Tennessee test scores rebound from pandemic in English but not math

Tennessee student test scores are back to pre-pandemic levels in reading but not in math, according to recent information from the Tennessee Department of Education. More than 36% of students are on grade level in English language arts compared to 29% of students last year. In 2019 before the pandemic, 35% of students met or exceeded grave level requirements. Despite gains in English, only about 30% of students are meeting grade level requirements in math, up from 25% last year but not exceeding the 37% of students scoring on or above grade level in 2019.  Meanwhile, the number of students scoring among the lowest percentile remains at its highest since 2017 and there are still achievement gaps for English language learners. At least 23% of students tested below grade level with 36% of students considered economically disadvantaged testing below grade level. With roughly two-thirds of students not reaching grade level goals in both reading and math, many educators are concerned about student achievement.