Colleagues,
This morning, the State publicly released TVAAS student growth scores for the 2016-17 school year. I’m disappointed that we received a level 1 growth rating because I know that this rating does not reflect the hard work occurring in our schools every day.
After reflecting on all of the efforts of the past year, one thing is crystal clear – we have to continue to improve. Even though it is harder than it ever has been, and there are many factors impacting achievement and growth that are beyond our control, the stakes are too high to allow for any excuses.
The 2016-17 school year was the first that our students in grades 3-8 took the more rigorous TNReady assessment, which certainly had an impact on our results. We believe our students are capable, and we know our teachers are committed. Some of the encouraging progress noted recently in our End of Course (EOC) results and graduation rate serves as evidence. But when we think about the 100,000+ students and families served by this District, we will have to be relentless in our efforts to see the type of improvement needed to stay on track for Destination 2025.
We’re investing approximately $5 million to expand and enhance professional development offerings this year to help teachers and instructional leaders match the rigor of TNReady standards every day in every classroom. This investment also includes new instructional advisor positions to support high schools and additional counselors and specialists to help with targeted student interventions. We’re also reinforcing our curriculum across every subject and grade level and challenging our central office teams to better align their services to support schools.
Still, at the end of the day, it’s less about what we put in and more about what we get out of this work. It’s about results, so we have no choice but to improve. It starts at the top, so please know I am prepared to do everything in my power to support schools and push our District in the right direction.
Before closing, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the accomplishments of the schools that are meeting and exceeding the state’s expectations for student growth. I hope we can find more opportunities to learn from these successes and build on the strategies that are working in these schools.
- 37 schools earned an overall level 5 rating
- 33 schools earned a level 5 in literacy
- 46 schools earned a level 5 in numeracy
- 40 schools earned a level 5 in science
I appreciate all of your hard work and look forward to having a successful school year.
-DH
