Tennessee First to the Top
Student Performance Goals
Tennessee’s First to the Top (FTTT) reforms are designed to dramatically improve student learning and educational attainment across Tennessee. As the result of the reforms, the state expects to see strong improvement in young students’ academic readiness for school, high school graduates’ readiness for college and careers, and higher rates of graduates’ enrollment and success in postsecondary education.
To clarify these aspirations, the state has set specific, measurable, and achievable performance targets for 2014-15 and 2019-20. The targets for 2014-15 are being used for planning and performance management for FTTT reform efforts from the state to the classroom. These targets, outlined below, are set the same for all “subgroups” of students (race/ethnicity, poverty, students with disabilities, and English Language Learners) – calling on much faster progress for students who are the farthest away from meeting high expectations. When Tennessee meets these FTTT targets in 2014-15, it will have made unprecedented progress, exceeding current national averages on national assessments such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the ACT.
The indicators and targets have been approved by the TN State Board of Education and endorsed by the TN Higher Education Commission. The TN Education Delivery Unit, in the TN Department of Education, is accountable for challenging and supporting the state and school districts in meeting the FTTT targets.
Helpful links: TN State Board of Education | TN Higher Education Commission | TN Education Delivery Unit
School Readiness
Tennessee’s FTTT plans will result in higher reading and math proficiency for students in the early grades.
We measure student proficiency on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) assessment that is given each year to all TN students in grades 3-8 in reading/language arts and mathematics. In addition, to compare our progress with other states, we measure student proficiency according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessment given every two years to a sample of US students in grades 4 and 8 in reading and math.
In 2010-11, the state is focusing its efforts in school readiness on early grades reading, calling for an additional 13, 597 proficient or advanced 3rd grade students statewide by 2014-15, this year’s Pre-K cohort.
For more information: TCAP Achievement Test | NAEP Reading | NAEP Mathematics
1 |
The percentage of 3rd grade students (spring) who score at or above proficient on the TCAP reading/language arts assessment; and the percentage of 4th grade students (fall) who score at or above proficient on the NAEP reading assessment. |
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Indicator |
Baseline 2009-10 |
Target 2014-15 |
|
3rd grade TCAP |
42% proficient |
60% proficient |
|
4th grade NAEP |
28% proficient |
39% proficient |
|
2 |
The percentage of 3rd grade students (spring) who score at or above proficient on the TCAP mathematics assessment; and the percentage of 4th grade students (fall) who score at or above proficient on the NAEP mathematics assessment. |
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Indicator |
Baseline 2009-10 |
Target 2014-15 |
|
3rd grade TCAP |
48% proficient |
64% proficient |
|
4th grade NAEP |
29% proficient |
42% proficient |
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College and Career Readiness
Tennessee’s FTTT reforms will result in higher reading and math proficiency for students in the middle grades, higher rates of students meeting college- and career ready benchmarks on the ACT EPAS exams, and more students graduating from high school.
We will measure student proficiency on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) assessment that is given each year to all TN students in grades 3-8 in reading/language arts and mathematics. In addition, to compare our progress with other states, we will measure student proficiency according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessment given every two years to a sample of US students in grades 4 and 8 in reading and math. We will measure college- and career readiness using the ACT EPAS exams (EXPLORE, PLAN, and ACT). We will finally measure high school graduation using a longitudinal cohort calculation.
In the next couple of years, the state will also measure student college- and career-readiness on its anchor end-of-course exams of Algebra II and English III.
In 2010-11, the state is focusing its efforts in college and career readiness on middle grades math and high school graduation, calling on an additional 16, 610 proficient or advanced 7th grade students, this year’s 3rd grade cohort, and an additional 5,545 graduates, this year’s 8th grade cohort, by 2014-15.
