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Nearly 45% of Tennessee third graders met or exceeded expectations on the state’s reading assessment this year, but those early literacy gains fade as students advance through middle school.
Preliminary data from 2025-26 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program showed steady progress in third grade English language arts, with 44.9% of students meeting or exceeding expectations, up from 41.7% last year.
That’s the highest proficiency level in nearly a decade, and a 9.2 percentage point increase since 2022, when Tennessee implemented a controversial reading law requiring significant interventions or retention for students who underperform on the TCAP English assessment.