KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

It’s report card time for schools in Tennessee as the Tennessee Board of Education has released its 2022-23 School Letter Grades.

The school letter grades were released by the department on Dec. 21, which provides a snapshot of how each school in all districts across the state are doing in meeting the state’s expectations for learning. According to the TBOE, there are several factors that help to determine the school letter grades for each school, including student achievement, academic growth, growth of the highest need students and a measure of college and career readiness just for high schools.

“School letter grades will provide Tennessee families with a clear rating system that gives them a snapshot of how their child’s school is performing,” said Lizzette Reynolds, Commissioner of Education. “No matter what your school’s letter grade is, everyone can play a role in supporting the success of our students and the success of our schools by engaging with your local school communities and joining the conversation.”

In 2016, T.C.A. 49-1-228 was established and required the Tennessee Department of Education to develop a school letter grade rating system to provide parents and families with information that shows how public schools are performing. Due to implementation delays including testing administration issues and the COVID-19 pandemic, Tennessee is assigning letter grades to schools for the first time this year.

TCS Director of Schools Dr. Catherine Stephens said the letter grades for schools are based solely on assessment data.

 “Kindergarten through eighth-grade letter grades are based on TCAP and TVAAS results from the spring 2023 assessment. Letter grades at the high school level are based on 2023 EOC results and CCR data, which includes ACT, AP, and Dual Enrollment scores,” Stephens said. “Performance level percentages, success rates, and participation rates are used to compute an achievement indicator, and that indicator, along with growth, creates the final letter grade.”

The statewide scale rage is as follows: A’s score range is 4.5 – 5.0; B’s score range is 3.5 – 4.4; C’s score range is 2.5 – 3.4; D’s score range is 1.5 – 2.4; and F’s score range is 1.0 – 1.4.

For Tullahoma City Schools, both East and West middle schools received the highest total score among the schools in the district with a 3.8, giving the middle schools the school grade letter of B. Both East and West middle schools scored a 1.5 in achievement, a 2 in growth, and a 0.3 in growth for highest need students.

The rest of the grades and scores for the other schools in the district are as follows: Tullahoma High School received a C and a score of 2.9; Jack T. Farrar Elementary School received a C and a score of 3.4; Robert E. Lee Elementary School received a C and a score of 3.1; Bel-Aire Elementary School received a C and a score of 2.6; and East Lincoln Elementary School received a D and a score of 1.6. The Tullahoma Virtual Academy also received a letter grade of a D and a total score of a 2; however, the score was determined by student achievement and growth only.

“In looking at these letter grades tied solely to test data, there are areas to celebrate and certainly ones to improve,” Stephens said. “Our incredible staff members will continue to focus their efforts on meeting the needs of our students by providing a first-rate and well-rounded educational experience.”

Details about the school’s grades and how they came to be calculated can be found out at tdepublicschools.ondemand.sas.com/grades and searching for the schools. Additional information and resources about letter grades are available at www.tn.gov/education/schoollettergrades.