Posted in Data:

On December 19, the Tennessee Department of Education released the 2023-24 State Report Card with additional data, including school letter grades. The A-F school letter grades for Tennessee schools were implemented in 2023. School letter grades are calculated using several pieces of data, including student achievement and growth on standardized assessments, subgroup performance, and college and career readiness at the high school level. Since implementation, CMCSS has not had any schools rated at the lowest level, an F. CMCSS has continued this trend in 2023-24 and made significant improvements from 2022-23.

In CMCSS, 90% of schools received an average or better letter grade of an A, B, or C, an increase from 73% in 2022-2023. Nearly half of CMCSS schools performed in the top categories, earning an A or B, and the number of schools earning a D decreased by 64%. There were no F grades in CMCSS.

Over 30% of schools improved their letter grades from last year, including a significant 3-grade improvement at Northeast Elementary School from a D to an A, and 2-grade improvements at Montgomery Central Middle School (C to A) and Moore Magnet Elementary School (D to B).

Click here to review the Tennessee Department of Education’s School Letter Grade Dashboard. The TCAP Family Portal can be found here, and additional online education tools can be found here.

The Tennessee Department of Education has released the 2023-2024 accountability data, and the Tennessee State Board of Education approved designations for schools and districts across Tennessee. The data shows that CMCSS is continuing its upward trajectory in improving student growth and achievement.

CMCSS achieved an impressive system-wide composite student growth score of 5, the highest score possible, marking a significant 3-point increase from the score of 2 in the 2022-2023 school year. CMCSS’ district designation was upgraded to Advancing from Satisfactory last year. The district also made notable progress in literacy, rising by another point to reach a system-wide score of 4, which is a 3-point increase from 2021-2022. Additionally, CMCSS maintained top growth scores of 5 in both science and social studies.

CMCSS improved its graduation rate by nearly 3 percentage points to 95.1%. This is the highest year-over-year increase for CMCSS since 2014. This graduation rate is around 3 points higher than the state average, and only half of the districts in Tennessee have a graduation rate of 95% or higher. Additionally, CMCSS achieved significant graduation gains with multiple subgroups, including an 11.7-point increase for Native American students, a 10.9-point increase for students experiencing homelessness, an 8.9-point increase for students with disabilities, and a 6-point increase for English language learners, among other improvements.

“We proudly celebrate the significant growth in CMCSS, reflecting the hard work of our students and educators and strong partnerships with families and the community,” said Dr. Jean Luna-Vedder, Director of Schools. “Together, we are fostering an environment of success for students. Our commitment to continuous improvement drives us forward as we strive to be the best school system in the state for students, families, and employees.”

CMCSS exceeded expectations in all system-wide content areas except for numeracy, which remains a primary focus this school year due to the recent adoption of new standards and high-quality instructional materials. A specific area of focus is middle school math. CMCSS is improving its support systems for the transition from elementary to middle school to enhance student outcomes during this crucial period. Although there is still room for growth, CMCSS’s middle schools experienced the highest growth levels in nearly a decade, with 88% of middle schools meeting or exceeding expectations for the overall school-wide composite—a remarkable 75-point increase from the 2022-2023 school year.

“Every CMCSS teacher and administrator’s dedication to high-quality instruction is driving progress in student achievement and growth across our district,” stated Chief Academic Officer Dr. Schanda Doughty who started in her role in the summer before last school year. “These gains reflect not only strategic focus but the relentless commitment to excellence that brings our students and schools to new levels of success.”

CMCSS increased its number of Reward Schools from last year, with seven schools earning this distinction for demonstrating high levels of performance and/or growth across all indicators:

• Cumberland Heights Elementary
• Montgomery Central Elementary
• Northeast Elementary
• Middle College at APSU
• Montgomery Central High
• Rossview High
• Sango Elementary

For school-wide composite scores, 72% of CMCSS schools met or exceeded student growth expectations, an increase from 61% in the 2022-2023 school year. The following schools received top composite scores of 4 or 5 for student growth:

• Burt Elementary
• Cumberland Heights Elementary
• East Montgomery Elementary
• Glenellen Elementary
• Montgomery Central Elementary
• Moore Magnet Elementary
• Northeast Elementary
• Sango Elementary (all 5s in every content area)
• West Creek Elementary
• Kirkwood Middle
• Montgomery Central Middle
• Kirkwood High
• Middle College at APSU (all 5s in every content area)
• Montgomery Central High
• Rossview High School (all 5s in every content area)

