Tommie Rowell, Author at Haywood County Schools

HCS Benchmark Testing Data

Tommie Rowell — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 20:18:54 +0000

When I taught middle school English, I would often talk about the word “narrative” and its meaning. When my students and I would read a story as a class, we would discuss the ways characters helped shape the narrative of the plot – what the characters did, said, and thought all helped shape how the story read. When we would write narrative essays in class, the essays were essentially real-life stories about experiences my students had at some point in their lives. In both fiction and non-fiction, narratives are shaped by the author; the author gets to choose a certain angle or perspective to take when telling a story. In real-life, however, narratives are shaped in a variety of ways by a variety of factors. And when those narratives take shape, it can be difficult to see another side of them even if those narratives are not totally accurate.

In the educational world, narratives have been formed about certain schools, certain districts, certain teachers, and even certain types of students. Once these narratives crystalize (regardless of accuracy), undoing them takes a Herculean effort.

Any story needs to have a central character or topic that drives it; a centering point out of which thoughts and opinions are formed and eventually regarded as truth after having been repeated over and over again. Since 2001, the centering point for narratives about education has been standardized testing data.

Each spring in Tennessee, students are given a test that is created by a private company based in London, England that supposedly measures how well students have learned the state educational standards over the course of a school year. These tests range anywhere from 30 – 90 minutes and contain three or four questions about each standard of a given subject. The next year, students take another test and are subsequently measured against the previous year’s data to see if the students learned at the rate at which they were predicted to learn. This process continues every year between the third and eighth grades. The data from these tests is also used to measure whether or not districts are “succeeding” or “failing”. When the data from these tests is released nearly four months after the tests are completed and students are well into the next school year, narratives begin to be formed about whether or not that given school district is “good” or “successful”. After a few years of scores that may not match the scores of other districts across the state, certain districts are labeled as “bad” or “ineffective”. The narratives begin to be crystalized.

Since the emphasis on test data took shape nearly twenty years ago, school ranking websites – sometimes partnering with real estate companies – have popped up all over the internet using test data to label districts as successful or unsuccessful. Nearly all education experts decry the use of standardized test data as the centering point for school rankings, yet the public consumption of that presentation of data doesn’t wane; it only strengthens the false narrative that standardized testing data is the be all/end all of a school’s or district’s effectiveness.

In Tennessee, the tests used to determine the state’s report card in regards to a school district’s learning effectiveness are collectively known as TNReady with the TCAP test given in grades 3-8 and carrying the most weight for a district because it involves the most grades tested.

While Haywood County Schools does see the value in standardized test scores as a helpful tool to tell the story of learning, we also realize that it is only one part of the puzzle and cannot accurately measure the consistent learning that takes place throughout a school year. Students and teachers must be held accountable for learning but that measurement should not take place once a year, over a two-week time period. Learning is a constant process and should be measured in various ways. In educational jargon, this is when the words “formative” and “summative” would be employed, but it’s best to stay away from insider vocabulary when shaping this particular narrative.

Because learning is a constant process, learning should be measured consistently and through various means. HCS measures students’ learning in reading and math by using two primary assessments three different times during the school year: the fall, the winter, and the spring.

The two assessments that are used in HCS are the AimsWeb assessment and the I-Ready assessment.

The AimsWeb assessment measures skills such as phonetic reading and comprehension skills in reading. In math, the AimsWeb assessment measures general problem solving skills used in mathematics. The AimsWeb tests tell a district whether or not the students are reading and solving math problems on grade level and whether or not they are progressing in those skills throughout the year. This test does not necessarily correlate with the standardized tests given by the state in April, it does, however, show the rate at which learning is taking place in the classroom and in schools across the district.

The I-Ready assessment, however, does measure the standards that are being taught in the classroom. This assessment does not necessarily measure skills in math and reading, but measures how well students are grasping the concepts being taught in reading and math, And while the assessment itself does not replicate the TCAP test, the questions and texts are formatted in a similar manner.

Using these two assessments, HCS can form a clearer picture of how much students are learning and progressing in a given school year by comparing the data multiple times across one school year instead of comparing data that is recorded a full year apart, which is the process of the state test.

As we dive into this data from each school, we want to acknowledge a few things:

HCS recognizes that there is much more learning that needs to be done in regards to overall reading and math levels.
HCS is aware of the effects of learning loss that occurred over the last two school years due to COVID-19. The effects of this can be seen in our fall benchmark scores.
We are seeing tremendous amounts of growth that we confidently believe will also be seen on the state tests in April. That being said, we want to make sure our students are continuing to learn what they need to learn to be successful adults. We will never define them by a score or number.
In order to simplify the process of dissecting this data, we will only look at two groups on each test for this article: students who are at or above grade level and students who are below grade level and how the movement of those students is being seen across the district.
Each school set goals based on their fall test scores that they wanted to meet by the end of the year.

Anderson Early Childhood Center (Kindergarten)

AimsWeb – Reading

On the fall test, AECC had 62 kindergarten students reading on or above grade level.
On the winter test, AECC increased that number to 79 kindergarten students reading on or above grade level.
They have set a goal of having 109 students reading on or above grade level by the end of the year.
On the fall test, AECC had 82 students reading well below grade level
On the winter test, AECC had reduced that number to 56 students.
They have set a goal of reducing the 82 from the fall to 45 by the end of the year. They are only 11 students away from that goal.

AimsWeb – Math

On the fall test, AECC had 71 students on or above grade level in math.
On the winter test, AECC had increased that number to 110 students on or above grade level.
They have set a goal of having 125 students on or above grade level in math by the end of the year.
On the fall test, AECC had 54 students well below grade level in math concepts.
On the winter test, AECC had reduced that number to 38 students.
They have set a goal of reducing the 54 students from the fall to 27 by the end of the year. They are only 11 students away from that goal.

I-Ready – Reading

On the fall test, AECC had 25 students reading at or above grade level on I-Ready.
On the winter test, AECC increased that number to 87 students.
They have set a goal of having 108 students reading on or above grade level on I-Ready by the end of the year.

I-Ready – Math

On the fall test, AECC had 25 students on or above grade level in math.
On the winter test, AECC increased that number to 80 students.
They have set a goal of having 108 students on or above grade level in math on I-Ready by the end of the year.

*The progress being made at AECC is very substantial and extremely encouraging. Programs such as The Reader/Writer Project and Co-Instructional practices have helped support students academically. The emphasis of importance being placed on early literacy is also proving to show massive academic gains in our young learners. The trajectory of learning taking place at AECC is what any district would want to see with its kindergarten students.

Haywood Elementary School (1-2 Grades)

AimsWeb – Reading – 1st Grade

On the fall test, HES had 22 students reading on or above grade level.
On the winter test, HES increased that number to 34 students reading on or above grade level.
They have set a goal of having 108 students reading on or above grade level by the end of the year.
On the fall test, HES had 67 students reading well below grade level.
On the winter test, HES had reduced that number to 53 students reading below grade level.
They have set (and met) a goal of having 54 students reading well below grade level by the end of the year.

AimsWeb – Math – 1st Grade

On the fall test, HES had 30 students on or above grade level in math.
On the winter test, HES had increased that number to 45 students on or above grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 117 students on or above grade level in math by the end of the year.
On the fall test, HES had 50 students well below grade level in math.
On the winter test, HES had reduced that number to 32.
They have set (and met) a goal of having 36 students well below grade level by the end of the year.

I-Ready – Reading – 1st Grade

On the fall test, HES had 13 students reading at or above grade level on I-Ready.
On the winter test, HES had increased that number to 36 students reading at or above grade level on I-Ready.
They have set a goal of having 81 students reading at or above grade level on I-Ready by the end of the year.
On the fall test, HES had 27 students reading two grade levels below grade level.
On the winter test, HES had reduced that number to only 6 students reading two grade levels below grade level.
They have set (and met) a goal of having 9 students reading two grade levels below grade level.

