2013-14 State of Education in Tennessee Executive Summary
Executive Summary
F
rom parents to policymakers, Tennesseans’ continued focus on
improving public education is helping ensure students have the best
opportunities and brightest futures. While 2013 was, in many ways, a
banner year for education in the state, Tennessee is at a unique crossroad.
Tennessee’s commitment to improved student achievement
– in leadership, policy, and practice – has led to strong early
gains for students. Nearly 10,000 more Tennessee students
are proficient in Algebra II since 2011, the year that subject
became a requirement for high school graduation. Since 2010,
an additional 73,000 students in grades 3-8 are proficient in
math and an additional 91,000 students are proficient in
K-12 math.i Importantly, Tennessee reached a significant
milestone in 2013. According to the National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) — also known as the Nation’s
Report Card — Tennessee is the fastest-improving state in
the nation in terms of student achievement outcomes across
fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math, following only
the District of Columbia.
below and discussed in detail throughout this report:
1. Maintaining a commitment to rigorous standards
and assessments
2. Strengthening schools through effective leadership
3. Expanding student access to great teaching
4. Investing in technology to enhance instruction
5. Supporting students from kindergarten to career
Tennessee needs to maintain its commitment to rigorous
standards and authentic assessments to ensure that students
are educated in a way that prepares them for the demands of
college and the workforce, both today and in the future. Tennessee’s Common Core State Standards are intended to ensure
that instruction in classrooms is providing students with the
real-world skills needed to succeed in higher education and the
workforce, and Tennessee must continue the implementation
of these standards. In addition, Tennessee must continue its
commitment to implementing the PARCC assessments to ensure that school districts have high-quality assessments that
can measure student learning with the Common Core State
Standards. Citizens, particularly parents, need to be fully informed about Tennessee’s Common Core State Standards and
the aligned assessments through PARCC. It will continue to be
important to enlist the support of various partners, including
business, education, civic, and faith based leaders, to maintain
the state’s commitment to preparing our students for their
future. As Tennessee moves forward in implementing more
rigorous standards, a solid foundation in literacy will help student learning across all subjects. Recent results on Tennessee
state assessments show that student progress in reading has
not been strong. Tennessee’s Common Core State Standards
provide demanding and rigorous expectations in reading
and math. Tennessee must focus not only on implementing
the standards themselves but also on proven, research-based
strategies that will increase literacy for all students, including
English-language learners.
However, work remains to continue on the path that will
help all students graduate with the skills and knowledge
they need to be competitive with their peers across the state,
country, and globe. Data from both national and international assessments show that Tennessee students are significantly behind their peers in academic performance. On the ACT,
only 18 percent of all Tennessee students, and 15 percent of
public school students, graduating in 2013 met all four college readiness benchmarks (an indication of success in college-level coursework). Tennessee ranks 13th out of 17 states
in which more than 75 percent of high school students take
the ACT.ii And while Tennessee made significant gains on
NAEP between 2011 and 2013, state scores are still below the
national average. On international assessments, Tennessee
ranks 67th in reading and 80th in math out of 116 countries
and U.S. states.iii
While challenges exist, the recent progress that Tennessee
students have shown on both state and national assessments
are proof points of what they are capable of achieving. It is
important to continue to build on this success by accelerating academic gains for students, while staying committed to
student-centered decision-making at the school, local, and
state level. The 2013-2014 State of Education in Tennessee report provides an update on the efforts that have helped our
students make significant progress, as well as the opportunities for improvement in five key areas that are crucial to Tennessee’s work to improve student achievement in the year
ahead. Each of these priority areas are highlighted briefly
Strengthening schools through effective leadership will help
Tennessee continue to implement student-centered initiatives, including efforts to identify and support effective
teaching. Tennessee’s school principals have vital roles in
improving student achievement, but the work to ensure all
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