STATE OF EDUCATION IN TENNESSEE: 2012-2013 – Section I: Year in Review
analysis. Additional progress in data
availability came this year when the
Tennessee Department of Education released value-added data to
schools and districts in June, the
earliest release of these data in state
history. The TVAAS data were also
loaded into the evaluation data system for educators to access. While
it is significant that the state was
able to move up the release date
of value-added data, there is still a
consensus among educators that an
even faster turnaround for results
would be beneficial in improving
instruction for their students and
enabling districts to make human
capital decisions based, in part, on
student achievement data. It is critical that the state continue to look
for ways to provide more immediate results on state tests. The use
of online assessments with PARCC
implementation may help make this
a reality.
The state has also been working
to develop an Early Warning Data
System, which will enable educators to see real-time indicators for
at-risk students so they can craft
effective academic interventions to
keep more students on track to high
school graduation and postsecondary readiness. In April 2012, the
system was piloted in 10 districts to
provide the state with feedback in
advance of a statewide rollout. The
Department has plans to combine
this work with other data, such as
teacher evaluation data, and provide
it on a common web platform. The
state currently has plans for a small
scale release in Spring 2013 with
trainings planned for Summer 2013.
The state has also been working with
the University of Tennessee’s Center
for Business and Economic Research
to create a database that will combine information from a variety of
agencies, including higher education
and health and human services, to
track data on students from prekindergarten through postsecondary.
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The system, known as a P-20 longitudinal data system, will be used
to provide the state with additional
information about students’ progression along the pathway to postsecondary education and training.
From the beginning of the Race to
the Top grant period, the Department has worked to build local
capacity to interpret data to differentiate instruction. Through an
early partnership with Battelle for
Kids, the Department trained 25-30
educators as regional value-added
specialists to build local capacity
on using value-added and formative assessment data. Additionally,
Battelle for Kids has offered online
courses to K-12 educators and
higher education faculty on these
topics. For the 2012-13 school year,
the state has hired data analysts to
work in each of the eight Centers of
Regional Excellence to continue this
work with districts. (See call-out box
on page 32.)
While the Department has made
progress in building educator capacity to understand and use data to
inform decisions for students, there
is still significant work remaining.
The statewide rollout of the Early
Warning Data System (originally set
for Fall 2011) has been continually
delayed due to lengthy contracting
processes, a change in vendors and
project direction, as well as technical issues. These delays have limited
the ability of educators, particularly
those in small and rural districts who
do not have the funds to create their
own systems, to use this information to make changes to ensure that
more of their students graduate
from high school prepared for postsecondary and career. It will also
be important that the Department,
aided by the Centers of Regional
Excellence, continues to support districts in using data to drive academic
interventions at the classroom,
school, and district levels. The Department should also work to
STATE OF EDUCATION IN TENNESSEE: 2012-2013 – Section I: Year in Review
share
relevant information it
gains from the
statewide longitudinal data system
to help districts address systemic issues. An example could
include sharing information with a
district about workforce demands so
the district can ensure its st udents
have the skills they need to compete
for jobs.
Innovative Practices
Achievement School District
Over the last two years, Tennessee
has redefined the way that it identifies and supports the state’s underperforming schools. Aligned with its
First to the Top plan and the work
outlined in its approved waiver from
some provisions of No Child Left
Behind, Tennessee has implemented
two key strategies. One strategy is
the development of an Achievement
School District, which allows the
state to intervene in the bottom 5
percent of schools. The other strategy provides districts with the flexibility to turn around low performing
schools through the establishment
of Innovation Zones.
As part of the First to the Top
Act passed in 2010, the
General Assembly provided the Commissioner of Education
the authority
to take over
persistently
fail-
Centers of
Regional
Excellence
In order to help Tennessee become
the fastest improving state in the nation
on student achievement outcomes, the
Tennessee Department of Education has renewed its focus on providing regional support to
local school districts. This focus has been reflected
in the restructuring of the Department’s field service
centers – which traditionally focused on compliance – into
Centers of Regional Excellence that are focused on providing targeted and differentiated support to help districts meet
student achievement goals. To make this transition, the state has
hired strategic planning directors for each of the state’s grand divisions. Each of the eight offices – which have replaced the nine field serve
centers – has hired a director, a data analyst, and a math coordinator. At the
state level, a chief district support officer and senior director have been hired
to oversee the work statewide.
In 2012-13, the Centers of Regional Excellence have been charged with helping districts understand how to use data to drive decision making and help schools effectively
implement Common Core standards in math. The Centers are also working with the Department’s Teacher and Leader division to develop a principal bootcamp that will focus on five areas: understanding standards and curriculum, high quality standards-based instruction, balanced
assessment, responding to student learning outcomes, and developing and facilitating professional learning communities (PLCs).
In the future, the Centers have plans to hire special education advisors, early childhood advisors,
and fiscal advisors who will help districts think about how to align and maximize resources to
improve student achievement. By restructuring the field service centers, the Department has
begun the important work to enhance district capacity to carry out the significant reforms
to which the state is committed. As the Department continues with this strategy, it will be important to ensure that those districts that need help the most have access to these supports.
The state will also need to harness technology to overcome the geographical challenge
of managing these offices and ensuring that best practices can be shared among them.
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