For more information: TCAP Achievement Test | NAEP Reading | NAEP Mathematics | ACT EPAS
3 |
The percentage of 7th grade students (spring) who score at or above proficient on the TCAP reading/language arts assessment; and the percentage of 8th grade students (fall) who score at or above proficient on the NAEP reading assessment. |
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Indicator |
Baseline 2009-10 |
Target 2014-15 |
|
7th grade TCAP |
43% proficient |
57% proficient |
|
8th grade NAEP |
28% proficient |
38% proficient |
|
4 |
The percentage of 7th grade students (spring) who score at or above proficient on the TCAP mathematics assessment; and the percentage of 8th grade students (fall) who score at or above proficient on the NAEP mathematics assessment. |
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Indicator |
Baseline 2009-10 |
Target 2014-15 |
|
7th grade TCAP |
29% proficient |
51% proficient |
|
8th grade NAEP |
25% proficient |
39% proficient |
|
5 |
The percentage of 8th grade students (fall) who meet college‐readiness benchmarks of the ACT EXPLORE assessment in English, reading, mathematics, and science. |
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Indicator |
Baseline 2009-10 |
Interim Target 2014-15 |
|
EXPLORE English |
65% meeting CCR benchmark |
71% meeting CCR benchmark |
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EXPLORE Reading |
45% meeting CCR benchmark |
61% meeting CCR benchmark |
|
EXPLORE Math |
37% meeting CCR benchmark |
57% meeting CCR benchmark |
|
EXPLORE Science |
15% meeting CCR benchmark |
46% meeting CCR benchmark |
|
6 |
The percentage of 10th grade students (spring) who meet college-readiness benchmarks of the ACT PLAN assessment in English, reading, mathematics, and science. |
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Indicator |
Baseline 2009-10 |
Interim Target 2014-15 |
|
PLAN English |
67% meeting CCR benchmark |
74% meeting CCR benchmark |
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PLAN Reading |
41% meeting CCR benchmark |
61% meeting CCR benchmark |
|
PLAN Math |
26% meeting CCR benchmark |
64% meeting CCR benchmark |
|
PLAN Science |
16% meeting CCR benchmark |
49% meeting CCR benchmark |
|
7 |
The percentage of students who score at or above proficient on the TCAP end of course assessment in English III. |
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Targets will be set after administration of the English III assessment. |
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8 |
The percentage of students who score at or above proficient on the TCAP end of course assessment in Algebra II. |
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Targets will be set after administration of the Algebra II assessment. |
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9 |
The percentage of high school graduates who meet ACT college‐readiness benchmarks in English, reading, mathematics, and science. |
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Indicator |
Baseline 2009-10 |
Interim Target 2014-15 |
|
ACT English |
55% meeting CCR benchmark |
68% meeting CCR benchmark |
|
ACT Reading |
40% meeting CCR benchmark |
60% meeting CCR benchmark |
|
ACT Math |
24% meeting CCR benchmark |
52% meeting CCR benchmark |
|
ACT Science |
18% meeting CCR benchmark |
49% meeting CCR benchmark |
|
ACT All Subjects |
13% meeting all CCR benchmarks |
24% meeting all CCR benchmarks |
|
10 |
The percentage of first‐time 9th grade students who graduate on‐time with a regular diploma (longitudinal cohort method) |
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Indicator |
Baseline 2009-10 |
Interim Target 2014-15 |
|
Longitudinal cohort graduation rate |
82% (estimate) |
90% |
|
11 |
The percentage of recent public high school graduates enrolled in Tennessee public institutions only credit‐bearing courses (no remedial or developmental courses). |
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Indicator |
Baseline Fall 2009 |
Interim Target Fall 2014 |
|
Percentage Non R&D |
36.8% |
52% |
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Postsecondary Access and Success
Tennessee’s FTTT reforms will result in higher rates of students attaining postsecondary credit prior to high school graduation, and higher rates of public high school graduates enrolling in postsecondary education and succeeding once they are there.
We will measure the percentage of students who have attained postsecondary credit through Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), dual enrollment, dual credit, or industry certification by the time they graduate from high school. We will measure, using the National Student Clearinghouse, the percentage of public high school graduates who enroll in postsecondary education in Tennessee or other states the fall after their graduation. Finally, we will measure the percentage of public high school graduates who attain at least one year of postsecondary education.
In 2010-11, the state is focusing its efforts in postsecondary access and success on postsecondary going, calling on an additional 5,579 graduates to enroll in postsecondary education, this year’s 9th grade class, by 2014-15.
For more information: Advanced Placement | International Baccalaureate | Dual Enrollment Grants | National Student Clearinghouse
12 |
The percentage of high school graduates who have attained postsecondary credit in Tennessee public institutions through dual enrollment, dual credit, or are eligible for credit through Advanced Placement exams. |
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Targets will be set after all data is available |
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13 |
The percentage of recent public high school graduates enrolled in postsecondary education |
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Indicator |
Baseline 2009-10 |
Target 2014-15 |
|
Recent grads attending HE |
56.2% |
62% |
|
14 |
The percentage of recent public high school graduates who enroll in Tennessee public institutions, successfully complete 24 credit hours of postsecondary education within one academic year and return the subsequent fall semester. |
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Indicator |
Baseline 2009-10 |
Interim Target 2014-15 |
|
Complete 24 credit hours |
62.0% |
67% |
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The percentage of first-time, full-time postsecondary students completing degrees within 150% of normal degree program time in Tennessee public institutions. |
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Community college 3-year graduation rate: students who receive associate’s degree |
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Indicator |
Baseline 2009-10 |
Interim Target 2014-15 |
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Graduation Rate |
15.5% |
19% |
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Community college 6-year graduation rate: students who receive associate’s and/or bachelor’s degree |
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Indicator |
Baseline 2009-10 |
Interim Target 2014-15 |
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Graduation Rate |
30% |
33% |
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University 6-year graduation rate: students who receive associate’s and/or bachelor’s degree |
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Indicator |
Baseline 2009-10 |
Interim Target 2014-15 |
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Graduation Rate |
51% |
55% |
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