A Message from Mayor Karl Dean, Dr. Jesse Register & Gracie Porter
Un mensaje del Alcalde Karl Dean, el Dr. Jesse Register y Gracie Porter
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What is changing?
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Click the image above to see our academic standards. | It's been said before - Tennessee's student achievement standards just aren't high enough. In order to better educate our students, we must expect more from them. Our students need to leave school ready to compete for jobs and college placement on a global scale.
That's why the state has raised the bar. Starting now, our standards are higher than they have ever been. In fact, they have gone from among the lowest in the nation to the second highest. Tennessee is now a leader in the effort to develop common standards on a national level. We have signed on to "national common core standards" and are helping to develop a common assessment test by 2014.
Our students are capable of achieving more and it's time we expected more from them. With these new standards, our students will lead the way in education.
What does this mean?
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Click the image above to see the new grading scale. | It means that our tests will be harder, our curricula will be more rigorous, and, in the near-term, it means that scores and grades may be lower. Scores across the district will drop, even if our student achievement remains the same. It's a tough fact to face, but we must be realistic in knowing that change this important can't happen overnight.
Students who took TCAP and End of Course exams last spring will soon receive their test results using the new, more rigorous standards. In some cases, a child who has placed in the advanced or proficient category no longer will. But it is very important to know that this doesn't mean that child has lost ground; it means that he or she is being assessed using a more competitive scale.
For this reason, we cannot compare last year's tests to the new tests. That would be like comparing Fahrenheit to Celsius; both measure temperature, but the scales are very different. Similarly, tests from last year and this year both measure achievement, but use different scales to do so.
While it may look discouraging right now, this is actually an exciting change for our entire state. Research and data show that higher standards and higher expectations such as ours lead to high results and greater student achievement.
For example, these new standards are now aligned with the ACT and SAT college and career readiness standards. In simple terms, this means that certain scores will now be equal earning a 'B' or better in specific college-level subjects.
What can we do about these changes?
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Click the image above to see how MNPS is improving instruction. | If your child is struggling with these higher standards and harder tests, don't get discouraged. As a parent and as a community, it's time that we expect more from all of our children so that they can achieve more.
Here at MNPS, we are making changes to improve instruction. We have also already started to assess students this year with Discovery Assessment (ThinkLink) tests, which give us good indicators of student achievement so far in the 2010-11 school year. The first results will be available later this month. Ask your child's teacher if you would like to see results. In the mean time, there are steps we can all take to help.
Watch for your child's test scores.
If your child is a student in grades 3-8, he or she will soon bring home an Individualized Profile Report with his or her TCAP scores. TCAP measures a child's knowledge in reading, language arts, math, science and social studies. If your children are rated "Basic" or "Below Basic" in any subject, they need help.
Three Steps You Can Take If Your Child's Scores are Disappointing
For more information, keep checking this page. We will post updates on test scores and standards as they come in throughout the fall.
Click here to bookmark this page and come back to it regularly.
If you have more concerns, call you child's school for help. A school directory with phone numbers can be found here.
You can also visit the Tennessee Department of Education online for state-wide information.
Watch Governor Bredesen announce and launch the Expect More, Achieve More campaign.
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