The Basics:

• Each dot represents a school district in Tennessee.         
• Dots to the right have higher student poverty rates (as defined by participation in the Free or Reduced Lunch program)
• Dots toward the top have higher rates of students performing at “Below Basic” proficiency levels on the state’s TCAP test in grade 3.
• If the ‘Better than Expected” box is checked, red districts are those with fewer students in the Below Basic category than their poverty levels would predict.

Reading the Scales

The numbers along the bottom margin of the chart (x-axis) represent the percentage of students in a school district participating in the Free and Reduced Lunch program, a common indicator of poverty. The state average participation rate is 65.2%.  

The numbers along the left hand margin of the chart (y-axis) are the percentage of students in grades 3-8 performing “Below Basic” on the state’s annual proficiency test, the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP). The “Below Basic” indicator is the lowest ranking; it means that students have not mastered the subject in question and are not prepared for the next level of study.

Observable Findings

• There is a correlation between poverty and academic performance, often because children enter the school system one or more years behind their peers and never catch up. These students are in greatest need of “catch-up” rates of instruction; high levels of value-added achievement (as measured by the state’s TVAAS system) indicate where this is happening.

• The correlation between poverty and performance can be seen in these charts; however, some districts have fewer students performing at low levels than you would expect based on their poverty rates. These districts warrant further study to see if they are approaching instruction in ways that are more effective than other districts in the state.