I-Ready – Math – 1st Grade

On the fall test, HES had 7 students at or above grade level in math.
On the winter test, HES had increased that number to 32 students on or above grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 90 students on or above grade level in math.
On the fall test, HES had 31 students two grade levels below their current grade level in math.
On the winter test, HES had reduced that number to 15 students who were two grade levels below their current grade level in math.
They have set (and met) a goal of having 27 students two grade levels below their current grade level in math by the end of the year.

AimsWeb – Reading – 2nd Grade

On the fall test, HES had 24 students reading on or above grade level.
On the winter test, HES had increased that number to 33 students reading on or above grade level.
They have set a goal of having 110 students reading on or above grade level by the end of the year.
On the fall test, HES had 63 students reading well below grade level.
On the winter test, HES had reduced that number to 55.
They have set (and met) a goal of having 62 students reading well below grade level by the end of the year.

AimsWeb – Math – 2nd Grade

On the fall test, HES had 21 students on or above grade level in math.
On the winter test, HES had increased that number to 34 students on or above grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 130 students on or above grade level by the end of the year.
On the fall test, HES had 56 students well below grade level in math.
On the winter test, HES had reduced that number to 47 students well below grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 40 students well below grade level by the end of the year.

I-Ready – Reading – 2nd Grade

On the fall test, HES had 18 students on or above grade level in reading.
On the winter test, HES had increased that number to 34 students on or above grade level in reading.
They have set a goal of having 110 students on or above grade level by the end of the year.
On the fall test, HES had 113 students two grade levels below their current grade level in reading.
On the winter test, HES had reduced that number to 83 students two grade levels below their current grade level in reading.
They have set a goal of having 10 students two grade levels below their current grade level in reading by the end of the year.

I-Ready – Math – 2nd Grade

On the fall test, HES had 7 students on or above grade level in math.
On the winter test, HES had increased that number to 17 students on or above grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 110 students on or above grade level in math by the end of the year.
On the fall test, HES had 98 students two grades below their current grade level in math.
On the winter test, HES had decreased that number to 73 students who were two grades below their grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 20 students two grades below their grade level in math by the end of the year.

*The effects of two interrupted years of learning due to COVID-19 are really seen in this data, specifically with second grade students. For these students, this year is their first full year of learning since they’ve been in school. While this year has had its own obstacles, students have been physically in class for an entire year at this point. HES has grown all of its students – students at or above grade level as well as students well below grade level – and this is very encouraging. The most substantial piece of this data, however, is the way HES is recovering learning loss in students who were below grade level. In order for students to have eventual success, sometimes learning loss has to be recovered. Consistent learning growth among all students is what education really is, and HES is showing that growth across the board.

East Side Elementary School (3-4 grades)

AimsWeb – Reading – Third Grade

On the fall test, ESE had 83 students reading on or above grade level.
On the winter test, ESE had increased that number to 101 students reading on or above grade level.
They have set a goal of having 111 students reading on or above grade level by the end of the year.
On the fall test, ESE had 97 students reading well below grade level.
On the winter test, ESE had reduced that number to 79.
They have set a goal of 50 students reading well below grade level by the end of the year.

AimsWeb – Math – Third Grade

On the fall test, ESE had 72 students on or above grade level in math.
On the winter test, ESE had increased that number to 87 students on or above grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 111 students on or above grade level in math by the end of the year.
On the fall test, ESE had 89 students well below grade level in math.
On the winter test, ESE had reduced that number to 88 students well below grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 50 students well below grade level by the end of the year in math.

I-Ready – Reading – Third Grade

On the fall test, ESE had 22% of its students reading on or above grade level.
On the winter test, ESE had increased that number to 36% of its students reading on or above grade level.
They have set a goal of having 50% of students reading on or above grade level by the end of the year.
On the fall test, ESE had 58% of its students reading two grade levels below their current grade level.
On the winter test, ESE had reduced that number to 38% reading two grade levels below their current grade level.
They have set a goal of having 20% of their students reading two grade levels below their current grade level by the end of the year.

I-Ready – Math – Third Grade

On the fall test, ESE had 3% of its students on or above grade level in math.
On the winter test, ESE increased that number to 17% of its students on or above grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 50% of its students on or above grade level in math by the end of the year.
On the fall test, ESE had 50% of its students two grade levels below their current grade level in math.
On the winter test, ESE had decreased that number to 35% of its students who were two grade levels below their current grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 15% of their students two grade levels below their current grade level in math by the end of the year.

AimsWeb – Reading – Fourth Grade

On the fall test, ESE had 70 students reading on or above grade level.
On the winter test, ESE increased that number to 95 students reading on or above grade level.
They have set a goal of having 115 students reading on or above grade level by the end of the year.
On the fall test, ESE had 77 students reading well below grade level.
On the winter test, ESE had reduced that number to 61 students reading well below grade level.
They have set a goal of 38 students reading well below grade level by the end of the year.

AimsWeb – Math – Fourth Grade

On the fall test, ESE had 63 students on or above grade level in math.
On the winter test, ESE had increased that number to 78 students on or above grade level in math.
They have set a goal of 96 students on or above grade level in math by the end of the year.
On the fall test, ESE had 93 students well below grade level in math.
On the winter test, ESE had reduced that number to 73 students well below grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 48 students well below grade level in math by the end of the year.

I-Ready – Reading – Fourth Grade

On the fall test, ESE had 10% of its students reading on or above grade level.
On the winter test, ESE had increased that number to 16% of its students reading on or above grade level.
They have set a goal of having 55% of students reading on or above grade level by the end of the year.
On the fall test, ESE had 55% of its students reading two grade levels below their current grade level.
On the winter test, ESE had reduced that number to 43% of its students reading two grade levels below their current grade level.
They have set a goal of having 25% of its students reading two grade levels below their current grade level by the end of the year.

I-Ready – Math – Fourth Grade

On the fall test, ESE had 5% of its students on or above grade level in math.
On the winter test, ESE had increased that number to 9% on or above grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 40% of students on or above grade level in math by the end of the year.
On the fall test, ESE had 59% of its students two grade levels below their current grade level in math.
On the winter test, ESE reduced that number to 51% of students two grade levels below their current grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 25% of their students two grade levels below their current grade level in math by the end of the year.

*Much like Haywood Elementary School, East Side Elementary school showed consistent growth among all groups. They increased their number of students on or above grade level in both math and reading by a wide margin. They recovered learning loss at a considerable rate among students who were below and well below grade level in reading and math.

Sunny Hill Intermediate School (5-6 Grades)

AimsWeb – Reading – 5th Grade

On the fall test, SHIS had 97 students reading on or above grade level.
On the winter test, SHIS increased that number to 121 students reading on or above grade level.
On the fall test, SHIS had 63 students reading well below grade level.
On the winter test, SHIS had reduced that number to 44 students reading well below grade level.

AimsWeb – Reading – 6th Grade

On the fall test, SHIS had 89 students reading on or above grade level.
On the winter test, SHIS had 79 students reading on or above grade level.
On the fall test, SHIS had 43 students reading well below grade level.
On the winter test, SHIS had 43 students reading well below grade level.

I-Ready – Reading – 5th Grade

On the fall test, SHIS had 16 students reading on or above grade level
On the winter test, SHIS had increased that number to 32 students reading on or above grade level.
On the fall test, SHIS had 74 students reading two grades below grade level.
On the winter test, SHIS had reduced that number to 68 students reading two grades below grade level.

I-Ready – Reading – 6th Grade

On the fall test, SHIS had 21 students reading on or above grade level
On the winter test, SHIS had increased that number to 24 students reading on or above grade level.
On the fall test, SHIS had 22 students reading two grade levels below their current grade level.
On the winter test, SHIS had 26 students reading two grade levels below their current grade level.

