2016-17 State of Education in Tennessee | Page 65

TENNESSEE PROMISE : As part of the state ’ s Drive to 55 initiative , the Tennessee Promise is a scholarship and mentoring program that provides a last-dollar scholarship for high school graduates seeking a degree or certificate at a community college , Tennessee College of Applied Technology ( TCAT ), or other eligible institution . The maximum scholarship amount is the average cost of tuition and mandatory fees at a Tennessee public community college . The scholarship for each student will vary based on their remaining financial need after all other grant aid is applied . In order to maintain eligibility , participating students must meet with their mentor , complete eight hours of community service per term enrolled , and maintain satisfactory academic progress ( 2.0 GPA ) at their institution . Students who graduated from high school in 2015 were the first class eligible for the program .
WORK-BASED LEARNING ( WBL ): Work-based learning ( WBL ) is an educational approach providing students an opportunity to develop knowledge and skills necessary for postsecondary education and future careers . WBL combines academic , technical , and social skills through collaborative activities in a professional setting to allow students to explore possible career options . Introductory WBL activities in the elementary and middle school years may include schooldirected experiences that expose students to a broad range of industries and career opportunities such as field trips and tours , career fairs , and guest speakers from various career and industry fields . More advanced activities in high school may include a more comprehensive experience both inside and outside of the classroom through job shadowing , service learning projects , internships , apprenticeships , and practicum experiences for credit .
TENNESSEE VALUE-ADDED ASSESSMENT SYSTEM ( TVAAS ): TVAAS aims to measure the impact a district , school , or teacher has on the academic growth of individual students and groups of students from one school year to the next . TVAAS scores are based on student performance on Tennessee ’ s achievement tests . To calculate annual growth for students , TVAAS incorporates a student ’ s past testing data and estimates his or her growth based on the average growth of students statewide . A student ’ s performance on an assessment is compared to the average score of his or her student peers in similar grades and subjects . The difference between how a student would be expected to perform and his or her actual performance results in an annual measure of educator contribution to growth . Because this measure is calculated each year in relationship to each student ’ s performance , assessment data can provide a basis for determining growth , as all students in the state take the same state-required tests .
TNREADY : TNReady is Tennessee ’ s statewide annual assessment for English language arts , math , science , and social studies and is taken by students in grades 3-11 . TNReady , first administered in 2015-16 , is part of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program ( TCAP ). The assessment is aligned with Tennessee academic standards and includes a mix of item types to better measure student understanding , including essay and short-answer questions , multi-step math problems , and multiple-choice and multiple-answer questions .
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