NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) has graded schools across the state, and on Thursday, the report card finally came in.
How did schools do?
Of the schools reviewed, 290 received an overall “A” grade, while 485 received a “B.” The DOE initially established a school letter grading system in 2016 “to provide parents and families with information that shows how public schools are performing,” according to this year’s letter grade protocol.
However, in fall 2023, the grading system was revised. The grades for K-8 schools are determined mostly by achievement, growth and growth for the bottom 25% of students. High schools are graded by the same factors with the addition of a College and Career Readiness indicator. More than 150 high schools received the highest level for that College and Career Readiness indicator.
Overall, 445 schools received the highest level for achievement, while 536 schools received a level five for growth. Additionally, 385 schools received the highest level for the growth of highest-need students.
“The 2023-24 State Report Card provides valuable insights into the performance of public schools and districts across Tennessee, giving families and communities the tools they need to advocate for their students,” commissioner of education Lizzette Reynolds said in a Thursday press release. “We are especially proud of the schools that performed highly on the School Letter Grades and are moving the needle for kids, and we encourage all Tennesseans to actively engage and contribute to the ongoing success of all our schools.”
How did students do?
The state report card does not just provide evaluations about public, charter and special education schools across the state, though. TDOE also provided insights about Tennessee’s students. One of those insights revealed that 61% of students were either below or approaching expectations for English Language Arts based on state testing scores.
Looking at a district level, 70% of students in Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) were not proficient in English Language Arts. Around half of students in Rutherford, Sumner and Wilson Counties also did not meet proficiency.
The statewide percentage is consistent with test scores from the past five years. Students also performed similarly in math, with 63.3% of students failing to meet or exceed expectations. Only a quarter of MNPS students tested proficient or above in math. Around half of Rutherford, Sumner and Wilson County students met the mark; Williamson County students came in at 70% proficiency or greater.
Science and social studies proficiency rates are slightly higher across the state — 55.8% of students did not meet or exceed science expectations and 55.5% of students did not meet or exceed social studies expectations.
The report card also evaluated students using a “Ready Graduate” criteria, which represents the number of students who demonstrate readiness for either postsecondary education or a career out of high school. Over half of Tennessee’s students in the 2022-2023 graduating cohort did not demonstrate readiness.
What else does the report card say?
Tennessee saw a 90.6% graduation rate, but there is a gendered discrepancy between students. Boys have a graduation rate of just 88.5% compared to 92.8% for girls across the state. See the charts below for other key differences among racial & ethnic groups and other student groups.
The overall four-year graduation rate has stayed about the same for the past six years.
Tennessee’s dropout rate was also consistent with previous years, coming in at just over 8% for the 2022-2023 graduating cohort. However, that dropout rate varied drastically among certain groups. Hispanic students had a dropout rate twice higher than the state dropout rate; Black students saw a 12.3% dropout rate.
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