pre‑pandemic levels; White said he was "hesitant to speak definitively" without further analysis. Board member Williams asked whether curriculum alignment explains the elementary gains; Richmond and Kiner pointed to investments in the pre‑K to Grade 3 continuum, tutoring and curriculum alignment as likely contributors while acknowledging middle‑school and some high‑school areas still need targeted supports. Richmond said the district had not always had formative assessments in high school, limiting real‑time adjustments this past year.

On staffing, Richmond said the district has set a goal to reduce teacher vacancies to fewer than 100 prior to the school year start and pointed to the district's use of an online platform to provide remote coverage when necessary. He said special education and elementary grades are among areas with known vacancies.

Kiner and Richmond said the district will send a draft of the academic plan to all board members as early as the following day and will bring parts of the plan to committee meetings and work sessions each month. Kiner said the full plan runs roughly 180 pages and will be posted for board review; the district also plans to discuss strategic literacy partners, pre‑K through grade 2 work, and career and technical education plans in August.

Both presenters reiterated the provisional nature of the published proficiency rates and asked the public and board to treat the current numbers as an early view rather than final accountability results. Richmond said the district will continue public education about what the TCAP measures and how state and federal accountability timing affects when schools and families receive complete information.

The board conversation closed with several members expressing support for the plan and a request for more frequent, practical benchmarks and reports so the board and public can track progress between now and the 2026 targets.