Warren County schools show improvement
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Local schools, as a whole, were right at the state average in virtually every subject tested. They also continued a three-year trend of better writing scores than the year before.
“We’re in good shape,” said Director of Schools Dr. Jerry Hale. “We saw quite a bit of improvement on our scores and we’re pleased with our report card. Of course you’d always like to do better and that’s something we’ll strive for next year.”
In grades K-8, the school system earned a B in math and C’s in reading, social studies and science. Those grades were the same as the state average.
At the high school level, Warren County was slightly better than the state average in every subject. High school students were 83 percent proficient or advanced in math (state average 81 percent), 97 percent proficient or advanced in science (state average 96 percent), and 91 percent proficient or advanced in English (state average 90 percent).
One troubling note is Warren County High School was put on notice for not fulfilling its obligations with the federal No Child Left Behind program. Eighty-one percent of Tennessee schools are meeting No Child Left Behind requirements.
The high school did not meet benchmarks in math scores for students with disabilities, and for its graduation rate. Hale said getting federal notice for the first time is not cause for alarm. He said a second year on notice is more serious, and a third year will result in restructuring.
Hale said the high school would achieve an acceptable graduation rate if it shows improvement again this year. The No Child Left Behind goal is for schools to have a 90 percent graduation rate by 2013-14. Since few schools are currently graduating 90 percent of their students, they can meet federal benchmarks by showing yearly progress.
Aside from No Child Left Behind, local schools fared better than they did last year with their state report cards. Two schools, Centertown and Dibrell, did remarkably better.
Centertown was the only school awarded two B’s on its report card. Centertown had 84 percent of its students with proficient or advanced math skills in 2003. That figure jumped to 92 percent in 2004.
Centertown had 88 percent of its students proficient or advanced in reading in 2003. That figure soared to 96 percent in 2004.
Dibrell also reported eye-opening gains. Students tested proficient or advanced in math 81 percent of the time in 2003. That number was 93 percent in 2004.
Dibrell had 80 percent of its students proficient or advanced in reading in 2003, and that figure jumped to 89 percent in 2004.
Higher reading and writing scores were consistent throughout the school system.
“When you look at the writing assessments, you see continued growth over the last three years,” said director of testing Dianah Zadeh. “Writing is an important skill and it’s something we put a concentrated effort on.”
Zadeh also pointed out Warren County students scored at the state average despite receiving below average funding. Warren County spends $6,409 per student, while the state average is $6,997. The national average is $8,724.
“We did really well considering our funding,” said Zadeh. “That funding relates to materials and supplies that are used in the classroom so it makes a difference.”