Two schools in Anderson County were recognized as reward schools by Tennessee officials on Monday, meaning they are among the best-performing in the state.
The two schools are Glenwood Elementary School in Oak Ridge and Clinton Elementary School in Clinton. They are among a group of 169 reward schools that rank in the top 5 percent of schools in Tennessee for annual growth and academic achievement.
Glenwood Elementary was recognized for its performance, while Clinton Elementary was honored for its performance and progress.
The schools were ranked under a new accountability system adopted through Tennessee’s No Child Left Behind waiver, according to a press release from Gov. Bill Haslam’s office.
“Tennessee is leading the way in education reform, and these schools demonstrate two key focuses of education in our state: high levels of achievement and continuous growth,” Haslam said.
“With new accountability measures in place and higher standards for achievement, we anticipated schools would need time to adjust,” said Tennessee Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican and member of the House Education Committee. “Instead, we’ve seen our students and teachers rise to not only meet the standards, but excel.”
The release from Haslam’s office said Tennessee has, for the first time, recognized schools that have shown the most progress year-over-year along with the schools with the highest achievement scores on statewide tests. Nearly a quarter of the 169 schools on the reward school list actually earned both designations, rising to the top 5 percent for annual value-added growth while also ranking in the state’s top 5 percent for overall achievement.
The release said the reward schools are spread across 70 districts in major cities as well as rural areas, and 102 of the schools serve mostly economically disadvantaged populations. A list of the schools can be found on the Tennessee Department of Education website at www.tn.gov/education/accountability.
The release said Tennessee has also had unprecedented gains on the statewide Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, or TCAP.
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