After five years of delays, the Tennessee Department of Education has outlined how the state will grade schools on an A to F scale Thursday.
The letter grades, required by a Tennessee law passed in 2016, were first supposed to be assigned in 2018, but online testing problems followed by pandemic-related disruptions caused the state to repeatedly push back its rollout date. The new grades are expected to be released in mid-December with the annual Tennessee Department of Education report card.
As required by law, the newly released letter grade model considers academic proficiency and student growth. It also weighs the growth of the lowest-performing quartile of students, who are identified based on the previous year's Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program.
For high schools, the model also considers college and career readiness, which is calculated through the percent of a graduating cohort that achieves one of several conditions. These include a qualifying score on one of several standardized tests — such as the ACT, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual enrollment or Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery — as well as earning either a Tier III industry credential or a Tier II plus one other industry credential.
Read more:Â Tennessee outlines new school letter grading system
