Like many, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the results of this year’s Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP); but remember, schools that consistently perform very well can get dinged on “value-added” measurements simply because there’s not much room to go up. It’s complicated, but the bottom line is that today’s news is good.

Here’s the press release from Governor Haslam’s office:

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and State Education Commissioner Kevin
Huffman today announced that statewide student performance on the 2012 Tennessee
Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) improved for the second year in a row, as the state
continues to push toward academic achievement through its First to the Top education reforms.

Students reached higher levels of proficiency in 23 of 24 TCAP achievement tests in grades three
through eight. Achievement also increased on most high school “End of Course” exams.

“The continued success of students is a testament to how much work Tennessee teachers have
done in the classroom,” Haslam said during the event at West End Middle School in Nashville.
“We’re so proud of our students, teachers and parents for supporting statewide efforts to improve
education, and it is exciting to see gains for a second year in a row.”

TCAP results show that after two years of steady increases, half of students in grades three
through eight were reading at grade level or above during the 2011-12 school year.

Additionally, 47 percent of students scored proficient or advanced in math — about 55,000 more
than were on grade level two years ago. More than 60 percent of students were proficient or
advanced in science — 38,000 more students than in 2010.

In high school, more than half of students scored proficient or advanced in English I, English II,
Algebra I, biology and history for the first time since Tennessee raised its standards three years
ago.

“The growth we’ve seen on statewide assessments over the past two years is an impressive start,
and shows that we are on the right track,” Huffman said. “But we still have considerable work to
do to improve student outcomes and narrow the educational gaps that exist in our schools. For
now, we celebrate this success, as it gives us the encouragement we need to press forward with
the hard work ahead.”

To improve the quality of education in Tennessee, TCAP Achievement tests and End of Course
exams became aligned with more strategic and rigorous standards in 2009, a result of the
Tennessee Diploma Project. In the face of higher standards, students have demonstrated growth
on the assessments each year as Tennessee strives to become the fastest-improving state
educational system in the nation.

The governor and commissioner were joined for the announcement by House Speaker Beth
Harwell (R-Nashville) and Senate Education Committee Chairman Dolores Gresham (R-
Somerville).