SCS academic progress doesn’t measure up

For the first time, Shelby County Schools is able to benchmark its academic progress against some of the country’s largest urban districts.

And the results from the “Nation’s Report Card” lay bare the state of academics in Shelby County Schools, showing it is one of the lower-performing districts among 26 other urban school districts in the country.

“We didn’t have much context,” said Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen on where Shelby County Schools compared to the rest of the nation. “That was extraordinarily helpful. It was enlightening.”

The results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress are part of a release of 2017 national scores Tuesday that provides a look at educational outcomes across the country.

Tennessee students on the test took a step back in fourth-grade math, as the state was one of 10 to see a drop on the scores on the NAEP test.

It’s a dip that cuts into a part of Tennessee’s historic gains on the test in recent years.

Tennessee held the line in eighthgrade math and fourth- and eighthgrade reading scores.

McQueen said recent changes in state accountability, such as aligning TNReady to closely mirror what is required on the national report card, will help the state flag areas for improvement in ways that haven’t been available in previous years.

“These results are not surprising because they mirror what we saw in the first year of TNReady in grades four and eight,” McQueen said. “We always want to see improvement, but we are encouraged to see Tennessee student growth so far (since 2013) has been sustained.”

Shelby County Schools opted into the survey of urban districts for the first time this year. None of Tennessee’s other urban districts did so.

McQueen said the benchmark scores for Shelby County Schools will help the district and state understand its outcomes compared to the rest of the nation.

Shelby County Schools officials didn’t respond to a request for comment on the scores.

The NAEP results, broken down into student proficiency, for Tennessee are:

❚ In fourth-grade reading, 33 percent of Tennessee’s students scored proficient or advanced compared to 35 percent of the nation’s students.

❚ In fourth-grade math, 36 percent of the state’s students scored proficient or advanced compared to 40 percent of the nation’s students.

❚ In eighth-grade reading, 31 percent of Tennessee students scored proficient or advanced compared to 35 percent of students nationwide.

❚ In eighth-grade math, 30 percent of the state’s students scored proficient or advanced compared to 33 percent of students nationwide. And in Shelby County Schools: ❚ 16 percent of Shelby County Schools students scored proficient or advanced on fourth-grade reading. That’s compared to 28 percent of students in the urban districts tested.

❚ 20 percent of SCS students scored proficient or advanced in fourth-grade math. That’s compared to 31 percent of students in the urban districts surveyed.

❚ 17 percent of SCS students scored proficient or advanced in eighth-grade reading. That’s compared to 27 percent of students in the urban districts tested.

❚ 12 percent of SCS students scored proficient or advanced in eighth-grade math. That’s compared to 27 percent of students in the urban districts surveyed.

Scores stall after years of historic gains

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, largely known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” is the largest nationally representative assessment of what U.S. students know and can do in a variety of subject areas.

The 2017 test was taken almost 14 months ago. The next test will be administered at the start of 2019.

For years, Tennessee officials have been able to boast the state is one of the fastest-improving states on NAEP.

Tennessee still is able to rest on its progress made from 2011 to 2013. The state sits near the top of the country, including Washington, D.C., in those that have most improved on the NAEP scores.

That’s all despite several years of stagnant scores. In 2013, Tennessee saw big jumps. In 2015, Tennessee held the line.

In the latest release of scores, Tennessee’s regression in fourth-grade math puts the state in a place it hasn’t been for years. But the state is still in a better position than several years ago, McQueen said.

“We are inching closer to the national average and it changes from every administration (of the test),” McQueen said. “We continue to improve and get closer to where we see the national average.”

A look forward on how to improve

Gov. Bill Haslam and McQueen said there is still plenty to celebrate.

“These scores show that the investment we’ve made in our teachers and students is paying off, and because of their hard work in the classroom, Tennessee remains in the very top tier of all states in overall growth,” Haslam said.

“We have raised the bar for K-12 education, and I am proud of how our teachers and students have stepped up to the challenge. Tennessee must continue to stay the course on higher standards, an aligned assessment, and appropriate accountability to provide our students continued growth and opportunity.”

McQueen also said that in 2007, the state received an “F” from the U.S. Department of Commerce for truth in advertising due to the discrepancy between statewide tests and on NAEP.

“It’s a great moment over two different governors, multiple commissioners, many teachers and multiple legislators that we can finally show the truth about student proficiency,” McQueen said.

The ability to honestly know where students have deficiencies will guide the Tennessee Education Department into the future, McQueen said. That includes digging into where student deficiencies are in math.

The State Collaborative on Reforming Education, a reform-minded educational advocacy group, called for Tennessee officials to hold the line on policy changes over the years and to execute.

“The previous unprecedented gains Tennessee made on NAEP followed the introduction of far-reaching studentfocused policies eight years ago,” said Jamie Woodson, SCORE chairman and CEO. “

That experience provides guidance as Tennessee enters a statewide leadership transition: Keep what’s working, be bold enough to innovate, and implement well in every school across Tennessee.”

Reach Jason Gonzales at jagonzales@tennessean.com an on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.