Colleagues,
Today, the Tennessee Department of Education released District-level results for the TNReady assessments taken during the 2017-18 school year. I'm encouraged to see we’re closing the gap between our schools and the rest of the state in every subject at every grade level. As you can see in
this fact sheet
, we’ve also increased the percentage of students who are meeting and exceeding the standards in some subjects. Plus, more students continue to move out of the lowest achievement levels.
We deserve to celebrate our gains, but the fact remains that too many of our students still are not on track. We must continue to be aggressive in helping our students master the more challenging standards. This year, Science standards will be changing as well, so the challenge does not get any easier.
The increases in elementary scores for ELA and Math prove the value of having strong, standards-based curriculum, like EL and Eureka Math. With $66 million in new strategic investments going into our schools this year for enhanced curriculum, expanded professional development and additional counselors and support staff, I'm confident we are capable of making more progress at every grade level.
There are encouraging signs we can build on, but it's important to acknowledge the areas where we're struggling so we can determine the best ways to improve. We all play a role - not only our teachers and school leaders, but everyone who works to support our schools. The better we are in every role, the better chance we have to help our students succeed.