I-Ready – Math – 5th Grade

On the fall test, SHIS had 7 students on or above grade level in math.
On the winter test, SHIS increased that number to 14 students on or above grade level in math.
On the fall test, SHIS had 40 students two grade levels below their current grade level in math.
On the winter test, SHIS had reduced that number to 38 students two grade levels below their current grade level

*SHIS showed growth in most areas of reading by increasing the number of students who were reading on or above grade level. They also showed growth in the same manner in math. These trends are very encouraging. SHIS also showed recovery in learning loss among students who were two grade levels below their current grade level in both reading and math.

Haywood Middle School (7-8 Grades)

AimsWeb – Reading – 7th Grade

On the fall test, HMS had 124 students reading on or above grade level.
On the winter test, HMS had 110 students reading on or above grade level.
They have set a goal of having 136 students reading on or above grade level by the end of the year.
On the fall test, HMS had 32 students reading well below grade level.
On the winter test, HMS had 42 students reading well below grade level.
They have set a goal of having 15 students reading well below grade level by the end of the year.

AimsWeb – Math – 7th Grade

On the fall test, HMS had 65 students on or above grade level in math.
On the winter test, HMS increased that number to 82 students on or above grade level in math.
They have set (and met) a goal of having 80 students on or above grade level in math by the end of the year.
On the fall test, HMS had 93 students well below grade level in math.
On the winter test, HMS reduced that number to 73 students well below grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 60 students well below grade level in math by the end of the year.

I-Ready – Reading – 7th Grade

On the fall test, HMS had 30 students at or above grade level in reading.
On the winter test, HMS increased that number to 41 students reading on or above grade level.
They have set a goal to have 50 students reading on or above grade level by the end of the year.

I-Ready – Math – 7th Grade

On the fall test, HMS had 25 students on or above grade level in math.
On the winter test, HMS increased that number to 42 students on or above grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 49 students on or above grade level in math by the end of the year.

AimsWeb – Reading – 8th Grade

On the fall test, HMS had 115 students reading on or above grade level.
On the winter test, HMS had 110 students reading on or above grade level.
They have set a goal of having 125 students reading on or above grade level by the end of the year.
On the fall test, HMS had 48 students reading well below grade level.
On the winter test, HMS reduced that number to 35 students reading well below grade level.
They have set a goal of having 15 students reading well below grade level by the end of the year.

AimsWeb – Math – 8th Grade

On the fall test, HMS had 70 students on or above grade level in math.
On the winter test, HMS increased that number to 75 students on or above grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 85 students on or above grade level in math by the end of the year.
On the fall test, HMS had 69 students well below grade level in math.
On the winter test, HMS had 72 students well below grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 54 students well below grade level in math by the end of the year.

I-Ready – Reading – 8th Grade

On the fall test, HMS had 25 students reading on or above grade level.
On the winter test, HMS increased that number to 42 students reading on or above grade level.
They have set a goal of having 49 students reading on or above grade level by the end of the year.

I-Ready – Math – 8th Grade

On the fall test, HMS had 7 students on or above grade level in math.
On the winter test, HMS had 10 students on or above grade level in math.
They have set a goal of having 42 students on or above grade level in math by the end of the year.

*Haywood Middle School had a very high number of students reading on or above grade level on the AimsWeb test on the fall benchmark. When numbers are that high, it is difficult to see a lot of growth, though decreasing the number of students who are on grade level in reading is something that no one wants to see. Middle school can be a volatile age when it comes to learning and life in general, so data tends to reflect that as well. Like the other schools in HCS, HMS did a great job in recovering learning loss and making up ground in the number of students who were below grade level. That growth is vital for future learning.

There is undeniable evidence that learning is taking place in HCS across all levels and grade bands. There is also undeniable evidence that COVID-19 had an immense impact on learning. The recovery of that learning loss is taking place, but will be a long process as we continue to deal with the long lasting effects of the pandemic. While the above information is an enormous amount of data to process, the main takeaway is that our students are growing and some schools are showing exponential growth in both math and reading

Narratives can be difficult to change if those narratives have been repeated ad nauseam. Out of all the data that has been collected and presented, two truths are evident: there is a room for more learning to take place in HCS and there are substantial gains being made across the district in both reading and math. This school year is a pivotal year in recovering learning loss because this year is the first full school year since the 2018-2019 school year. All of our schools are showing significant progress in math and reading on both tests. Learning is taking place in all of our schools, but some schools and grades are learning at faster rates than others.

Narratives are not changed overnight or even over the course of a few months. Narratives are changed over substantial lengths of time with consistent and reliable proof to undergird that narrative. In the end, HCS are responsible to our students and their families above anyone else, and our priority is to serve and educate our students so that they can have every option and opportunity available to them.

While we are encouraged by this data, we know it’s only a marker in time and the work will continue year after year. Our students are learning, but we’re not stopping here.

The post HCS Benchmark Testing Data appeared first on Haywood County Schools.

Academic Decathlon Team State Bound

Tommie Rowell — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 19:38:10 +0000

Next week, the Haywood High School Academic Decathlon (AD) team will compete in the state tournament. Academic Decathlon teams have long been a part of Haywood High School. From 1985 to 2018, HHS has had an AD team represent the school in local and state competitions. Since 2018, however, HHS has not competed in any events or had an AD team. That all changed this year.

Veteran teacher Rachel Savage is the first year coach of the HHS AD team, and they have had great success since returning to competitions.

“We have 17 students on the team. We’re one short of having two full teams. My goal for next year is to have 22 students total,” Rachel said.

The first year of coaching any team, athletic or academic, comes with some wrinkles that need to be ironed out at the beginning.

“The most challenging part has been the logistical part of it – making sure students meet certain deadlines, learning what you can and cannot do, finding time to test students that doesn’t impede other teachers,” Rachel explained.

Once Rachel got those pesky logistics sorted out, her team was off to the races. A few weeks ago, they competed in the regional competition and had great success.

“We competed in regionals and did really well. We had 29 medal placements, 2 overall winners, and one team overall winner. Two of our teams finished in the top five in the region,” Rachel said.

Academic decathlon covers a wide range of topics and pushes students to be well-rounded when it comes to academic knowledge. Not only are academics pushed, but necessary skills like verbal and written communication are tested as well.

“AD is a competition that covers ten subject areas: literature, math, economics, social sciences, science, art, music, an essay category, personal interview, and a speech (prepared and impromptu). In a non-covid year, AD would have a super quiz – game show style- and get to travel. Hopefully, next year we can travel and have the full experience,” Rachel explained.

While Haywood High School might be best known for its competition on the state level for football and basketball, the Academic Decathlon team is making its own noise by representing the Tomcats next week. On February 22-24, AD students will take the state competition tests and then complete the interview portion in the days following. State results should be released around the first week of March.

The beauty of the Academic Decathlon team is that it is completely voluntary and accepts anyone who wants to be on the team.

“AD is totally volunteer. There are some students who I approach about it, and teachers can recommend students, too. There’s no minimum GPA requirement, so any student can participate if they want to,” Rachel said.

Listed below are the members of the HHS AD team and their individual accolades from the regional competition.

