Ram Report - Special Edition

I hope that you are thoroughly enjoying winter break and this holiday season with your families. I hope that you'll forgive a brief interruption for some very exciting news!

I am excited to share with you that Robertsville Middle School has earned an “A” grade according to the Tennessee Department of Education’s new A-F Letter Grade Rating System. This rating did not come easy and is the direct result of the hard work and resilience of our students and staff, and the commitment to excellence from our families and community.

Additional information about how the letter grade is calculated is outlined below, however, I want to highlight that our school achieved a Level 5, the highest possible score, in both Student Achievement and overall Growth.

Lastly, I want to note that these letter grades will be recalculated and released annually based on the most recent state test results. This year’s letter grade is based on the 2022-23 state testing results. I have included a much more detailed breakdown below for you to read at your leisure but want to thank you for your continued support of your students and Robertsville Middle School. None of this would be possible without the excellent relationship we have with our families.

The Calculation

For middle schools, the letter grade is calculated based on three indicators—Achievement, Academic Growth and Growth25—each of which is assigned a numeric score between 1 and 5, with 5 being the highest possible score. Achievement is measured by the state Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) test and Growth is measured by Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) test results. Additionally, Growth is represented in two ways—Growth achieved by the overall student population, and Growth25, the academic growth achieved by the lowest 25% of performers. Each of these areas is weighted to determine its contribution towards the overall letter grade, and in the middle school model, Growth is weighted equally to overall student achievement.

Looking Ahead

While we are thrilled with this year’s “A’ grade, we know that the work is never finished as we continue to strive to get better every day. Over the last several years we have been intentional about making data-informed decisions to guide our work while providing individualized support and instruction whenever possible. As a result, we’ve seen a net increase in our student proficiency of, on average, 11 percentage points since 2019 and we regularly outperform the state in student achievement. We look forward to continuing to implement impactful learning strategies in the classroom and will remain diligent in doing what’s best for our students.

Background

In 2016, the Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation requiring TDOE to establish a letter-grade (A-F) evaluation system for public schools. The legislature has stated that it was their intent to increase transparency for families and stakeholders. Due to challenges related to state testing and COVID-19, the new accountability system was delayed for several years. The letter grades will be recalculated and released on an annual basis and may vary from year to year. The letter grade will always be calculated using the most recent testing data. This year’s letter grade is calculated using the 2022-23 academic year testing data.

Additional Information

To learn more about the new School Letter Grade Rating System in the state of Tennessee, please visit tn.gov/education/schoollettergrades.

As we continue to look ahead and focus on continuous improvement, it is important to reflect on the goals that we set for our school earlier this year. We will continue to work toward reaching them and are very proud of the work that is taking place!