East Ridge Middle, Loftis Middle, and McConnell Elementary among only 65 schools in the state at Level 5 in all subjects
Tennessee. All three not only scored a composite Level 5, the highest level of student growth in the recent Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) but also scored Level 5 in all individual subject areas. There were just 65 schools across 36 districts in the state to earn Level 5 across all subjects. The subjects on TVAAS are literacy, numeracy, science, social studies, and literacy and numeracy composite.
“This is a proud principal moment for me,” said Angela Cass, principal of East Ridge Middle School in the Missionary Ridge Learning Community. “We are a family who believes ‘Every Child Matters,’ and we do what we can each day to promote the success of children and achievement in and out of the classroom.” Cass also shared that East Ridge celebrated small and large successes over the last two years as the school underwent a major shift in culture and worked through school reform.
East Ridge Middle Level 5 banner presentation video
Loftis Middle’s su
ccess is attributed to keeping the needs of children at the heart of every decision. “The faculty at Loftis is committed to creating supportive, and rigorous learning for all students and the parents and community understand that direct involvement in the education of children is integral to success,” said Dr. Mary Catherine Gatlin, principal of Loftis Middle. “It is ‘The Loftis Way’ to continuously use data to ensure children are placed in classes that will challenge them.” Loftis Middle Level 5 banner presentation video
“McConnell Elementary is so proud of the faculty, staff, and students for achieving a Level 5 score in all subject areas,” said Ruth Pohlman, principal of McConnell Elementary. “This accomplishment would not be possible without teamwork and focus involving grade level teams, faculty and staff, and our parents all working together to accomplish our goals for the success of children.”
McConnell Elementary Level 5 banner presentation video
The Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System measures student growth from one school year to the next. Growth assessments determine how effective teachers and schools were in helping students gain a year’s worth of learning while taking into consideration the student’s academic history. Growth is a good determining factor in school and teacher effectiveness because it measures how much a student has progressed in the year regardless of if the student started behind or did not reach grade-level by the end of the year. In determining a TVAAS score, a student’s performance is compared relative to the performance of peers who have performed similarly on past assessments. The 2018 results are the first time since 2014 that the district’s overall TVAAS composite across all subjects showed students meeting growth expectations.
The Future Ready 2023 district action plan and individual school plans are already working to continue progress and accelerate results in our schools in 2019 and beyond. The district implemented clear learning targets for each classroom so that students and teachers understand the learning goal each day. The new Teacher Academy to prepare new teachers for success, instructional coaches in schools, and professional development for teachers are improving instruction in the classroom. Future Ready Institutes are making learning relevant to the lives of teens at the high school level. Middle schools have been re-imagined with Future Ready Preps and a laptop for each student. Teachers also worked hard during the summer to produce curriculum guides to align curriculum in the classroom with standards and what is tested by the state.
In the last few weeks, Hamilton County Schools honored 25 area schools with “championship banners” for achieving a composite score of Level 5 on TVAAS.
Photos: (Top) Level 5 banner presentation at Loftis Middle. (Middle) East Ridge Middle presentation of the Level 5 banner. (Bottom) Level 5 banner presentation at
McConnell Elementary.