DeKalb Report Card Shows K-8 Students Overall Meeting State Goals

The 2006 Report Card on the DeKalb County School System, issued by the Tennessee Department of Education, reveals that overall students in grades K through 8 are meeting or exceeding state goals while students in grades 9-12 are still working toward their goals.
Carol Hendrix, Supervisor of Instruction for the DeKalb County School System says the school system’s annual report looks really good this year. “It’s reported in two areas, Academic and Non-Academic. In the Non-Academic areas in both grades K-8 and 9-12 we exceeded all state goals in attendance and promotion. Our 9-12 grade indicator graduation rate is currently under revision and we’ll find out about that a little later on.”
Hendrix says in grades K-8, Academic Achievement is reported in two areas, Student Achievement and TVAS Value Added Scores. “In Student Achievement, grades K-8, which demonstrates what our students have learned from Kindergarten to the present, we have an “A” in Math and a “B” in Reading/ Language, Social Studies, and Science, which are all above state levels. They are also all above our 2005 scores.”
“In TVAS Value Added, which calculates how much a student has learned in one year, in grades K-8, we have three “A’s” and one “B”. We have an “A” in Reading/Language, Science, and Social Studies, and a “B” in Math.”
“In our Writing scores, two grades are reported and both have an “A”.
“In grades 9-12, we have Proficiency levels and Value Added scores. In grades 9-12, our students met Proficiency levels in Algebra I, Biology I, English II in Gateway and English I, U.S. History, and Math Foundations as End of Course.”
Concerning the 9-12 grade Value Added Scores, Hendrix says ” Our students met Proficiency in Algebra I, Math Foundations and English I but we were below levels in Biology I and English II.”
“Our Writing Assessment at the high school is at a “B” this year.”
A.C.T. scores were below levels in English, Math, and Science Reasoning but students met the predicted score in Reading.
Hendrix says “The goal of the federal government, the state department of education, and our school system is to ensure that all students are proficient academically. The DeKalb County School System is not only moving toward that goal, we consistently exceed expectations in grades K-8 and are working diligently toward meeting the mandates in grades 9-12.”
She says “This year’s report card demonstrates the dedication of our students, teachers, parents, and the hard work of the principals and other administrators in ensuring that our students are being taught the necessary skills and objectives to meet not only the mandated proficiency but to ensure that our students leave the DeKalb County School System with the skills to go to higher education or to enter the work force.”