Across the District, CMCSS met or exceeded expected student growth in 62% of subject areas and grade bands, with the highest levels in the following areas:

• 4th-Grade ELA (4)
• 5th-Grade ELA (4)
• 7th-Grade ELA (4)
• 4th-Grade Math (4)
• 5th-Grade Science (5)
• 7th-Grade Science (5)
• 8th-Grade Science (5)
• 6th-Grade Social Studies (5)
• 7th-Grade Social Studies (5)
• 8th-Grade Social Studies (5)
• Biology I (5)
• English I (5)
• English II (5)

All four of CMCSS’ schools that were designated in 2022-2023 as Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) for subgroup student achievement made significant progress and exited that status in 2023-2024:

• Kenwood Middle – 22% increase on the final score
• Montgomery Central Middle – 271% increase on the final score
• New Providence Middle – 11% increase on the final score
• Kenwood High – 100% increase on the final score

In 2022, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a new law to establish the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement funding formula, otherwise known as TISA. One of the requirements of this law is that districts will create accountability plans to ensure that planned expenditures with our funds align with our goals for improving student achievement as a District. Please click here to review the District’s plan and provide your feedback on this plan.

2021-2022 School Accountability Designations

In accordance with Tennessee’s accountability system, the Tennessee Department of Education names schools that are excelling, as well as those that need additional support. Late yesterday afternoon, TDOE released the 2021-2022 designations. As Dr. Luna-Vedder emphasized in July when the initial TCAP District scores were released:

“There are many bright spots in the data to celebrate as a result of the hard work of our educators and students! We will not rest on our laurels and will be having critical conversations over the coming days and weeks to develop strategic plans to address gaps and areas of concern. I look forward to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure CMCSS is one of the best school districts in the state of Tennessee.”

CMCSS is proud to have almost 30% of our schools recognized by the state as Reward schools! Schools receiving this designation typically demonstrate high levels of performance and/or growth across all indicators. Congratulations to the students, faculty, staff, and administrators at the following CMCSS Reward Schools:

Barksdale Elementary

Byrns Darden Elementary

Cumberland Heights Elementary

East Montgomery Elementary

Glenellen Elementary

Northeast Elementary

Rossview Elementary

Sango Elementary

West Creek Elementary

Woodlawn Elementary

Montgomery Central High

CMCSS has one Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) school. Schools with overall accountability scores in the bottom five percent statewide for the performance of a given student group are identified as Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) schools. Schools can be identified as TSI schools for any of the following given student groups when meeting the identification criteria: Black/Hispanic/Native American, Economically Disadvantaged, English Learners, Students with Disabilities, Hispanic/Latino, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Asian, and White. These schools are supported by the department and are eligible for additional funding. Kenwood High School has received the TSI designation for the Economically Disadvantaged and White subgroups. CMCSS is providing additional resources and supports to close the achievement gap at this school.

CMCSS has three Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) schools. Only schools identified as TSI based on the most recent TSI list will be eligible for ATSI identification. TSI schools whose student group success rates are less than or equal to the maximum success rate of any Priority school in their school pool will be identified as ATSI if they do not also have a score of 4 or 3 for each indicator for which that student group is eligible. Schools identified in 2021-22 will receive the designation for one year and can exit the designation in 2022-23 by meeting exit criteria. Kenwood Middle School, Montgomery Central Middle School, and West Creek Middle School have received the ATSI designation for the Students with Disabilities subgroup. CMCSS is providing additional resources and supports to close the achievement gaps at these schools.

As a District, CMCSS received the second highest designation – Advancing. Districts designated as advancing received an overall score equal to or greater than 2.1 but less than 3.1. Only 1% of Tennessee’s districts received the highest designation of Exemplary. CMCSS is focused on improving student achievement, especially in literacy and math, and Dr. Luna-Vedder has continued to emphasize that CMCSS can and will be one of the best districts in the state as we work together to be better than ever.

Calendar Reminders

Please note the upcoming items for September:

• Wednesday, September 14, 5-7 p.m. – Annual College Fair (click here for more info)
• Thursday, September 15, 4:30-7:30 p.m. – Elementary Parent-Teacher Conferences
• Monday, September 19 – Staff Development | Students Do Not Report
• Thursday, September 22, 4:30-7:30 p.m. – High School Parent-Teacher Conferences
• Thursday, September 29, 4:30-7:30 p.m. – Elementary Parent-Teacher Conferences

To view calendars, visit cmcss.net/calendars.