Academic Decathlon Roster:

Ava Adams

Precious Anderson

James Banks

Cameron Barr

Mahek Bhakta

Hailey Cunningham

Rachel Cunningham

Marliss Gray

Nima Hasan

Miller Lea

Zaria Meadows

Christine Michael

Cristhofer Ocegueda-Barrera

Marcela Sanchez

Christopher Sanders

Caleb Snowden

Brianna Tatum

Academic Decathlon Regional Competition Results

Purple Team – overall 3rd place

White Team – overall 5th place

Individual Awards/Placements

Ava Adams (Scholastic division) – tied 3rd place in Economics, tied 4th place in Literature, 4th place in Music

Precious Anderson (Varsity division) – tied 3rd place in Math, tied 2nd place in Music

Mahek Bhakta (Scholastic division) – tied 2nd place in Economics, 3rd place in Math

Hailey Cunningham (Scholastic division) – overall 5th place, 1st place in Art, tied 2nd place in Economics

Rachel Cunningham (Scholastic division) – tied 3rd place in Economics, 3rd place in Social Science

Miller Lea (Varsity division) – 4th place in Art, tied 4th place in Economics, tied 4th place in Math, tied 1st place in Music

Zaria Meadows (Varsity division) – tied 3rd place in Math, tied 1st place in Music,

Christine Michael (Honors division)– tied 4th place in Art

Cristhofer Ocegueda – Barrera (Honors division) – 1st place in Music, tied 4th place in Science

Marcela Sanchez (Scholastic division) – overall 4th place, 2nd place in Math, 3rd place in Music

Christopher Sanders (Scholastic division) – tied 3rd place in Economics, tied 4th place in Math, tied 4th place in Science

Caleb Snowden (Scholastic division) – 3rd place in Literature

Brianna Tatum (Scholastic division) – 2nd place in Art, 4th place in Economics, 2nd place in Music

The post Academic Decathlon Team State Bound appeared first on Haywood County Schools.

TSBA Legislative Institute

Tommie Rowell — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 22:26:43 +0000

Members of the Haywood County School board joined some of the HCS leadership team in Nashville on February 14-15 to gain a better understanding of the current legislation being presented that could impact public education across the state.

Attorneys for the Tennessee School Board Association (TSBA) presented a list of bills currently in legislation that the TSBA supports as well as a list of bills that the TSBA opposes. Below are a few bills from each list that could directly impact HCS and the work being done to support our community and our schools:

Bills the TSBA Supports

SB 1887/HB 1912

Allows a district to provide up to ten days of remote instruction per year
Can be a class, school, or all schools
Must occur due to weather or outbreaks of illness
State assessments must be in-person

This would allow districts some much needed flexibility during tenuous circumstances such as a pandemic, severe weather, or any other situation that could arise that would cause the need for a district to use remote learning as an option.

SB 1890/HB 1860

Teachers may use the results from benchmark assessments as measures of students’ achievement.
This would be in a category weighted at 15 percent
LEAS and Schools may use results from benchmark assessments to measure student performance and growth

This bill would allow teachers and districts to use results from benchmark assessments that are given multiple times throughout the year as a way to measure student growth and achievement as well as be used as data points for teachers and districts when being evaluated. This is especially encouraging for HCS as we have seen positive growth through benchmark assessments so far this school year.

SB 2321/HB 2138

Allows the use of results from the 2020/2021 TCAP tests to be used when determining AMO’s for the 21-22 year
Previous legislation prevented the use of 20-21 TCAP scores
Other option would be 18-19 TCAP scores This bill would allow districts and schools to use data from the 2020-2021 school year as a baseline for comparison against test scores from the 2021-2022 school year. Comparing these data points would give educators a clearer idea of how much learning loss has been addressed over the course of this school year.

Bills the TSBA Opposes

SB 1674/HB 1671

Expands eligibility for the ESA
Students zoned to attend or attending a school in the ASD
Students zoned to attend a school in a district that did not offer 180 days on in-person learning between 9/1 2022 to 2025

This bill is one of several that push school vouchers and the establishment of charter schools. It would penalize schools who may need to offer virtual learning because of widespread sickness or weather related incidents. It would also expand the eligibility for school vouchers which would pull money from public education.

SB 2124/HB 2468

Contains a provision that allows a charter school to enroll students from outside the geographic boundaries of the LEA where the school is located

This would be specifically harmful to HCS and surrounding rural counties. A charter school application has already been filed in Madison County, and this bill would permit that school to enroll students outside of Madison County to enroll should the charter school get approved. This would set a harmful precedent and would have the potential to decrease public education funding in Haywood County.

SB 2168/HB 2833

Allows institutions of higher education to authorize charter schools
Allows a charter to lease at no cost or purchase for 1.00 underutilized and vacant property

Another bill advocating for charter schools. This would allow private institutions to authorize charter schools and implement curriculum for charter schools while using taxpayer money. This bill would also allow charter schools to lease or purchase underutilized or vacant properties in areas where the charter school is seeking to establish a school.

These bills are only a few of many that are currently being discussed and filed pertaining to education. Some of these bills would be helpful to Haywood County and some would be detrimental. Please contact Representative Chris Hurt and Senator Page Walley and let them know that taxpayer money should only fund public schools.

Not only was current legislation discussed, the TSBA also stressed the importance of evolving educational opportunities for students that revolve around Career and Technical Education pathways. Haywood County Schools was mentioned specifically as a district that has these programs in place as well being the epicenter of change with the arrival of Blue Oval City.

As we move forward as a community and a district, it is vital that we have a unified voice in support of public education as well as the diligence to continue to move forward with the programs that are providing HCS students with options for postsecondary success whether that be job opportunities, TCAT, community college, or a four year university.

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TN ALL CORPS Tutoring

Tommie Rowell — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 16:39:53 +0000

Of all the areas of society COVID-19 impacted in 2020-2021, education may very well be the most important. Because students had different access points to learning in 2020-2021, proficiency across the state, especially in reading and math, suffered.

In order to address learning loss, the state of Tennessee implemented Tennessee Accelerating Literacy and Learning Corps (TN ALL CORPS). This intensive tutoring program is being funded for three years and will help students receive equitable learning opportunities to make up for learning loss during the 2020-2021 school year.

Haywood County Schools (HCS) is one of 79 school districts in the state of Tennessee to implement TN ALL CORPS tutoring in their school system. By taking advantage of this program, students in HCS will have the opportunity for extra learning from certified teachers through an extended learning day or meeting before school.

Corey Currie, Executive Director of Equity, Learning Loss, and Stakeholder Engagement for HCS, has woven TN ALL CORPS and 21st Century Community Learning Center (21stCCLC) together to form a program where intensive tutoring can take place in an effective and efficient way.

“TN ALL CORPS tutoring will be provided through an extended day and/or before school utilizing the model of 21stCCLC,” Corey explained. “This model will allow the current 21st Century program to blend TN ALL CORPS students with 21st Century students and provide both groups access to high dosage tutoring.”

The tutoring for TN ALL CORPS will be provided by classroom teachers and will have a 1:3 teacher/student ratio. This small ratio allows for personal, intensive tutoring between teachers and students in order to maximize the learning taking place.

“In order to best serve our students, there is a great need for teachers to invest time in the before and after school programs. The time can even be flexible according to the needs of the teachers who want to invest that time, and the funds to compensate them for that time are available, too,” said Gina Rawson, Deputy Superintendent of HCS.

Students in Haywood County have access to after-school programs as well as in-depth tutoring through TN ALL CORPS. Both programs can help bridge the learning loss gap that occurred during COVID-19.

“HCS is committed to serving as many of our students as possible in both English/Language Arts and Math through these tutoring services,” Corey said. “HCS will continue to monitor data in order to review progress and recommend students who show they are in greater need of extra support, while also keeping in mind the loss of learning opportunities experienced by all students in HCS.”

While all learning that was lost during COVID-19 cannot be made up in a short amount of time, TN ALL CORPS is committed to the investment in the persistent process of intensive tutoring. This will allow all students to receive the intensive learning that was lost during the height of the pandemic.

Part of the vision for TN ALL CORPS states, “Beginning in the 2020-21 school year through summer 2024, the Tennessee Department of Education is investing in TN ALL Corps tutoring through a grant matching program available to both school districts and community partners. Combining funding that is available at the state, district, and community levels, Tennessee can dramatically increase the amount of learning time children have access to—helping to mitigate learning loss and accelerate student achievement.”

