There are 88 article(s) tagged Tennessee Department of Education:

• August 2025

  • TCAP results 2025: See how your Memphis-area school scored

    The Daily Memphian’s chart includes scores for all public schools in Memphis and Shelby County, including charters and campuses in the suburbs.

    By Laura Testino August 19, 2025

• July 2025

  • 6 charts show how Memphis-area students stack up on TCAP tests

    Have Shelby County districts improved third grade reading scores under the new retention law? How do Memphis students compare to students across Tennessee? Answer these questions and more.

    By Laura Testino July 11, 2025

  • TCAP scores 2025: See how MSCS students did on Tennessee tests

    The Tennessee Department of Education issued results from its state exams Tuesday, July 8. “Growth is not optional; it’s our mandate,” MSCS Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond said in a statement.

    By Laura Testino July 08, 2025

• May 2025

  • Thousands applied for vouchers. What Memphis schools will accept them?

    Across the state, families’ interest in the new EFS vouchers, which relaxed family-income thresholds and academic testing requirements, has exceeded the available 20,000 spots for its first year.

    By Laura Testino May 27, 2025

• December 2024

  • MSCS has fewer F schools in second year of Tennessee letter grades

    Nevertheless, state law requires Tennessee districts with D and F schools appear before the Tennessee State Board of Education for hearings. Such reviews could result in corrective-action plans or audits for districts or charter operators.

    By Laura Testino December 23, 2024

• November 2024

  • How two Frayser schools learned ‘what it feels like to win’

    At Hawkins Mill Elementary, chronic absenteeism plummeted. And at Trezevant High, graduation rates climbed closer to the district average. Both had been among Tennessee’s bottom 5% for over a decade.

    By Laura Testino November 25, 2024

• June 2024

  • What the state says went wrong at Memphis Scholars’ charter schools

    Findings from the state-run Achievement School District showed “serious noncompliance and material violations of the charter agreement” by Memphis Scholars, revealing additional information about the abrupt closure of the operators three charter schools. 

    By Laura Testino June 28, 2024

  • TCAP scores show mixed results for MSCS

    Math and English language arts proficiency varies by race, and MSCS’ scores continue to fall below statewide data. 

    By Laura Testino June 25, 2024

• April 2024

  • Chronic absenteeism: Counting missing students in the Memphis area

    The percentage of students who are chronically absent from schools jumped dramatically in Memphis from the 2018-19 school year to the 2022-23 school year. It’s a national trend that’s also seen in the area’s suburban schools.

    Related story:

    Chronic absenteeism: Myriad of issues keep MSCS students home

    By Bill Dries April 21, 2024

• February 2024

  • Top Tennessee lawmakers want to end Achievement School District

    A 2023 study found the turnaround district’s effectiveness to be “indistinguishable from zero.” It could be closed as part of the legislation establishing a universal private school voucher program — but what would replace it is still unclear.

    By Ian Round February 12, 2024

• January 2024

  • Tennessee private school voucher law hits new obstacle in court

    A legal challenge to Tennessee’s private school voucher law is back on track after a state appeals court ruled that a lower court erred in dismissing the case.

    By Marta W. Aldrich January 12, 2024

• November 2023

  • Tennessee Department of Education refuses to take stance on federal funds

    Tennessee’s education commissioner refused to say Tuesday whether she supports or opposes the possible rejection of more than $1 billion in annual school funding from the federal government.

    By Ian Round November 14, 2023

• August 2023

  • Statewide assessment of academic growth shows gains for MSCS

    Memphis-Shelby County Schools scored a Level 5 distinction on the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System for the second consecutive year. 

    By Alicia Davidson August 24, 2023

• July 2023

  • Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds starts as Tennessee’s new education commissioner

    “Tennessee is one of those states that has always prioritized education as number one so that’s why I’m so excited to be here,” said new Department of Education Commissioner Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds.

    By Alicia Davidson July 06, 2023

  • Tennessee education commissioner leaving role

    Tennessee will be getting a new education commissioner this summer, the state Department of Education announced Monday morning.

    By Aarron Fleming July 06, 2023

• June 2023

  • State TCAP results released

    Scores in English language arts and social studies exceeded pre-pandemic levels, while student proficiency in math has not. 

    By Alicia Davidson June 30, 2023

• March 2023

  • Amendment to give third graders another route to fourth grade passes Senate committee

    A new state bill working its way through the state legislature would provide options for deciding when to implement the third-grade retention process.

    Related story:

    Amendment to controversial third grade law passes first legal hurdle

    By Aarron Fleming March 15, 2023

• November 2022

  • MSCS recommends revoking charters for seven district schools

    The seven charter schools have also all been deemed priority schools by the Tennessee Department of Education.

    By Aarron Fleming November 17, 2022

• September 2022

  • MSCS named advancing district, joins top 25% in state

    Memphis-Shelby County Schools has been named an advancing district under the Tennessee Department of Education’s district accountability rankings.

    By Aarron Fleming September 13, 2022

• August 2022

  • 16 local private schools — so far — approved to accept vouchers this academic year

    The Tennessee Department of Education said Thursday, Aug. 25, that it is still waiting to approve three schools but that they all have a “pathway to eligibility.”

    Related stories:

    Opinion: School vouchers undermine public education

    Opinion: Education Savings Accounts give important choices to families

    By Aarron Fleming August 29, 2022

  • Billionaire charter school advocates gave to at least 22 organizations that endorsed TISA

    Bill Gates and the Walton family funded a substantial portion of the advocacy for Gov. Bill Lee’s school funding overhaul. Skeptics fear this philanthropy is self-interested, advancing an agenda to dismantle public schools to benefit private interests.

    By Ian Round August 29, 2022

  • Tennessee Dept. of Education tied to Rhode Island FBI inquiry

    Rhode Island’s governor is being investigated for skirting the competitive bidding process and granting a seven-figure contract to a friend. One of the consultant’s partners is TN Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn’s former chief of staff.

    By Ian Round August 26, 2022

• July 2022

  • Lawmakers create process for complaints under K-12 ‘critical race theory’ law

    But they offered no more clarity on what exactly teachers can and can’t say about race and history.

    By Ian Round July 20, 2022

• June 2022

  • Literacy Mid-South gets $4.5 million grant to support local students

    Literacy Mid-South has been selected to receive a $4.5 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Education to support Memphis-Shelby County Schools students and students attending public area charter schools.

    By Aarron Fleming June 28, 2022

  • Latest state TCAP scores suggest students returning to pre-pandemic levels

    “I am cautiously optimistic about what we have seen so far,” said Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendent Joris Ray. 

    By Aarron Fleming, Abigail Warren June 15, 2022