NASHVILLE, Tenn. -
Like the first day of school, graduation or prom, the release of statewide test scores has become a memorable date for many Tennessee educators, parents and students.
On Tuesday, Governor Bill Haslam and Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman will release the statewide results during a news conference scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at West End Middle School in Nashville.
They are expected to be joined by some state lawmakers and various educators to review the results from the 2011-2012 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, or TCAP.
A statement from the Governor's office about the news conference said, "Through the First to the Top legislation, Tennessee has set out to significantly improve student proficiency in subjects such as reading and math, and TCAP provides a measure of success. TCAP includes achievement tests for grades 3-8 and high school end-of-course exams."
The TCAP scores measure the progress students make in individual districts, schools and classrooms.
"We work very hard. We have put some systems in place to help us, and we are looking forward to the data being released," Williamson County Schools Director Mike Looney told Nashville's News 2 on Monday.
He expects to see results for his often-high scoring system next month.
Looney though is well-known for saying, "We assess too much in America," but Monday, he was quick to add, "having said that, it is our reality that the federal government and the state government both measure how well we do on student achievement tests-- including teacher performance."
"I would not say our teachers are nervous, I would say they are cautiously optimistic," added the schools director in reference to test scores for next year being tied directly to teacher evaluations.
