State TCAP numbers released Monday show an average of 39.1 percent of Upper Cumberland students showing proficiency in English/Language ELA and 37.6 showing proficiency in math across all grades.
Proficiency rate includes those who met or exceeded expectations this year. These numbers rose in both areas across the region.
White County stood out with the highest proficiency rates in English and math, as well as a 3.3 overall increase in proficiency from last year. In White County, the number of students who exceed expectations in mathematics are trending up as the number of students below expectations, decreases.
While they improved in both categories, Pickett County schools still ranks the lowest in the Upper Cumberland for math and third lowest for English proficiency at 26.6 percent and 36.6 percent respectively. Fentress and Clay County had lower language scores.
Putnam County also ranked near the top with 44.9 percent math and 50.2 percent reading proficiency, improving incrementally on both categories from last year.
Clay County Schools ranked fourth-lowest in the UC for math proficiency and the lowest in English Language Arts proficiency, despite a slight reduction in students not meeting expectations in both categories. Clay County’s English proficiency numbers almost exactly mirror their rates last year.
Cumberland County trending upwards with bumps in their proficiency rates in English and math to 41 and 40.6 percent.
DeKalb County seeing a significant jump in proficiency rates, with English improving from 35.9 to 37.9 percent and math from 30.4 to 33.2 percent proficient.
Fentress one of the few counties to see a dip in both categories. Fentress’ 34.4 percent proficiency in English is down over 5 percent from last year. Math proficiency has dipped 6 percent from last year’s results.
Jackson County schools slipped in reading from 39.7 to 36.7, but saw a significant increase in math proficiency from 33.5 to 36.7.
Overton County regressed in both its math and English Language Arts proficiency numbers, from 38.2 to 35.7 and 37.5 to 37, respectively, marking no improvement from last year.
Van Buren improved marginally in both categories, with 41 percent proficiency in math and 39.3 percent proficiency in ELA.
Warren made improvements from last year on math proficiency, but still ranked second to last with 31.5 percent. Warren County made an even bigger jump in ELA proficiency, up almost 10 percent from last year’s proficiency rates.
