Introduction
Over the past several years, results from national assessments and reports revealed that Tennessee was failing to prepare
students for success after high school. In 2007, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Leaders & Laggards report gave Tennessee
an “F” for truth in advertising about student proficiency levels. While Tennessee reported that over 90 percent of students in
grades 3-8 were proficient in math and reading, less than 30 percent of fourth-graders and eighth-graders in Tennessee were
proficient on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).1 Table 1 illustrates the vast difference between the
percentage of students reported to be proficient in math and reading on Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program
(TCAP) tests and on NAEP in 2007:
Tennessee’s “F” for Truth Advertising in 2007
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
4th Grade Math
8th Grade Math
% of students proficient or advanced on TCAP
4th Grade Reading
8th Grade Reading
% of students proficient or advanced on NAEP
Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce (2007) Leaders and Laggards: A State-by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness
Table 1
The National Center for Education Statistics published a report that found Tennessee’s math and reading proficiency standards in 2007 to be far below the “basic” level of proficiency set on NAEP.2 Further, Tennessee’s proficiency standards were
the lowest in the country in eighth-grade reading, fourth-grade math, and eighth-grade math.3
These reports revealed that states were adopting proficiency standards for math and English language arts that were vastly inconsistent and, in some cases, exceptionally low. For Tennessee, these reports indicated that achieving proficiency on
Tennessee standards and assessments did not necessarily mean students would exit high school prepared for college or to
compete in the global workforce.
Tennessee’s “F” for truth in advertising about student proficiency levels spurred collaborative action. In 2007, the state began
developing the Tennessee Diploma Project standards, a set of academic standards more closely aligned with the skills and
knowledge students needed to succeed in college and career. In 2008, the State Board of Education passed these new, more
rigorous standards, indicating a new focus on college and career readiness.4
2