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Results of the Tennessee Value-Added Assessments have just been released, showing that students have made phenomenal gains in growth in just one year.

The Claiborne school district is currently a level 5, the highest possible score that can be achieved within its district level composites, through the TVAA System.

When broken down, Claiborne schools scored level 5 in literacy, numeracy, science and combined numeracy and literacy.

The previous year saw dismal results with the schools earning a level 1 district wide – the lowest score possible.

In just the one year, social studies rose from an overall 2 to an overall 4.

The marked gains can be attributed to the new initiatives that were followed by students, faculty, staff, administrators and supervisors, says Meagan England who, among other things, is the Accountability Instructional Supervisor.

“At the beginning of his term, Dr. (Joseph) Miller challenged all stakeholders to improve one percent each day as an investment in the education of the children in Claiborne County. Dr. Miller focused on a change in the belief system which led to a shift in a motivational mindset,” said England.

Miller says he is confident that every person connected with the school system will rise to meet the challenge for the current year to achieve and grow beyond what was originally thought ever possible.

“I knew we had teachers and personnel that were working hard day in and day out. Much work remains, as initiatives are being worked on to transition the school district from a ‘good’ to a ‘great’ one,” said Miller.

The Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System measures the impact schools and teachers have on their students’ academic growth and progress from year to year. TVASS is an analysis of student assessment data, such as the TNReady and end-of-course tests, that provides districts and their schools a lens to gauge growth and progress of students outside of proficiency on standardized tests.

Using those individual student growth scores, schools and districts are rated on a scale between Level 1, the least effective, to a Level 5 – the most effective.

In conjunction with raw achievement data scores, TVAAS provides educators with valuable information to drive innovative teaching approaches and ensure they are meeting the academic needs of students, said England.