Tennessee fourth-graders saw improvement in statewide testing on English language arts while third-grade results remained steady in scores from the Tennessee Comprehensive Academic Program assessment released on Thursday.

The state saw an increase of 35% meeting standards and 11% exceeding them compared to 33% meeting and 11% exceeding in 2023 and 31% meeting them and 9% exceeding in 2022.

Those results had dropped to 31% meeting standards and 2% exceeding in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Tennessee’s strategic education investments have resulted in significant gains in reading for students across the state,” Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said in a statement. “As we continue our work to ensure that all Tennessee students can read at grade level, we remain committed to supporting teachers and empowering families with multiple pathways to achievement so every student can thrive in their academic journey.”

Overall, the results meant that 46.4% of fourth-graders were deemed proficient and 40.9% of third-graders were proficient.

The third-grade results were at a low of 32% proficient in 2021 with 22% meeting and 10% exceeding expectations. The results steadily rose to 40% proficient with 27% meeting and 13% exceeding in 2023 before 27% were meeting expectations and 14% exceeding this year.

“Due to the hard work of students, teachers, districts, and families, the investments and initiatives to improve literacy rates in Tennessee have resulted in year-after-year gains, thanks to the dedication of Gov. Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly,” Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds said.