Education Data Glossary

A plain-language guide to the measures and terms used across 901 Education. Definitions describe how the dashboard uses each term; check the Data Sources page for source details and data vintage.

TCAP
Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program
Tennessee’s statewide assessment program. On this dashboard, TCAP proficiency refers to the share of tested students who met or exceeded the state’s expectations in a subject and grade.
TVAAS
Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System
A growth measure that asks how much progress students made compared with similar students statewide. It is not the same as the share of students scoring proficient on TCAP.
Ready Graduate
Tennessee high school outcome measure
A graduate who meets at least one state-defined college- and career-readiness benchmark, such as an early postsecondary opportunity, industry credential, military readiness, or qualifying ACT score.
TISA
Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement
Tennessee’s student-based public-school funding formula. It provides a base amount for each student and additional funding weights for students with identified needs.
Chronic absenteeism
Missing 10% or more of enrolled school days
A measure of students who miss a substantial portion of the school year for any reason. It includes excused and unexcused absences and is different from average daily attendance.
Suppression
A privacy and reporting safeguard
TDOE withholds some small-group results to protect student privacy or prevent misleading rates. 901 Education shows suppressed values as unavailable; it never estimates or fills them in.