Apison Is Level 5

August 23, 2018

Schools receive recognition banners for earning the top rating as a state Level 5 School

ApisonStudent academic growth in Hamilton County Schools showed a significant improvement according to the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) for 2018.  The overall composite score for student academic growth in Hamilton County Schools improved to Level 3 from Level 1 last year.  The state reports TVAAS results for districts and schools using a range from Level 1 to Level 5. Hamilton County Schools is honoring the 25 schools in the district listed at Level 5 in the state report. The schools will be recognized with an academic growth “championship” banner to celebrate the school’s accomplishment.  Board members and administrators will present the banners to the Level 5 schools over the next three weeks.

In the Harrison Bay Learning Community, Bess T. Shepherd Elementary, Brown Middle School, Harrison Elementary, Hunter Middle, Wolftever Creek Elementary, and Ooltewah Middle were Level 5 performers.  For the Missionary Ridge Learning Community, Apison Elementary, East Ridge Middle, Hamilton County Collegiate High at Chattanooga State, Tyner Academy, Tyner Middle Academy, and Westview Elementary were Level 5 schools.  In the North River Learning Community, Allen Elementary, McConnell Elementary, Loftis Middle, Hixson Elementary, Soddy Elementary, and Soddy-Daisy Middle were Level 5 performers.  East Lake Academy of Fine Arts was a Level 5 school in the Opportunity Zone. For the Rock Point Learning Community, Normal Park Museum Magnet, Chattanooga School for Arts and Sciences Lower, Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences Upper, Lookout Valley Middle/High and Red Bank High performed at Level 5. Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy Charter was also a Level 5 charter school performer.

East Ridge

“We see schools hang banners for athletic accomplishments and that is good, but it is time for our schools to take equal pleasure in academic accomplishments,” said Dr. Bryan Johnson, superintendent of Hamilton County Schools. “Schools can hang these banners with pride as a result of their academic accomplishment and share the joy of the success of the students and staff with parents and the community.”

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’s 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.  Teaching and learning have been reorganized to maximize effectiveness in schools and add social studies lead teachers.  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.

 Photo (Top): Apison Elementary presented their Level 5 banner.  Left to right – Dr. Bryan Johnson, superintendent; Zeke Johns, third-grade; Joe Wingate, board member for District 7; Jaxson Cavitt, fifth-grade; Ron Hughes, principal of Apison Elementary; Marley Braden, fourth-grade; Dr. Steve Highlander, board chairman; Alexis Price, fifth-grade; and Cayde Hand, fifth-grade.

 Photo (Right): Eighth-graders from East Ridge Middle join Angela Cass, principal of East Ridge Middle School; Jon Young, and Christy Drake, assistant principals; to receive their banner from David Testerman, board member for District 8; and Dr. Bryan Johnson, superintendent of Hamilton County Schools.

 

 

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