2013 District Accountability
Tennessee adopted a new accountability system in 2012, after securing a waiver from certain portions of No Child Left Behind. Under the new system, Tennessee looks to districts to increase achievement levels for all students and reduce achievement gaps that exist between certain groups.
Rather than expecting all districts to meet the same benchmarks year after year, the system acknowledges that districts are starting from different places and rewards those that show the most growth.
A brief description of the accountability measures and the 2012-13 designations can be found below.
Highlights
- 5 districts identified as Exemplary
- 32 districts identified as Intermediate
- 3 districts identified as In Need of Improvement
- 96 districts identified as In Need of Subgroup Improvement for at least one subgroup:
- 4 districts need improvement for Asian students
- 23 districts need improvement for Black students
- 29 districts need improvement for Economically Disadvantaged students
- 8 districts need improvement for English Language Learners
- 1 district needs improvement for Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students
- 29 districts need improvement for Hispanic students
- 1 district needs improvement for Native American students
- 67 districts need improvement for Students with Disabilities
- 24 districts need improvement for White students
Exemplary Districts:
- Meet the majority of their Achievement targets;
- Meet majority of their Gap Closure targets;
- Ensure every subgroup—Students with Disabilities, racial minorities, and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds—moves forward in a majority of its target areas.
These three requirements show that districts are raising proficiency levels, narrowing achievement gaps and guaranteeing growth for all students.
The following districts are designated as Exemplary for 2012-13:
- Bells City Schools
- Bradford Special School District
- Elizabethton City Schools
- Perry County Schools
- Stewart County Schools
Districts in need of improvement fail to reach the majority of their targets for both Achievement and Gap Closure.
These districts will meet in-person with department officials to set an aggressive, effective plan to meet the goals they missed the year prior.
The following districts are designated In Need of Improvement for 2012-13:
| District | Reasons |
|---|---|
| Fayetteville City Schools |
|
| Henry County Schools* |
|
| Memphis City Schools |
|
*Note on Henry County Schools: While Henry County met every one of their Achievement AMOs and close to half of their Gap Closure AMOs, the district is In Need of Improvement because the percentage of students who tested in one subject, English III, did not meet the required 95 percent. Federal law requires that for the purposes of accountability, all school districts test 95 percent of enrolled students in all required subjects. Henry County’s participation rate for English III was 94.46 for 2012-13.
These districts:
- May successfully attain their goals in Achievement, Gap Closure or even both, but experience declines among particular groups of students.
- Focus efforts on ensuring all groups of students show improvement in the following year.
The following districts are designated In Need of Subgroup Improvement for 2012-13:
| Districts | Subgroup Needing Improvement |
|---|---|
| Alamo City Schools | Black |
| Alcoa City Schools | Black |
| Anderson County Schools | White |
| Athens City Schools | Hispanic |
| Bedford County Schools | Hispanic |
| Benton County Schools | White |
| Bledsoe County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Blount County Schools | Black |
| Bradley County Schools | Hispanic |
| Bristol City Schools | White |
| Cannon County Schools | Economically Disadvantaged *District did not meet participation rate in Algebra I and Algebra II. |
| Carter County Schools | Hispanic |
| Cheatham County Schools | Economically Disadvantaged |
| Chester County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Claiborne County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Cocke County Schools | White |
| Coffee County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Crockett County Schools | Hispanic |
| Cumberland County Schools | Hispanic |
| Dayton City Schools | Black |
| Decatur County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| DeKalb County Schools | Economically Disadvantaged |
| Dickson County Schools | Black |
| Dyer County Schools | Black |
| Dyersburg City Schools | Hispanic |
| Fayette County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Fentress County Schools | White |
| Franklin City Schools | White |
| Franklin County Schools | White |
| Giles County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Grainger County Schools | White |
| Greene County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Hamblen County Schools | Hispanic |
| Hamilton County Schools | Native American |
| Hancock County Schools | Economically Disadvantaged |
