By AP
Nashville, TN – A report released yesterday by the U.S. Education Department found that many states, including Tennessee, deemed children to be proficient or on grade level when they would rate below basic or lacking even partial mastery of reading and math under national standards. Tennessee's standards were lowest among states that deemed 4th graders proficient in math and 8th graders proficient in math and reading. Tennessee Education Department spokeswoman Rachel Woods says the report isn't surprising and that the state has revised its standards to align them more closely with the required national standards.