Since 2011, many districts across the state have made impressive gains in the percentage of students scoring
at proficient and advanced levels on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) assessments.
A few districts in particular showed outstanding growth in both math and reading. Trousdale County,
Lauderdale County, Chester County, and Huntingdon Special School District all posted over 20 percentagepoint growth in students scoring proficient and advanced on the math portion of the test, and at least 5
percentage-point growth in reading.176 Trousdale County Schools also won the 2013 and 2015 SCORE Prize in
the district category.
At the secondary level between 2011 and 2015, Richard City Schools saw the highest ACT score growth in the
state, with an improvement of 2.6 points while also increasing its graduation rate by nearly 14 percentage
points. Tullahoma City, Pickett County, Dickson County, and Cheatham County Schools all saw an ACT increase
of at least 1.6 points.
Tennessee has much to work on as it continues to improve its educational opportunities for students
throughout the state. The growth over the past five years demonstrates what is possible when educators
and policymakers come together to make student achievement a top priority. This focus must continue in the
coming years as Tennessee works to become one of the leading states in the country in terms of educational
outcomes.
Districts with the Largest TCAP Grades 3-8 Math Proficient/Advanced Growth, 2011-2015
2011 Prof/Adv (%)
2015 Prof/Adv (%)
2011-2015 Growth (%)
Perry County
21.0
61.7
40.7
Richard City
29.1
59.3
30.2
Decatur County
30.0
59.7
29.7
Lauderdale County
24.3
53.7
29.4
Trousdale County
47.6
75.7
28.1
Chester County
40.3
67.2
26.9
Coffee County
31.7
58.3
26.6
Lincoln County
40.7
66.5
25.8
Sumner County
43.1
68.5
25.4
Huntingdon SSD
51.8
76.1
24.3
Students in other districts, however, have not made the kind of progress reflected by their peers elsewhere in
Tennessee. TCAP math proficiency and advanced rates have increased by less than five percentage points or
even declined, for example, in at least ten districts between 2011 and 2015.
In reading/language arts, districts have made real gains in the percentage of students scoring as proficient
and advanced on the grades 3-8 TCAP exams, although those gains have not been as dramatic as in math.
Since 2011, Bells City has led the way with a nearly 20 percentage-point increase in students scoring proficient
or advanced. Trousdale County and Huntingdon Special School District also have made double-digits gains
over this period in reading/language arts proficiency—as they have in math.
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