Because of this investment, HCS students are able to access vital opportunities for extra support in learning.

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EDU 20/20 is Partnering with HCS

Tommie Rowell — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 16:07:45 +0000

Being a teacher can feel like a lonely job. Sure, a teacher is never technically isolated in a classroom since they are responsible for 20-25 other human beings on a daily basis, but their professional work is mostly done in seclusion and separate from their peers. There is rarely any time to observe another teacher’s lesson in real time or even know if the way a lesson is being taught is the best way to teach that lesson. That’s why teachers need effective training and time to collaborate with their co-workers.

This school year, Haywood County Schools (HCS) is partnering with EDU20/20 to help support the district’s teachers by providing in-depth professional development centered around high-quality instructional materials.

EDU20/20 was founded by Courtney Dumas and Shannon Streett in 2020 with Miranda Britt joining the team recently. The mission of EDU20/20 is to empower teachers and instructional leaders in small districts to leverage high-impact strategies and curriculum as a catalyst for instructional improvement and student success. In other words, EDU20/20 is a support for teachers in HCS to effectively teach high-quality educational materials to the students of the district.

Because high-quality instructional materials can sometimes be challenging to navigate due to the sheer depth of the units, in-depth and relevant learning during professional development is key.

“Our main priority here is on high-quality instructional materials. It’s great to adopt high-quality instructional materials, but it’s something else altogether to understand the materials and the most effective way to teach those materials,” Shannon said. “That’s where we provide our support.”

During training with EDU20/20, teachers collaboratively work through the planning aspects of a lesson – examining how the lesson is connected, digging into the text, and finding ways to connect the text to students in a tangible way. To do this effectively, however, teachers need time to do it.

“In order to teach these materials well, we have to give teachers time to spend with the materials,” Shannon said. “HCS teachers work really well together – they plan, they collaborate. They really enjoy their time in PLC’s and in our training.”

During training, EDU20/20 and HCS teachers work in concert to focus content in order to best meet students’ learning targets.

“We have two different processes: one is a unit unpacking process and then we break it down into individual lessons. We want teachers to teach these lessons with fidelity and integrity, but also know the “why” in regards to student learning,” Shannon explained.

While Shannon, Courtney, and Miranda are the leaders of the training, they simply see themselves the same as the people they are training – teachers.

“We want teachers to see us as teachers, too. We were teachers for a long time and we know what teachers experience – the frustrations, the impatience, the hard parts of the job. And, I really want them to see us as a partner who can bring them some relief by showing them effective and efficient ways to teach the curriculum,” Shannon said.

Not only does EDU20/20 deliver professional development on teacher inservice days, they also do on the ground work as follow-up to the training. They will conduct classroom walk-throughs to help support the learning that took place on the day of the training.

“The only aspects we look for when we’re watching teachers teach are what those teachers are doing well and how we can best support them moving forward,” Shannon explained.

In any partnership, the hope is that the relationship can be mutually beneficial. That seems to be the case so far with EDU20/20 and HCS.

“HCS teachers have been phenomenal to work with,” Shannon said. “They genuinely are about their students.”

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Reflections -2021

Tommie Rowell — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 17:32:13 +0000

When I was a teacher, the first day of inservice after Winter Break was one of my favorite days of the year. The two weeks away from the classroom and lesson plans and students was just the right amount of time to recover before starting the second semester. And while no flowers are blooming in early January, the first day of the second semester always had a feeling of Spring for me – starting over, beginning anew, a feeling of potential.

This year is a little different, however. Instead of preparing for a second semester with students, I’m taking a little time to reflect on how many exciting things happened in Haywood County and in Haywood County Schools over the last several months.

When I took the job as Chief Communications Officer for HCS this past September, I was secretly concerned that there may not be enough people or programs or stories to tell about the district. I could not have been more mistaken.

The first thing I noticed as I began to assimilate to a new school district was that HCS is a school system and not just a system of schools. Each grade band has its own campus starting with an excellent early childhood education program at Anderson Early Childhood Center.

At Haywood Elementary School, I was able to see The Leader in Me program at work building necessary skills for students at an early age. At East Side Elementary, co-instruction and built- in intervention time helped to support students academically. At Sunny Hill, students raised over one thousand dollars for Lebonheur Children’s Hospital, and students at Haywood Middle School were able to get a headstart at career exploration with the partnership with YouScience. At Haywood High School, students were doing the important and necessary work of building community and trust through advisory groups. The Student Options Academy continued to meet students where they were and provide a student centered learning environment. And the Haywood County Virtual Academy allows students a a safe and effective academic choice as we try our best to navigate a pandemic

As a district, HCS also put student centered programs in place to support student learning and behavior.

To support student health, there is a nurse on each campus in the district. To help support students from an emotional and behavioral aspect, a social worker is also placed on each campus. From an academic perspective, HCS has partnered with Instruction Partners to implement co-instructional practices as well as The Reader/Writer Project to support early literacy in our elementary students. Our math teachers across the district are able to collaborate with one another across grade bands through The Math Collaborative led by John Prince. High school students are getting post-secondary guidance from the counseling department at Haywood High School as well as counselors from The Ayers Foundation. There are both academic and behavioral support systems in place across the entire district.

Not only have there been plenty of stories to tell about the school district and schools, two big announcements have the potential to change lives for the better in Haywood County. In December, Tennessee State University announced that it would provide full scholarships for any Haywood High School senior who applies and has a 3.0 GPA. Of course, the announcement that made national news was the news that Ford was investing billions of dollars in West Tennessee with the arrival of Blue Oval City.

After Governor Bill Lee made the official announcement about Ford’s arrival, he traveled to Haywood High School to see our students and observe our Career/Technical Education program at work. Ford Motor Company also donated 20,000 dollars in scholarships to Haywood High School seniors that marked the beginning of what promises to be a long term, mutually beneficial partnership.

As we look ahead to 2022, it is vital to pause and reflect on how many exciting things happened in Haywood County in 2021 and how many more opportunities await all of us. Our school system and our county are poised for greatness in the near and distant future.

Gabe Hart – Chief Communications Officer – HCS

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The Ayers Foundation – Providing Support for Post-Secondary Education

Tommie Rowell — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 19:58:10 +0000

In 2013, Sarah Carr wrote a book titled Hope Against Hope: Three Schools, One City, and the Struggle to Educate America’s Children. In the book, Carr illuminates the challenges of educating children in the 21st century against the backdrop of a post-Katrina New Orleans that was in the process of rebuilding itself. The following is an excerpt from the book that shows just how challenging it was (and still is) for students to navigate the college application process even after they had been accepted and even offered a scholarship.

One spring afternoon, O. Perry Walker High School Principal Mary Laurie made her way to the school’s courtyard, where a lone student sat at a picnic table with a large stack of papers in front of him and a frustrated look on his face. Laurie recognized the student as a shy senior with one of the highest GPAs in his class. The documents, it turned out, were all from Tuskegee University. Tuskegee had accepted the 18-year-old, offering him a full scholarship. But they required a $500 deposit within the next few days if he wanted to secure his spot. The student had no idea what to do.

“If that’s where you want to go, let me know,” Laurie said. “I’ll try to get the five hundred dollars.”

The student said nothing.

“You want to go to college, baby?” Laurie asked gently.

The young man nodded and wandered off, a confused look on his face.

If one of Walker’s top students was struggling to navigate the college-admissions and financial-aid maze, Laurie worried about how less-motivated students were faring. Earlier that winter, she had decided Walker needed to do a better job helping its students sift through the process. Now she saw how far the school still had to go.

