Tennessee high school students showed growth across the board in all subject areas, according to the 2017 TNReady results.
TNReady scores fall into one of four achievement levels: mastered, on track, approaching and below
grade-level expectations.
The high school scores are the first complete set of results for the TNReady test. The state department of education said this test is a more rigorous assessment that is aligned to Tennessee’s academic standards.
2017 is the second year high school students completed TNReady. High school students take the following assessments at the end of each course: English I, II, and III, Algebra I, II, and Geometry or Integrated Math I, II, and III, Biology and Chemistry, U.S. History/Geography.
Nearly 40 percent of Knox County students scored on track or mastered in reading and English-Language Arts.
In math, 25.5 percent of Knox County students are on track or mastered.
And 54.7 percent of students in Knox County tested on track or mastered in science.
The scores follow the release of state-level results earlier this year for both grades 3-8 and high school. It was the first year of TNReady for elementary and middle school students so their results set a new baseline for growth in the future.
For grades 3-8, the performance levels are mastered grade level, on grade level, approaching grade level, and below grade level. The top two categories are considered to be meeting or exceeding expectations.
These scores cannot be compared to past TCAP Assessments.
According to Knox County Schools Chief Academic Officer Jon Rysewyk, grades 3 through 8 outperformed 63 percent of Tennessee districts in math, 55 percent in science and 83 percent in English and language arts.
Rysewyk credits the high language performance to a more intense focus on teaching reading.
“We always feel good, we also want to continue to get better, but we also want to celebrate the work that our teachers have done,” Rysewyk said.
He said they’ll take a deeper dive to look at how schools and students did individually, and they’ll use the tests as a tool going forward.
“Data tells a story about a school, and no one knows that story better than the principal and the teachers,” Rysewyk said.
Other districts are trying to figure out how to do better. An Anderson County district leader told 10News the high schools scores dropped in math, and they are still trying to figure out English scores after some were scored incorrectly. The district leader said they will work with teachers to figure out how to better prepare students.
Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said the TNReady tests have higher standards, so state education leaders expected some lower scores. McQueen said educators should not be discouraged.
“They are doing strong work every single day to align the new expectations,” McQueen said. “We’re in a critical transition period as we align to them and we want to say thank you for the strong work that you’re doing, and keep it up.”
The Commissioner said the results shared Thursday have all the correct scores, and that the incorrect scores have been fixed.
McQueen said state officials will continue to hold the vendor, Questar, accountable. According to a statement from the state department of education, fewer than one percent of student test scores were affected.
“TNReady allows us to see how Tennessee students are mastering our state’s academic standards
as we transition to higher expectations at all grade levels,” Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said earlier this month.
Following the release of these results McQueen said she hopes this test helps students graduate from high school with the ability to choose their path in life.
"We are also particularly proud given what today’s results represent: providing families and educators with better information about students’ performance so they can help them improve," McQueen said.
Tennessee leaders and schools began improving academic standards to accurately reflect student achievement and growth after the U.S. Chamber of Commerce gave Tennessee an "F" for Truth in Advertising about students' true reading and math abilities.
According to the release from the state, Tennessee generally ranked among the bottom third of states in education achievement.