FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 9, 2025
Media Contact
Breana Staten, TNMedia@edtrust.org
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Yesterday, the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) scores, intended to assess student achievement, were released by the Tennessee Department of Education. The improvement in TCAP proficiency scores demonstrates a positive trajectory, but we need sustained and increased investment to ensure all students are able to succeed.
“Tennessee students are making progress, but deep gaps by race and income remain,” said Alexza Barajas Clark, Executive Director at EdTrust-Tennessee. “These gains follow historic investments Tennesseans have made in public education over the last two years through the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) funding formula and reflect the hard work of students and educators using evidence-based strategies — and now we must double down on what works to ensure every child can reach their full potential.”
Highlights of the release include:
- English Language Arts proficiency continues relatively steady growth. The percentage of students at the lowest level of proficiency in 4th grade has been decreasing since pre-pandemic scores. 7th grade ELA scores have stayed relatively flat, and there are persistent gaps in performance between economically disadvantaged and non-economically disadvantaged students.
- Math saw growth in proficiency scores across every grade level, with particularly high gains compared to the prior year in sixth grade math.
- Science scores saw a 2% percent increase in proficiency scores, and social studies proficiency scores increased by 4%.
Later this month, families will have access to individual student data in the TCAP family portal. Families can use the portal to obtain additional information to better understand their students’ individual score reports and next steps for supporting their students’ academic progress.
TCAP assessments provide critical insights each year to schools, families, educators, and advocates that show how students are progressing – and where urgent action is still needed – helping ensure Tennessee’s policies are truly meeting the needs of every student.
Tennessee must keep resources where they belong – inside our public schools – and continue providing students with the tools they need to be successful, targeting resources and supports to the greatest student needs, and maintaining strong education data and accountability systems. These critical and foundational policies are key to allowing us to continue our upward trajectory so that all Tennessee students thrive.
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