While educating children in New Orleans after a devastating hurricane brings its own, unique challenges, the excerpt above isn’t necessarily isolated to that city. College applications and financial aid can present very real obstacles for students who desire to go to college but need a little help in traversing the ever growing landscape of opportunities and the paperwork that accompanies those opportunities. The need for that help is even greater in rural areas. Seeing that need in Tennessee, Jim Ayers started The Ayers Foundation as a way to bridge the equity gap between rural school districts in Tennessee and more developed districts across the state.

The Ayers Foundation’s purpose is to improve the quality of life for the people of Tennessee by positively affecting the fields of Education, Conservation, and Social Welfare. The foundation also strives to provide educational scholarships and community grants for the state of Tennessee. One particular grant provided by the Ayers Foundation pays for counselors in rural school districts for the purposes of helping students take advantage of scholarship and financial aid opportunities as well as help students navigate the application process for post-secondary options.

The Ayers Foundation provides services in eleven rural counties in Tennessee with Haywood County joining that group this school year. By placing two counselors in Haywood High School, Haywood County students now have added support when it comes to acquiring knowledge about the post-secondary application process as well as guidance in filling out the application for Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Sara Benard and Tahesia Owens are finishing up their first semester as Ayers Foundation counselors at Haywood High School and are already seeing the impact they are making with students.

“As of the first week of December, we have almost 70 FASFA’s completed. In some shape or form, we’ve met all of those students, but we’re still trying to get the word out to students about the Ayers Foundation and how it could help them,” Sara said. “We pull students during the day during Tomcat time; we’ve partnered with GEAR UP and the counselor’s office on FASFA nights.”

“If the students don’t come to us, we go find them,” explained Tahesia. “The goal is 100% of our seniors signed up for FASFA.”

Even though they haven’t met their goal yet, they are still ahead of last year’s numbers as far as the amount of college applications that have been completed by seniors.

Because Sara and Tahesia are new to Haywood High School, getting the word out about their roles as Ayers Foundation counselors has been challenging but important work.

“We’ve bombarded and bribed all our kids with candy and chips just to get them in our office to tell them about what we can offer and the opportunities they have available to them,” Tahesia said. “We sit in the lunchroom and we team with GEAR UP and really have just tried to spread the word about what we can do for students here.”

The importance of the Ayers Foundation cannot be understated when discussing the support it provides for the application processes for financial aid and post-secondary schools, but what makes the foundation so special is what happens after students graduate high school.

“What separates us from the other post-secondary support systems in high school is that we follow the students after they graduate high school. We track them and help support them even when the students are in their post-secondary schools,” Sara said.

“School counselors and GEAR UP get students to college; we help get them through college,” Tahesia said.

In order for students to get to college, or any post-secondary educational setting, and have the financial support to do so, the paperwork has to be done, and that’s what Sara and Tahesia emphasize to the students.

“We encourage students to take advantage of TN Promise because it’s two years of college for free. A student can take their core classes at Jackson State for free and then transfer to the university of their choice. They could enroll at TCAT and have that fully paid. We’re just trying to get the word out about all of these options,” explained Tahesia. “We’d rather our students apply and not go than not apply and wait until it’s too late and not have any money available.”

Because this is Sara and Tahesia’s first year at Haywood High School all of their work has been focused on seniors. Next year, however, that will change. Building relationships with freshmen and even 8th grade students will play an integral role in getting students information at an early age about the post-secondary process.

“Starting next year, we really want to focus on 8th grade students and capitalize on the career exploration work that Haywood Middle School is already doing. We want kids to take advantage of our CTE programs at the high school level and then have them feed right into TCAT and have that training paid in full through TN Promise. Next year, the students who start their freshman year won’t know high school without us,” Sara explained.

For this year, though, Sara and Tehasia are making up for lost time with the class of 2022.

“The goal is to take each senior on two college tours this year. We got a late jump on that this year, but we’re still planning to make that happen,” Tahesia said.

Educational equity is a pillar of the mission of Haywood County Schools, and The Ayers Foundation is helping HCS students access options and opportunities for post-secondary education. And that truly can improve the quality of life for Tennesseans and Haywood County residents.

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New CTE/Secondary Director Appointed for HCS

Tommie Rowell — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 19:59:11 +0000

Madison Lewis has been named Director of Career and Technical Education and Secondary Education for Haywood County Schools.

Madison graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin and obtained her Master of Science in Agriculture from Tennessee State University. While completing her graduate degree, Madison also worked as a graduate assistant at TSU where she assisted with grant writing, maintained laboratory operations, and researched Agricultural Literacy Among the Generations.

Upon completion of her master’s degree, Madison took a job as the Agricultural Science teacher at Ripley High School. While at Ripley, she devised strategies for growth and interest in the Ag/Science program, maintained a school/community garden while involving students in growing various crops, and planned events and field trips to garner interest in agriculture.

In 2019, Madison accepted a position in Haywood County Schools as the Agricultural Science teacher at Haywood High School. In this role, she taught students about various agricultural techniques through diverse experiments as well as participated in various professional conferences to gain knowledge about the latest innovations in the agricultural field.

As the Director of CTE/Secondary Education for Haywood County Schools, Madison will oversee the development of innovative career and technology instructional programs while partnering with local industries to ensure post-secondary job opportunities for students upon graduation. She will also evaluate the career and technology program effectiveness based on evaluative findings as well as ensure that student progress is evaluated and that findings are used to make the career and technology program more effective.

“Madison brings both experience and energy to the role of Career and Technical and Secondary Director of Education. We’re very excited to see what she will bring to this position in HCS as we continue to grow our CTE program,” said HCS Superintendent Joey Hassell.

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HCS Mini-Grant Winners – Fall 2021

Tommie Rowell — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 18:19:27 +0000

Any teacher would want a little extra cash to spend in their classrooms in order to engage students more effectively in daily learning. Haywood County Schools offered five mini-grants for the purpose of giving teachers the option to purchase a few hands-on learning tools that will help students synthesize content in different ways.

The five teachers listed below were the winners of the mini-grants and plan to use the money in innovative ways:

Anderson Elementary Childcare Center – Nicole Henderson (STEAM teacher) – $400.00

“Two Kindle Fires and a subscription to Generation Genius to assist in the STEAM labs with more hands-on activities for students.”

Haywood Elementary School – Jamie Chandler (Art teacher) – $400.00

“‘Clay animals’ that allow students to create objects for textile purposes, but also reinforces fine motor skills.”

Haywood Elementary School – Hannah Lilly (STEAM teacher) – $400.00

“Interactive Coding – Students will work together to understand the basics of coding and problem solve as a team to figure out technology coding on an elementary level.”

Sunny Hill – Ebonie Harrell (STEAM teacher) – $400.00

“Design and fly a kite – engineering: students will learn to calculate wind energy to combat gravity and create lift by creating their own kites with multiple kite designs.”

Haywood Middle School – JoLyn Haynes (Science teacher ) – $400.00

“Chemistry in the classroom – These chemistry lab lessons directly support our current curriculum. These lab projects will expose our students to chemistry concepts that will better prepare them for high school chemistry and allow them to be more successful.”

With the mini-grants, educators can continue to provide engaging lessons for their students and take learning to a new level. Charles Byrum, Director of Accountability and Assessment for Haywood County Schools, understands the value of investing on the local level.

“Investing in teachers and students is a top priority in Haywood County Schools. We know that any amount of extra money to help teachers enhance learning for students is worth the investment. It’s exciting to see teachers take advantage of this opportunity.”

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Industrial Maintenance – Creating a Path Forward for Students

Tommie Rowell — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 21:50:30 +0000

Traditionally, the world of education has orbited around four core academic subjects – Reading, Math, Science, and History. Other subjects have branched off from the core four as students’ options for classes expanded as they entered high school. Some high schools offer creative writing or contemporary issues or statistics, but a large emphasis has alway been placed on these four academic disciplines.

