Education Commissioner Candice McQueen today released the new, redesigned state report card for 2017-18. This tool was developed over the past year with educators, parents, and community organizations and includes a number of new features based on that feedback, including school ratings, a Spanish translation of the site, and additional new data about the performance of different student groups.
The new report card is intended to help families better understand school performance and support student success. The updated design of the report card and information that is included in the tool, including the new rating system, is based on input the department received as it developed a plan to transition to the new federal K-12 education law, the Every Student Succeeds Act, and has several components that are unique to Tennessee.
“We want families to have easy access to information about their school’s performance and how it is meeting the needs of all students, and we want them to have that context on a variety of metrics that encompass success,” Commissioner McQueen said. “The report card provides parents and community members with an additional snapshot of information to understand how their school is performing, see successes, and know where to ask questions and get engaged.”
While the department has published a state report card for a number of years, the redesigned version includes a number of updates. For the first time, the report card provides schools with ratings on up to six indicators designated in Tennessee Succeeds, the state’s ESSA plan. These indicators capture different aspects of school performance and include academic achievement, academic growth, chronic absenteeism, progress on English language proficiency, and graduation rate. The report card also includes a new measure called the Ready Graduate indicator that that looks for students’ readiness for college and career to let families know how students are being prepared for life after graduation.
The rating system provides a score of 0.0 to 4.0 on each indicator, similar to a GPA, with 4.0 being the highest. Parents can click through to see more information behind each rating, including how both the full student population and different student groups are performing. Ratings are based either on how well the school is doing overall or how much it improved over the last year; the school receives the higher of the two. The department has shared more information about the rating system and indicators, as well as context on how schools were rated in 2017-18, here.
Additional new features include a new full Spanish translation of the website, an opportunity for principals and superintendents to share messages about their schools, and a wealth of new metrics, including new details on the performance of different student groups and new data in areas like discipline and attendance. The department will continue to update and improve this tool in future years as it receives additional feedback, which families can share via the report card home page. To view the new report card, click here.
Director of Cannon County Schools, William F. Curtis stated in his personal message on the Cannon County Schools Report Card, “Welcome to the Cannon County School District. It is a distinct honor to serve as your Director of Schools. Our desire is for all students to graduate from Cannon County High School prepared for college or a career. It takes ALL of US – Parents, Teachers, Staff, Administrators, and Community Leaders to see our MISSION – “Preparing All Student for Their Future” become a reality! We accomplish this through our VISION – “E3 = Engaged in Excellence Every Day!” We strive to maintain a safe, healthy and positive school environment. Our desire is to see this Report Card improve every year! Please visit our website at www.ccstn.net.” He further stated, “The Report Card shows the progress from the last school year 2017-2018. Our school system personnel are all working hard to see improvement in our schools. There is good news in that progress has been made to lower those students that are chronically absent. And as always on a report card – there is room for improvement, specifically in academic achievement and growth. We are all motivated to see our scores continue to improve. Thanks to all stakeholders in Cannon County for aiding us in that improvement.”