| Hardin County Schools | White |
| Hawkins County Schools | Hispanic |
| Haywood County Schools | Hispanic *District did not meet participation rate in English II and English III. |
| Hickman County Schools | White |
| Hollow Rock-Bruceton Special School District | Students with Disabilities |
| Humboldt City Schools | White |
| Jackson County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Jackson-Madison County Schools | Economically Disadvantaged |
| Jefferson County Schools | Students with Disabilities* *District did not meet participation rate in English II and English III. |
| Johnson City Schools | Black |
| Johnson County Schools | White |
| Kingsport City Schools | Asian |
| Knox County Schools | Hispanic |
| Lake County Schools | White |
| Lauderdale County Schools | Hispanic |
| Lebanon Special School District | Students with Disabilities |
| Lenoir City Schools | White |
| Loudon County Schools | Hispanic |
| Manchester City Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Marion County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Maryville City Schools | Economically Disadvantaged |
| Maury County Schools | Hispanic |
| McKenzie Special School District | Black |
| McNairy County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Milan Special School District | White |
| Monroe County Schools | White |
| Montgomery County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Moore County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Morgan County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Murfreesboro City Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Newport City Schools | Black |
| Oak Ridge Schools | White |
| Obion County Schools | White |
| Paris Special School District | Black |
| Pickett County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Polk County Schools | Economically Disadvantaged |
| Putnam County Schools | White *District did not meet participation rate in Algebra I and Algebra II. |
| Rhea County Schools | White |
| Robertson County Schools | English Language Learners |
| Rogersville City Schools | White |
| Rutherford County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Scott County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Sequatchie County Schools | White |
| Sevier County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Shelby County Schools | Hawaiian Pacific Islander |
| Smith County Schools | Economically Disadvantaged |
| Sullivan County Schools | Hispanic |
| Sumner County Schools | Black |
| Sweetwater City Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| Tipton County Schools | Hispanic |
| Trenton Special School District | Black |
| Tullahoma City Schools | White |
| Unicoi County Schools | White |
| Union City Schools | Hispanic |
| Union County Schools | Hispanic |
| Warren County Schools | Hispanic |
| Washington County Schools | Students with Disabilities |
| West Carroll Special School District | Economically Disadvantaged |
| White County Schools | Black |
| Williamson County Schools | Hispanic |
| Wilson County Schools | Hispanic |
Although Tennessee’s accountability system is focused on the district level, we also identify three types of schools as required by the U.S. Department of Education under our ESEA Flexibility Waiver.
- Reward Schools are made up of the top 5 percent of schools in the state for performance— as measured by overall student achievement levels—and the top 5 percent for year-over- year progress—as measured by growth in student achievement. These 10 percent of schools receive recognition for their success, and we aim to learn from their successes. Reward Schools are identified every year based on the previous school year’s results.
- Priority Schools are schools in the bottom 5 percent of the state in overall performance. These schools will receive one of four types of supports:
- Placement in the state-run Achievement School District
- Turnaround through a district-led Innovation Zone
- Turnaround through an approved School Improvement Grant model and plan
- District-led school improvement planning processes, subject to direct ASD intervention in the absence of improved results
- Focus Schools are the 10 percent of schools across the state with the largest achievement gaps between groups of students. This designation does not indicate low overall achievement levels. In fact, Focus Schools may be high-performing schools that are working to close gaps between groups of students.
Reward, Priority, and Focus lists were first identified in summer 2012, as part of Tennessee’s approved ESEA Flexibility waiver. Reward Schools are named each year, based on the results from the immediate prior school year. Priority and Focus designations last for three years, so the 2012 Priority and Focus Schools will remain in that status through the 2014-15 school year. The new set of 2015 Priority and Focus Schools are being identified in summer 2014 to allow for a one-year planning period before beginning their interventions in 2015-16.