Taking Note
Superintendent Selection in2012
May Tennessee: A Brief History
Why did Tennessee apply for a waiver?
Governor Bill Haslam has been a leading voice in calling for the
Education Department to allow waivers from onerous provisions
of NCLB.iii Before the waiver’s approval, Haslam’s appointed
Commissioner of Education, Kevin Huffman, said, “If approved,
our waiver would help align our First to the Top plan with our state
accountability system by giving educators goals they feel they could
actually help their students reach.” iv
Tennessee is committed to an ambitious education reform agenda,
but achievements underway are not recognized by NCLB. Based on
2010-11 student achievement data, half of the schools in the state and
53 of 136 districts are not in “good standing,” meaning they failed to
achieve AYP. During this same time period, Tennessee made gains on
state standardized te sts, with a 7 point average gain in statewide 3rd8th grade math scores, and a 4 point average gain in statewide 3rd-8th
grade reading scores. Without the waiver, the Department estimated
approximately “80 percent of schools and at least 40 percent of districts
would fail AYP” based on results from 2011-12. By developing an
alternative accountability system, the state can distinguish schools that are
making gains in overall student achievement and narrowing achievement
gaps, while targeting resources and attention toward schools that are
facing the greatest challenges in accomplishing these goals.v
How will Tennessee ensure accountability for
student achievement without having to meet
NCLB requirements?
Under the waiver, Tennessee will identify three groups of schools as
part of its accountability design:
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given to overall achievement levels and progress toward gap closures.
Districts will be held accountable based on the collective average number
of AMOs met by their schools. The state, in turn, will be held accountable
to the number of districts meeting their achievement goals. Districts will
be designated as Exemplary, Intermediate, or Needs Improvement, as
detailed by the table below.
Accountability Designations for Districts under Tennessee’s
NCLB Waiver
DESIGNATION
Exemplary
REWARD or CONSEQUENCE
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•
•
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Intermediate
Needs
Improvement
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•
•
Recognized through inclusion on list of
exemplary districts
Planning without need for Department
approval
Priority consideration for any Departmentissued waivers
Priority consideration for Department
support of proposals for alternative
teacher evaluation models
Detailed analysis of results and plans on
how to achieve goals in the coming year,
subject to Department approval
Inclusion on public list of districts in need
of improvement
In-person meeting with Department to
create aggressive plan to meet goals in
the coming year
Source: Tennessee Department of Education
Focus Schools – 10 percent of schools with the largest
achievement gaps, subgroup proficiency rates below 5
percent, or high schools with graduation rates less than
60 percent
Priority Schools – 5 percent of schools statewide with the
lowest performance levels in tested grades and subjects
Reward Schools – 5 percent of schools with the highest
performance levels and another 5 percent with highest
overall levels of growth
The state will provide interventions or additional supports to schools and
districts experiencing low performance levels or the largest achievement
gaps. The state will also provide resources to Reward Schools to
enable them to share their best practices with other schools and
communities.
Under the waiver, the state will hold districts accountable to achievement
and gap closure annual measurable objectives (AMOs). Equal weight is
Districts will be assessed based on whether they achieve the majority
of their performance goals, rather than the NCLB model requiring 100
percent proficiency for all student groups. Although all districts are
eligible for Exemplary status, they must meet goals for both overall
achievement and narrowing achievement gaps to earn this status.
According to the Department, had the waiver been in place last year,
only 22 of the 136 districts statewide would have earned Exemplary
distinction. Intermediate districts will develop strategic plans focused
on addressing gaps of greatest need. By the accountability structure
outlined in the waiver, 50 districts would have been designated as In
Need of Improvement based on 2010-11 achievement results. The
Department seeks to balance ambitious plans with achievable goals in
all Tennessee school districts.