Are Tennessee’s Children Ready for Kindergarten? New Data from the Northeast Consortium Says “Not Yet” for Too Many
What does it mean to be ready for kindergarten? In Tennessee, it means more than just knowing your ABCs or counting to ten. True readiness is about the whole child—socially, emotionally, physically, and cognitively prepared to thrive in a classroom setting.
Thanks to the visionary collaboration of 17 school districts in Northeast Tennessee, we now have powerful new data from fall 2024 that sheds light on just how ready our children are for that critical first step in school. The results? A wake-up call for communities, educators, and policymakers across the state.
First-of-its-Kind Regional Kindergarten Readiness Assessment
In fall 2024, more than 5,000 rising kindergartners across 105 schools in Northeast Tennessee were screened using the Brigance Early Childhood Screens III, a nationally recognized tool designed to assess kindergarten readiness.
The Brigance assesses five critical inter-related domains of kindergarten readiness each of which is well-documented as playing a crucial role in later academic performance :
- Approaches to Learning – curiosity, persistence, attentiveness
- Physical Development – health, fine and gross motor skills and coordiation, and physical development
- Language and Literacy – conversation, vocabulary, comprehension, pre-reading skills
- Social and Personal Competency – emotional self-regulation, cooperation, empathy, interpersonal skills
- Cognition and Math – early numeracy, problem-solving, and understanding of basic concepts
Educators and administrators across the region used this tool to gain a holistic understanding of where students are as they enter kindergarten—and to identify where support is needed.
👉 Learn more about the Northeast Tennessee Consortium and why they aligned on the Brigance:
https://www.tqee.org/netn-consortium-of-school-districts-aligns-on-k-readiness/
What the Results Show
The most eye-opening insight? Half the children screened scored below the “kindergarten ready” threshold. According to the data:
- 50% of children scored below the delay cutoff, meaning they are not kindergarten ready
- 10% scored were in the gifted range
- 40% scored within normal limits for kindergarten readiness
These findings mean at least half of entering kindergartners in this region may need additional support to succeed in the classroom. The majority are not yet mastering the early skills that form the foundation for learning.
👉 Dive deeper into the 2024 results from the Northeast Tennessee Consortium’s assessment
Why Kindergarten Readiness Matters for Later Achievement
This matters—because kindergarten readiness is a strong predictor of third grade proficiency. And as Tennessee’s latest 2024-25 TCAP scores show, just 41.7% of third graders statewide are reading on grade level and 43.3% are proficient in math.
The earlier we close learning gaps, the better. High-quality early learning experiences—and early identification of developmental needs—can set children on a stronger path toward academic success.
A Model for the State
This readiness initiative by the Northeast Tennessee consortium is a first-of-its-kind regional effort that could—and should—be a model for our state. While other Tennessee school districts use screeners, there’s no uniform assessment which means state policymakers have no way to get the full picture of the readiness of Tennessee’s children. By using consistent, aligned screening tools across districts, state policymakers could better target resources to support kindergarten readiness statewide.
What’s Next?
Tennessee has an opportunity to build on this momentum. Let’s expand access to readiness screeners like Brigance across the state and consider having all districts align on one. Let’s invest in early learning programs and support families from birth to kindergarten. And let’s ensure that every child—no matter their zip code—enters school on equal footing, ready to thrive.
Because when children start strong, they’re more likely to stay strong.