For nearly 100 years, however, a field of necessary education has been evolving out of the educational spotlight. Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes have been in public schools in some form since the 1920’s, but have only recently demanded more attention because of the skills they teach students – skills that are much needed in the workforce today.

At Haywood High School (HHS), options and opportunities abound in the CTE program. Students can not only build foundations for industrial maintenance, business management, and health science, but they can also receive post-secondary credit in some of those fields, as well. Many of the CTE programs at Haywood High School offer dual-enrollment options for students.

Leading the Industrial Maintenance branch of the CTE program at HHS is James “Skipper” Moss. Before arriving at HHS to be part of the CTE program, Skipper taught at The Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT).

TCAT has 27 campuses across the state of Tennessee and offers a variety of programs on the post-secondary level geared toward developing skills for students to enter the workforce in areas that range from graphic design to welding technology to industrial maintenance repair.

While at TCAT, Skipper taught Industrial Maintenance Repair, but for the last 12 years, he has been helping HHS students get a head start on their careers by teaching the same principles and skills to them that he taught while at TCAT.

Skipper teaches three levels of his Industrial Maintenance class at HHS. The first level is for beginning students in the program and focuses very much on safety training.

“The program is divided into three levels. On level one, we work on a lot of safety training – how to work with electricity; how to work with heights; how to avoid pinch-points,” he explained.

The most important aspect of the level one training, however, is that students can receive their OSHA 10 certification.

OSHA stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration and is a necessary entity in the industrial world. Receiving this certification allows students to have an edge on other job applicants should they decide to pursue a career in any type of industry as soon as they leave high school.

“An important part of this safety training is that students are able to get their OSHA 10 card,” Skipper said. “The OSHA training is a prerequisite to getting hired for any industrial occupation, so students already have an advantage over other job applicants once they leave this program.”

“The OSHA training is a prerequisite to getting hired for any industrial occupation, so students already have an advantage over other job applicants once they leave this program.”

Once students have their OSHA certification and level one safety training behind them, they can begin to really dive into the nuances of the industrial maintenance program. The program deals with specialized skills such as electrical wiring and alternating and direct currents (AC/DC). In level two of the program, students begin to put theory into practice.

“During the second year of the program we go through a lot of AC/DC fundamentals and electrical safety. We start designing and wiring circuits and then wire them on circuit board trainers,” Skipper said. “In level three, there’s a little more safety training but we really get into a lot more AC three-phase and single-phase wiring. We work with control panels and automated controls. This is all hands-on work,” Skipper explained.

Because the most important aspects of the class are learned by doing the hands-on work, students are provided electrical circuit boards to actually perform the work they would be doing in a factory or industrial plant.

Aiden Sloan is a student who is in his third year in the Industrial Maintenance program. He believes the work is challenging, but is also an enjoyable experience.

“Sometimes it’s really challenging. The hardest part is remembering what certain symbols represent and what each part does,” he said.

While the actual implementation of the learning can be challenging, the learning leading up to the hands-on work helped him understand quicker.

“Once you get to the machine, it should be pretty simple because we’ve been learning about it by reading it,” Aiden explained.

Like many students in the program, Aiden plans on attending TCAT when he graduates from HHS and will already have several classes completed when he starts.

Skipper knows how important it is for his students to have an advantage.

“This is a dual-enrollment class with TCAT. We have a good relationship with them, and I send them the best students I have over there,” Skipper said. “Some of my students are already halfway through the TCAT program when they leave here.”

Training students with a CTE skill set has always been a priority at HHS. Having a teacher like Skipper, who has previously taught at TCAT, only strengthens the program and allows students to be exposed to the work early on and be ready for more intensive training once they leave high school. However, a few months ago, the need for that training and these particular types of skills became even more prevalent with the announcement of Blue Oval City and Ford coming to Haywood County.

“With Ford coming, I’m encouraging the kids right now to get involved in this program. I’m encouraging them to go to TCAT when they leave HHS and take any supplemental training they can get, so that when those doors open or job postings pop up, they’re ready,” Skipper said.

Beyond the technical training students are receiving as it relates to electrical wiring and industrial maintenance, soft skills are also a necessity when it comes to acquiring and keeping a job when students leave high school. Positive attributes like punctuality and a strong work ethic are just as important to employers as skills in wiring or routing circuits.

“Aside from the technical skills we teach our students here, we also have to teach our students soft skills that are necessary to get and keep a job. We have to teach students to be on time, stay off their phones, and pay attention. Those are issues of courtesy, but also could affect safety in a workplace if not practiced,” Skipper explained.

Skipper is at an age where he could retire soon if that is something that he would like to do, but he sees so much promise and opportunity with the arrival of Blue Oval City.

“This area is about to change with Blue Oval City. Most of that plant will be automated – robots and automated controls- but there will be a lot of people needed to maintain that equipment. I know they’re going to build a TCAT on that campus. There’s so much that someone will need to know to be able to do that work, and that’s what we’re teaching our students here already. There’s going to be a huge demand for workers at Ford to keep the machinery working the right way, and students here are already getting the foundations for that training and that work,” he said.

“There’s going to be a huge demand for workers at Ford to keep the machinery working the right way, and students here are already getting the foundations for that training and that work.”

Because of that and the work he sees his students learning and perfecting, Skipper wants to see the work pay off for them. He sees it in students like Caleb Given who is in his third year of the program and learns best while he’s doing the work.

“I started the program my sophomore year because I didn’t know about the program when I was a freshman. I’m about to graduate now and then will be going to TCAT next fall,” Caleb said as he sat in front of a circuit board. “This board was confusing and it took me several weeks to really figure it out, but once I did, it became very easy. I learn better by actually doing the work rather than reading about it or hearing it.”

And, in the end, that is exactly what the Industrial Maintenance Program at Haywood High School is all about – allowing students to develop a skill they can learn by doing the work that will continue to support them as an adult.

“I’d really like to see some of these kids go out to the new plant and go to work. I’d like to see them develop those skills here and take them to Ford, or anywhere for that matter, several years later. That’s what this is all about, really. It’s about giving students a skill or skills they can use to make a career.”

“That’s what this is all about, really. It’s about giving students a skill or skills they can use to make a career.”

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Cindy Moore – STEAM – Haywood Middle School

Tommie Rowell — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 17:25:52 +0000

The STEAM program at Haywood Middle School (HMS) is Haywood County Schools (HCS) students’ last stop before entering high school and possibly transitioning into the Career and Technical Education programs at Haywood High School.

Because students have been exposed to STEAM concepts for several years before reaching middle school, they are able to take those principles and begin to really explore some of the more complex technological aspects of STEAM as well as some reality based philosophies of business creation.

HMS STEAM teacher, Cindy Moore, knows the importance of exposing students to relevant connections with STEAM such as the arrival of Blue Oval City.

“Right now, the students are preparing powerpoint presentations on how an automotive industry can bring people and money to a city. The students are creating a presentation as if they would be presenting to the local chamber of commerce,” Cindy explained. “In class, we’ve talked about the different career possibilities in the automotive industry and what those careers would require as far as certifications or degrees.”

These conversations in class also lead to exploration of CTE opportunities in high school that could help HCS students get a jump on learning skills that would help them pursue a career after high school.

“Students can do dual-enrollment in high school and can be certified in a certain area by the time they graduate high school,” she said.

Beyond discussing the necessary and relevant steps for real-life opportunities, students are also introduced to highly engaging projects that allow them to use their imaginations to create and engineer multiple varieties of objects that showcase science and technological concepts learned in class.

“We’ve built paper roller coasters, and that’s a step by step process. Once the students get a marble through on the paper design, they can move to cardstock. It’s all about engineering and design to tweak the process as needed,” Cindy said. “We also did some introductory robotics work that led to them building their own robot out of cardboard. Each class had four groups and each group built their own robot. The groups had to initially design a prototype. After the first week, the group evaluates what they need to change or improve to get the robot designed to do what it was originally intended to do.”

