T he goal
#1 in the Southeast Within Five Years
There are many different ways to measure educational
success. However, no matter what metric one examines,
Tennessee rarely ranks above the national average and
frequently ranks in the bottom quarter of states. Even among states
in the Southeast, Tennessee consistently ranks behind several other
Southeastern states including Kentucky, North Carolina, and Florida.
For example, Tennessee ranks 41st in fourth grade reading and math
scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
while Florida ranks 21st, North Carolina 29th, and Kentucky 32nd.
Similarly, Tennessee ranks 40th in eighth grade reading and math
NAEP scores while North Carolina ranks 30th, Kentucky 33rd, and
Florida 35th.7 When one examines the percent of 18-24 year-olds
enrolled in college, Tennessee ranks 37th while North Carolina ranks
16th, Kentucky 21st, and Florida 32nd.8 Clearly, Tennessee has a long
way to go before it is first in the Southeast.
However, we know Tennessee can get there—and we know Tennessee
can get there within the next five years. The graph below illustrates
the average fourth and eighth grade math and reading NAEP scores.
Over the past 15 years, NAEP has been the only assessment for which
there is reliable longitudinal data that is comparable across states.
As the graph below indicates, in 1992 Tennessee students scored
the same as students in Florida and North Carolina on national
assessments. However, during the 1990s, Florida and North Carolina
experienced explosive gains, while Tennessee’s gains were much more
modest. However, if other states stay on their current trajectories and
Tennessee makes the kind of progress that Florida and North Carolina
made in the 1990s, Tennessee will become #1 in the Southeast within
five years.
Kentucky
North Carolina
Tennessee
South
Carolina
Arkansas
Mississippi
Louisiana
Alabama
Georgia
Florida
Several factors are coming together to create a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity that could lead to unprecedented growth in student
achievement within Tennessee. One of the most important factors
is the Tennessee Diploma Project, which has raised the rigor of our
state’s standards and assessments. Starting with this year’s ninth grade
class, all high school students must complete a more rigorous sequence
of courses in order to graduate, including four years of math and three
NAEP Student Achievement
NAEP Student Achievement
Average of 4th and 8th grade reading and math NAEP scores
Average of 4th and 8th grade reading and math NAEP scores
260
260
255
255
250
250
245
245
240
240
235
235
230
230
225
225
Source: National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). National Assessment of Educational Progress: The Nation’s Report Card. [Data File]. Washington, DC:
National Center for Education Statistics.
8
A ROADMAP TO SUCCESS