State Board hears 2024–25 TCAP results showing statewide gains, notable middle-school improvements

The Tennessee Department of Education reported year‑over‑year gains across the 2024–25 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP), with officials telling the State Board of Education that most tests in the 33‑measure portfolio improved and that middle‑school scores showed particular progress.

Department officials said the results matter because they suggest early‑grade gains are persisting into upper elementary and middle grades. “We now see significant performance improvement. Some of the biggest gains that we see are in sixth grade this year,” David Laird, assistant commissioner for assessment, accountability and research, said during the July workshop.

Laird told board members the department tracked 33 data points across four subjects and up to 10 testable grades and described administration of TCAP as “an incredibly large endeavor.” He said English language arts (ELA) statewide proficiency reached 40.9% this year, a year‑to‑year increase of nearly 2 percentage points and an 11.3‑point gain since 2021. Justin Keeney, a department data analyst, reported math proficiency rose to 39.1% (a 2.4‑point increase year over year) and said elementary and middle grades showed steady gains.

The department emphasized caveats when comparing years: standards revisions require test redesigns for some courses. Laird noted that high‑school math standards changed for 2024, producing a different test and complicating direct year‑to‑year comparisons for those courses. “If you compare ’23 performance to ’24 performance, you’re truly comparing the performance of two different tests,” he said.

Board members asked about causes and durability of the improvements. Several, including Dr. Morrison and Miss Maxwell, connected the upward movement in early grades to sustained investment in early‑literacy programs, professional development and standards‑aligned instructional materials. Christy Brown of the department said districts are pursuing networks and professional learning focused on adolescent literacy to support students as they enter middle school. Laird and Keeney cautioned that cohort‑level tracking (following the same students over time) would be a more definitive way to judge whether early‑grade gains produce longer‑term effects, and the department said it plans further analysis.

Keeney highlighted subgroup gaps that persist: economically disadvantaged students, English learners and students with disabilities continue to trail statewide proficiency rates (the department reported ELA proficiency of 23.8% for economically disadvantaged students, 17.5% for English learners and 9.6% for students with disabilities). Board members and staff discussed how district‑level variations, staffing, and counseling/connective supports may affect whether gains are broadly shared.

Department officials closed by noting science assessments will undergo standards and assessment redesign next summer, which will delay some score reporting while new tests are developed. The department asked board members to observe standard‑setting work and said it would continue to release technical documentation to support interpretation of trends.

Board response and next steps: members praised departmental work and the clarity of documentation, urged continued cohort analysis and called for more localized breakdowns (by district and by locale) so trustees and superintendents can target supports. The department said district‑level and locale disaggregations are available on its assessment dashboard and that it will continue outreach to interpret results for local leaders.