Group projects like these help build teamwork skills at an early age as well as allow students to learn from mistakes and adjust in the middle of a project in order to create the most efficient project they can. It’s this type of real world experience that makes STEAM so valuable.

The project the students seem to love the most, however, was when they were able to create their own robot.

“The students loved building the robot. I gave them limited instructions. The only thing I provided was cardboard, tape, and hot glue. They couldn’t go out and buy anything. They could use anything recyclable. It’s learning to use what they have. The robot had to move on its own. The only thing it HAD to do was to move in some way,” Cindy explained.

The students were very creative when it came to the movement of the robot.

“Students used a skateboard, a saw with a DC motor, a microwave – they got very creative with it,” Cindy said.

While building the robot was what the students enjoyed the most about STEAM at HMS, there are many other opportunities that students were able to explore. The classroom is loaded with usable technology.

“We have 3-D printers and laser printers. Over the summer, we did a production design course where students were given a hypothetical situation on how they would start a business with 100,000 dollars. We had groups designing t-shirts and creating t-shirts with the press that we have here based on their business,” Cindy said.

STEAM at HMS provides students many opportunities to narrow their focus while exploring endless possibilities before entering high school.

The post Cindy Moore – STEAM – Haywood Middle School appeared first on Haywood County Schools.

HCS State Testing Data – 2021

Tommie Rowell — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 17:11:02 +0000

When I was a teenager, I would grab the paper every morning before school and shuffle as fast as I could to the Sports section. My eyes would skim over each box score from the previous night’s baseball games until they landed on the San Francisco Giants score. From there, I’d slide down to the third spot in the batting order and normally see “Clark, W” and four columns of numbers next to his name. If I wasn’t a baseball fan immersed in the statistics of the sport, I’d have no idea how to interpret whatever data was scattered across those columns. But since I was a rabid fan, based on the arrangement of numbers next to Will Clark’s name, I could tell within a few seconds if he had a productive game the previous night or not. Those numbers told me a story; they gave me a snapshot of Will Clark’s game, but they didn’t give me any context. I could tell how many hits he had or how many runs he scored, but I didn’t know how many pitches he saw during each at bat. I couldn’t tell if there were any runners on base or, if there were runners on base, what bases they occupied. I could only tell how many hits he had or runs he batted in or runs he scored, and that was enough for me because I was taught that those particular numbers were the most important numbers to gauge success for a baseball player. Numbers tell us one side of a story, but they don’t tell us the whole story. In fact, numbers can tell us any side of a story we want them to tell us.

“Numbers tell us one side of a story, but they don’t tell us the whole story. In fact, numbers can tell us any side of a story we want them to tell us.”

For fourteen years, I taught middle school English/Language Arts (ELA) and at the beginning of every year I was presented with a plethora of numbers next to names, but this numerical experience wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as my morning routine of scouring box scores of baseball teams. The word “numbers” mutated into the word “data” and words like “growth” and “achievement” and “percentile” replaced “hits” and “runs” and “at bats” and suddenly looking at statistics was a grueling, cumbersome task that didn’t seem to have a lot of logic to it.

Every year, my department was told that the scores of our students needed to be higher, that we needed to show more growth, that our students couldn’t read well enough. That rhetoric grew tiresome because the only side of the story anyone wanted to talk about was the side of the story that was based on an assessment that was given on a singular day out of 179 other days of the year, and this was the story everyone in education in the state of Tennessee – from Memphis to Johnson City – cared about. This was the story legislation was based upon. This was the story where success and failure for a school and educator balanced on a razor’s edge waiting to topple to one side or the other depending on the data from state testing.

Frankly, as a teacher, it was disheartening to have my value be whittled down to a score when I knew the rest of the story. I knew how well my kids could read because I heard them day after day in class reading texts that interested them. I knew my students could write because they articulated their thoughts with passion if they cared about the subject. I also knew that state ELA tests were incredibly biased and extremely subjective and only accepted one correct response per question when two or more could suffice if the students were allowed to explain why they answered the question they answered. But these were the rules we had to play by and the rules school districts across the country are still playing by today.

Coming on the heels of two unprecedented years in education dealing with COVID-19, the state of Tennessee still required end of year standardized testing in 2021 for each district, but stated that districts would not be held accountable. Predictably, the numbers were low and, unsurprisingly, comparisons were made.

In Haywood County, we won’t shy away from what the numbers say, but we also know that there are many other stories to tell based on numbers.

At the most basic level of data, our numbers are down compared to previous years. Compared to other districts in West Tennessee, our numbers in Math and Reading are low. We know those numbers need to improve, and we know that we have the right systems and structures and educators in place to see that improvement. We also know that those particular numbers do not tell the whole story of who our students are and what they can and will do in the future.

Our overall success rate of achievement as a district was 6%, and we know that there are a myriad of factors that come into play regarding that number. The two most important aspects about that number, however, are that the number only tells a fraction of the story and the number will undoubtedly rise considerably after a full year in the classroom for our students.

Our district rate of achievement in ELA was 10.7% which admittedly needs to be higher, but there was a growth level of four (out of five) in ELA at Haywood High School.

In Math, our district rate of achievement was 3.1%, but our district has instituted Math Collaborations led by John Prince to allow math teachers to come together and discuss curriculum and best practice teaching strategies in order for students to learn math more effectively.

At Anderson Early Childhood Center and Haywood Elementary School, we have implemented the Reader/Writer project that monitors student growth in reading throughout the year and implements strategies to meet the students where they are in their reading journey. We know how important the foundations for reading are at such a young age.

Like any set of data, there are multiple sides. While we acknowledge the need for extensive growth in the areas of achievement in Math and ELA, we also know that our students who leave our district are pursuing post-secondary options at a rate that is competitive with any other district in West Tennessee.

In 2021, over half of the graduating students from Haywood High School were pursuing post-secondary options. That rate is comparable or better than nearly every other county in West Tennessee. More than data from a standardized test, the opportunity for a skill, trade, and financially sustainable career is what we want our students to be able to pursue when they leave our district.

The CTE program at Haywood High School offers students options for dual credit and certification in certain occupations upon graduation. Nearly 30% of our students met the State of Tennessee Ready Graduate requirements, and that percentage was also comparable to nearly every other county in West Tennessee.

Drilling down on data, however, can cause us to lose focus on the most important aspect of a school district by far: educating the whole child.

Unlike numbers on a spreadsheet, our students are three-dimensional, living, breathing, feeling human beings. They have struggles and heartaches and successes and failures that all occur outside of school buildings. Because of those life experiences, we have developed support systems within our schools that help students navigate the social and emotional challenges of life.

“Unlike numbers on a spreadsheet, our students are three-dimensional, living, breathing, feeling human beings.”

One way our system supports its students is by providing a social worker on each campus as well as a district wide plan to combat truancy. A school nurse is also assigned to each campus in order to support students and families in the midst of a pandemic. Through advisory groups, our students at Haywood High School are learning about the positive aspects of vulnerability while engaging in conversations that bridge gaps in differences between students.

While we know the quantifiable data of standardized test scores does have some validity in regards to student learning, we also know that we are educating whole children. We will continue to teach our students to read high quality texts, to write complex and thoughtful essays, to synthesize historical information, and engineer creative scientific concepts. We will push them to pursue a skill or trade or a four year university. We will help them develop soft skills that will be used for future success when they leave Haywood County Schools. And because of all of those things we know we will see drastic improvement across all areas of statistical data, though we will never allow ourselves to be fully defined by a snapshot of a two-dimensional number.

Our students deserve a high-quality and equitable education. That will always be the main focus of our district. We are confident that our data will be a by-product of our vision.

Gabe Hart
Chief Communications Officer
Haywood County Schools

The post HCS State Testing Data – 2021 appeared first on Haywood County Schools.