TNReady scores: See how your Middle Tennessee school district fared on standardized tests
Statewide TNReady scores released Thursday showed an overall drop in science proficiency for third- through 12th-grade students, and Middle Tennessee was not immune to the trend.
All Middle Tennessee districts, with the exception of high school students in Wilson and Dickson counties, saw a decrease in students who scored as on track or proficient in the subject, according to the Tennessee Department of Education. However, Wilson County was in the top 10 among the state’s districts for improvements to high school science scores. It also ranked in the top 10 for improvements to third through fifth grade reading scores.
Other districts who saw some of the state’s highest gains were Franklin Special School District for third through fifth grade English and Murfreesboro City Schools for sixth through eighth grade English. Williamson County Schools was the only district to remain in the top five for overall achievement in every grade and subject. Franklin Special School District ranked in the top 10 for its English, math and science scores. Wilson County ranked in the top 10 for third through fifth grade English scores. It is the third year of testing at the high school level, and the second year for third through eighth grades.
The spring 2017-18 testing season was marked by troubles after the state’s vendor made unauthorized changes to the TNReady’s text-to-speech function, according to Tennessee Department of Education officials. The change caused statewide slowdowns. After another year of issues with the tests, Tennessee lawmakers passed a measure allowing teachers, districts and students to include TNReady scores in evaluations only if the scores benefited them. [Read More about the 2017-18 results for Middle Tennessee at The Tennessean]
Read MoreNashville School For Immigrant & Refugee Students Celebrates Graduates
A relatively new learning model is helping Nashville’s immigrant and refugee students succeed in school. Only in its second year, Newcomer Academy accepts students who have moved to Tennessee from another country and who have the lowest of the low English comprehension scores.
In just months, students rapidly learn to write and speak English, while also taking courses focused on science, technology, engineering and math.
“A lot of our students came in at the beginning of the school year and had trouble even writing their names in English and couldn’t make a complete sentence,” said Katie Fleming, a teacher at Newcomer Academy. “Now, they’re writing essays, they’re defending their opinions, they’re making argumentative statements and writing a thesis sentence.”
Newcomer Academy is a partnership between STEM Preparatory Academy and Metro Nashville Public Schools. Since 2016, it has served more than 130 students from more than 20 countries under the leadership of Dr. Kristin McGraner, the school’s director.
On Tuesday, the school celebrated its second class of fifth grade graduates, many of whom escaped extreme poverty and war to start a new life in Tennessee. [Continue Reading at NewsChannel5.com]
Read MoreTennessee bill would use Sunday wine sales tax money to fund pre-K scholarships for low-income students
A Memphis lawmaker is proposing to use tax money from a proposed law that would allow Sunday wine sales to fund the expansion of pre-kindergarten.
Sen. Lee Harris, D-Memphis, is sponsoring the bill that he says would fund increased access statewide for children from low-income families.
Senate Bill 1968 proposes requiring the Tennessee Department of Education to use money in a fund set up through the passage of the bill to establish a scholarship program to provide access to pre-K for children from low-income families… [read more on Tennesseean]
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