Department of Education
Kevin Huffman, Commissioner

Tennessee adopted a new accountability system in 2012, after securing a waiver from certain portions of No Child Left Behind. Under the new system, Tennessee looks to districts to increase achievement levels for all students and reduce achievement gaps that exist between certain groups.

Rather than expecting all districts to meet the same benchmarks year after year, the system acknowledges that districts are starting from different places and rewards those that show the most growth.

A brief description of the accountability measures and the 2011-12 designations can be found below. For more information on Tennessee’s accountability system, please see this information sheet.

Districts designated as Exemplary:

• Meet the majority of their achievement targets;
• Meet majority of their gap closure targets;
• Ensure every subgroup—students with disabilities, racial minorities, and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds— moves forward in a majority of its target areas.

These three requirements show that districts are raising proficiency levels, narrowing achievement gaps and guaranteeing growth for all students.

The following districts are designated as Exemplary for 2011-12:

• Blount County Schools
• Claiborne County Schools
• Fayette County Schools   
• Fayetteville Schools
• Henry County Schools
• Hollow Rock-Bruceton School District
• Franklin Special School District
• Loudon County Schools
• Marshall County Schools
• McKenzie Special School District
• Milan Special School District
• Newport City Schools
• Rogersville City Schools
• Rutherford County Schools
• Sequatchie County Schools
• Sevier County Schools
• Smith County Schools
• South Carroll County Special School District
• Sweetwater City Schools
• Trousdale County Schools
• Union City Schools

Districts designated as In Need of Improvement:

• Fail to reach the majority of their targets for both achievement and gap closure.

These districts will meet in-person with department officials to set an aggressive, effective plan to meet the goals they missed the year prior.

The following districts are designated In Need of Improvement for 2011-12:

*Note: Because of the size of Alamo City Schools and the line drawn between categories at hitting more than half of goals, Alamo was actually very close to being Exemplary rather than identified as needing improvement. In fact, in overall achievement, the district’s 3-8 math scores (68.1 percent proficient or advanced) were the fourth highest in the state for the 2011-12 school year, and its 3-8 reading scores (66.6 percent proficient or advanced) were the sixth highest in the state.