Tennessee’s 8th Grade Writing Scores Are Up

The writing scores of Tennessee students are improving across the board.

The National Center for Education Progress gave a test to eighth graders across the nation last year, and compared it to results from five years ago. Scores for Tennessee students went up about 10 points on the 300 point scale. The state’s average grade is 156, two points above the national average. That puts Tennessee right in the middle of the pack, when compared to other participating states.

The report shows that girls still score higher than boys, whites do better than minorities, and students with economic disadvantages lag behind those with more money. But those gaps are no larger than they were five years ago, meaning the writing skills of boys, minorities, and poor children are improving at the same rate as their peers.