Supporting Effective Teaching in Tennessee: Executive Summary | Page 42

Despite this great diversity, there were five characteristics
County provide teachers with regular, informal training
that existed in all the high-performing districts but that were
sessions on how to retrieve and interpret TVAAS data and
absent in the lowest-performing districts. First, the highhow to effectively use TVAAS data to improve classroom
performing districts all have targeted professional development
instruction. Similarly, Clinton requires its teachers each year
opportunities for teachers that are embedded within schools
to analyze TVAAS data in grade-level teams. High-performing
and maintained over time. Jefferson’s County’s professional
districts are also working to use data to monitor students’
development strategy, called Mission Possible, is among the
progress throughout the year. For example, Alcoa alerts
strongest in the state. The key element of this strategy is the
teachers each fall to students who were not proficient in the
Teaching Induction Program, which pairs each new teacher
previous academic year, and Trenton is planning to implement
with an experienced, mentor teacher.
a formative assessment system for all
Jefferson County’s strategy also includes
students next fall. By comparison, lowcounty-wide, grade-specific, and subjectperforming districts rarely ever mention
specific
professional
development
TVAAS data or formative assessments.
programs. Like Jefferson County, both
a n i m porta n t pa rt o f
Clinton and Trenton provide mentors for
Fourth,
high-performing
districts
first year teachers. In Claiborne County,
provide supplemental services to support
a n y atte m pt to re for m
the district has fully embraced the idea
their most disadvantaged students.
of ongoing, embedded professional
For example, Alcoa offers after school
e d u c atio n i n te n n essee
development by stopping the practice
programs such as tutoring and credit
of bringing in experts for one-day
recovery opportunities; Clinton provides
is i d e n ti f y i n g d istricts
trainings and instead hiring a full-time
all students with free breakfast in
professional development supervisor who
the morning and after school and
is able to provide ongoing professional
transportation home for just $5 a day;
t h at a re exce l l i n g ,
development to district teachers. HighTrenton proactively uses after school
performing districts also are focused
programs, Family Resource Centers, and
u n d ersta n d i n g w h y
on preparing teachers to meet the new
Coordinated School Health screenings to
standards of the Tennessee Diploma
meet students’ social needs; and Claiborne
t h e y h ave b ee n
Project (TDP). For example, Alcoa sent
County places a nurse in every school,
42 of its 105 teachers to the state TDP
offers after school credit recovery, and
s u ccess f u l , a n d f i n d i n g
training sessions and is holding a series
after school tutoring. However, SCORE
of its own TDP training sessions within
found that low-performing districts also
ways to rep l ic ate
the district. By comparison, professional
offer fairly similar supplemental services,
development opportunities in lowsuggesting that such services alone do
t h eir s u ccess .
performing districts are rarely ongoing,
not automatically lead to increases in
embedded within individual schools, or
student achievement.
focused on the state’s new standards.
Finally,
high-performing
districts
Second, high-performing districts invest
adopt additional policies that meet the
in training and developing strong school leaders. For example,
specific challenges of their district. For example, to address
Claiborne County holds an annual week-long academy
a high dropout rate, Claiborne County developed freshman
for school administrators focused on teaching principals
academies and high school math intervention programs to
how to recruit and recognize promising teachers, accurately
ensure students don’t fall behind in the early years of high
and fairly evaluate teachers’ performance, and remove lowschool. Similarly, to address coordination issues between its
performing teachers. Trenton is in the process of developing
various schools, Trenton schools is currently implementing a
a similar program. By comparison, low-performing districts
grade-level transition program known as “Trenton Way” to
rarely mention the importance of developing a strong cadre
ensure that students gain the skills they needed in each grade
of principals.
to succeed in the following grade. In this way, although highperforming districts share a number of qualities in common,
Third, high-performing districts utilize data to improve
they also develop programs to address the specific challenges
teaching and learning. For example, both Alcoa and Claiborne
they are facing.

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