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Memphis students are exceeding state expectations for improvement in reading and math, but falling behind in social studies growth, test score data shows.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools earned the highest districtwide growth score, a 5, on the 2024-25 Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System, or TVAAS, for the fourth year in a row. Students also earned that top score in most specific content areas, including reading, numeracy and science.
But the district’s social studies score dropped from a 5 to a 2 in one year, meaning students are showing less growth than expected.
Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond said district leaders need to “face with honesty the areas where we did not meet our expectations” while celebrating the overall wins.
“Greatness grows not by ignoring challenges, but by confronting them with vision and determination,” he said in an emailed press release.
District officials plan to “audit and align” Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ social studies curriculum, adding project-based learning opportunities and creating “monthly teacher cohorts” for data-tracking. The subject will also be added to a new districtwide assessment system.
The assessment differs from state proficiency data. The system measures student achievement throughout the school year instead of on a single end-of-year test, and compares that progress with the performance of statewide peers with similar academic backgrounds. Scores range from 1 to 5.
This means Memphis-Shelby County students are outpacing statewide growth expectations, even as they struggle to earn widespread proficiency scores on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program. In the 2024-25 school year, less than 25% of Memphis students met proficiency benchmarks in reading, and just over 1 in 5 did the same in math.
District high schoolers improved their assessment social studies score from last year, going from a 1 to a 3, which indicates their growth is on track with state expectations. Students in grades 4-8 reflected the districtwide drop from 5 to 2.
In the press release, district officials wrote that social studies instruction for early grades is “often minimized compared to ELA (English language arts) and math, particularly for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.”
But social studies “prepares students for college, careers and civic life,” the district said. “More than half of academic vocabulary is tied to social studies content, making it an untapped driver of reading growth.”
In the spring, high school and middle school teachers participated in districtwide training around social studies instruction, which the district plans to offer to elementary educators this year.
Eight schools improved assessment scores from the lowest to the highest in one year.
Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.
Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.