Schools Report Card issued by the Department of Education

The 2012 state Report Card—posted Thursday on the Tennessee Department of Education website—offers detailed breakdowns of last year’s unprecedented statewide student achievement growth and presents the most recent data on graduation rate, demographics and school-level test scores. This summer, the department released statewide and district-by-district achievement results, and now Tennesseans can view data by grade level, subject and subgroup for each of the 136 districts and 1,784 schools in the state.

They can also see the achievement and gap closure measures that earned various designations under the new accountability system, such as Exemplary District and Reward School status.  “We think it’s important for parents and students, as well as school and district leaders, to know how well their schools are doing each year,” said Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman. “Tennessee is focused on continuous growth, and our Report Card shows us where we are making gains and where we need more work.”

As Tennessee continued to implement its First to the Top education reforms, performance on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) improved for the second year in a row in 2012, as students made the largest gains in the history of the test.  Last year, elementary and middle school students grew in 23 out of 24 TCAP measures, and proficiency levels on several high school End of Course exams improved, even as more students enrolled in higher-level classes such as Algebra II due to more rigorous graduation requirements. The statewide graduation rate increased from 85.5 percent to 87.2 percent for the Class of 2012.

Nearly every district in the state grew student achievement overall, but many did not successfully narrow achievement gaps or saw declines among particular student subgroups.  As the state strives to advance outcomes for all Tennessee students, these results allow educators to identify areas that need the most improvement. Through its regional offices, the department provides resources, support and expert analysis to help districts and schools with data-driven interventions.

Complementing the data released today in the department’s Report Card, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission released a report card on teacher preparation in Tennessee. The department also re-released its public TVAAS site, giving parents and community members an in-depth look at the academic growth in the state’s schools and districts. When used together, these three tools help paint a picture of the state of Tennessee education.

For the 2012 state Report Card, visit: www.tn.gov/education/reportcard
From this page, you can also access the public TVAAS site and archives of prior years' report cards.

For the Tennessee Report Card on the Effectiveness of Teacher Training Programs, visit: www.tn.gov/thec/Divisions/fttt/report_card.shtml.

State Budget Hearings Begin Today

Governor Haslam's cabinet members will begin public hearings today with regard to next year's budget and continue through Thursday this week.  Information about the hearings and a link to streaming video of the hearings can be found here: http://news.tn.gov/node/9851

The schedule is as follows:

Davidson Room, 3rd Floor, Tennessee Tower, Nashville


9:30-10 a.m. CST – Safety

10-10:30 a.m. – Tourist Development

10:30-11 a.m. – Military

11-11:30 a.m. – Veterans Affairs

11:30 a.m.-noon – Agriculture

Noon – Break

1:30-2:30 p.m. – Education

2:30-3:30 p.m. – Environment and Conservation

4-5 p.m. – Health



Wednesday, November 7

Budget hearings

Davidson Room, 3rd Floor, Tennessee Tower, Nashville

10:30-11 a.m. CST – Revenue

11 a.m.-noon – Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

Noon – Break

1:15-1:45 p.m. – Commerce and Insurance

1:45-2:30 p.m. – Human Services

2:30-3 p.m. – Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

3-3:45 p.m. – General Services

3:45-4:30 p.m. – Transportation



Thursday, November 8

Budget hearings

Davidson Room, 3rd Floor, Tennessee Tower, Nashville

10-11 a.m. CST – Children’s Services

11 a.m.-noon – Correction

Noon – Break

1:30-2 p.m. – Education Lottery Corporation

2-3 p.m. – Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

3-3:30 p.m. – Finance and Administration

3:30-4 p.m. – Labor and Workforce Development

4-4:30 p.m. – Financial Institutions

Election Day

If you haven't already, get out and vote.  It's an exciting day.  The Presidential election of course gathers the most attention, but after today we will also see a new General Assembly for Tennessee.  With the number of retirements and the changes that occurred back during the primaries in August, there will be a significant number of new faces to work with at the state legislature.