2012 SCORE Prize Winners: Embracing High Standards | Page 6

In addition, two middle school teachers and three
high school teachers participated in Project Lead
the Way, a science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) education initiative that is
designed to engage students and motivate them
to pursue advanced coursework in STEM-related
fields. Some of the Project Lead the Way students
have been able to participate in the Tennessee
Valley Authority’s Cadnet program where they use
AutoCad software to develop skills as draftsmen.
The district also has a partnership with Alcoa Howmet, a local business, to provide two internships to
students in each high school each year.
Interventions. Hamblen County Schools tracks the
success of every student. If a student starts to fall
behind, he or she is immediately diagnosed and
provided with interventions tailored to meet individual needs. To pinpoint specific areas for remediation, the district administers a variety of diagnostic
assessments. Renaissance Learning’s STAR Reading Program, Discovery Assessment, and DIBELS
are used to identify literacy needs. The district uses
software programs to address these needs early to
prevent serious problems from developing. Tutoring
is also available in most of the schools.
In addition, the district has developed a number of
initiatives to address common challenges that have
arisen over the years. The high school initiatives
include:
• Freshman academies. In high school, all ninth
grade students enroll in a freshman academy,
which is a smaller learning community. Students
are placed into classes based on their ACT EXPLORE scores, seventh grade TCAP scores, and
teacher recommendations. In addition, many high
school students take a year-long algebra class
and a year-long math lab. Typically the math lab
instructor will pre-teach a concept or provide
remediation for any area in which students have
not mastered algebra content. The math lab is
meant to provide small victories for students and
help them to persist with what is often considered
a very difficult gateway course.
• The freshman Skills for Success (fSS) course.
This course is provided to students who need additional support to make a successful transition to
high school. Students in this course spend more
time with reading through the core curriculum,
time management, study skills, and organizational
skills to help them become better prepared for
the rigors of English. Typically this course is taken
either before or simultaneously with English I.

• Graduation coaches. The d istrict has hired six
graduation coaches to work in its elementary,
middle, and high schools. Graduation coaches
work with any student who is off-track for high
school graduation. For exa mple, if a kindergarten
student misses a large number of days, graduation coaches will work with families to ensure
that they get the student to school on time every
day. Graduation coaches typically conduct home
visits, visit students at school, form relationships
with the students, and work with their students’
teachers to help them succeed.
• Credit recovery. Hamblen County Schools offers
several credit recovery programs for both middle
and high school students who have failed a
class but have met the seat time requirement for
credit. These students enter into a contract with
the district, are pre-tested, and then complete
all components of a class that have not been
mastered. Using the Plato software program, they
are allowed 45 hours to complete the course an