MNPS Winter Benchmark Assessments Reveal Both Growth and Decline
A pencil marking an answer on an Optical Mark Recognition answer sheet (Stock photo)
A new update on the Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) winter benchmark assessment data reveals the district is on track to meet its growth targets.
The district’s Board of Education heard a presentation from MNPS Executive Officer of Research, Assessment, and Evaluation, Dr. Tina Stinson, and Executive Officer of Teaching and Learning, Dr. David Williams, on Tuesday that detailed 2025-2026 winter FastBridge screening assessment data.
FastBridge is a reading and math assessment that measures students’ academic achievement and growth over time. The results can be used to compare this data to students across the United States.
More than 35,000 students in grades 2 through 9 attempted and completed the assessments, and Stinson noted that MNPS had a 96.9 percent participation rate, despite challenges from Winter Storm Fern.
The Results
Some key findings Stinson divulged in her report were:
• District math scores were higher than English language arts (ELA) scores.
• The lowest 40 percent of students' scores slightly declined in math and reading compared to winter 2024-2025.
• MNPS is on track to meet growth-focused outcomes for both Math and ELA.
• Every student group met winter growth targets for math, and the Hispanic/Latino, economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities, and limited English proficient groups also met reading growth targets.
• MNPS students scored 3 percentage points higher in winter 2024-2025 and 3 percentage points lower in fall 2025-2026.
Williams continued the presentation, sharing benchmark analytics for third-grade and seventh-grade math and ELA, as well as integrated math I and English II for high school students. Some key findings were:
• ELA success depends heavily on the types of word problems students encounter.
• Overall, relative standard-level performance is consistent with previous Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) testing and End-of-Course (EOC) exams.
Next Tests
MNPS students will be taking additional benchmarks through March 5 and the annual TCAP and EOC exams in April and May.
The state has provided additional flexibility for the TCAP and EOCs due to challenges with Winter Storm Fern, so students may take some exams at a later date than usual.
