Education Commissioner Candice McQueen announced today the department will terminate its statewide testing contract with Measurement Inc., effective immediately. While high school testing will continue as planned, the state will suspend grade 3-8 testing during the 2015-16 school year due to Measurement Inc.’s inability to deliver all testing materials.
After revising their shipping schedule for a third time this month, the state’s testing vendor, Measurement Inc., failed to meet its most recent deadline. As of this morning, all districts were still waiting on some grade 3-8 materials to arrive with a total of two million documents yet to be shipped. In February, the department was forced to move from the originally planned online assessment delivery to a paper-based format due to the failure of the vendor’s online platform.
“Measurement Inc.’s performance is deeply disappointing. We’ve exhausted every option in problem solving with this vendor to assist them in getting these tests delivered,” Commissioner Candice McQueen said. “Districts have exceeded their responsibility and obligation to wait for grade 3-8 materials, and we will not ask districts to continue waiting on a vendor that has repeatedly failed us.”
If districts have received materials for a complete grade or subject in grades 3-8 (i.e. fifth-grade math), they will have the option to administer that specific grade or subject level; however, the department will only be able to deliver limited student performance information for these particular grades and subjects. High school tests will be fully scored, and these results will be delivered later this fall.
“Challenges with this test vendor have not diverted us from our goals as a state. Tennessee has made historic and tremendous growth over the past several years. Higher standards and increased accountability have been a key part of this progress,” Commissioner McQueen said. “Our work toward an aligned assessment plays a critical role in ensuring that all students are continuing to meet our high expectations and are making progress on their path to postsecondary and the workforce.”
Flexibility that has already been provided for teacher evaluation through recent legislation will remain. If a teacher has TNReady data, in this case high school teachers, TNReady data will only be used if it helps the teacher. If a teacher does not have TNReady data, their evaluation will rely on data from prior years.
The department is currently working with the state’s Central Procurement Office to expedite the selection of a vendor for both the scoring of this year’s high school assessment and the development of next year’s test. The department has also been in close contact with the United States Department of Education to ensure that Tennessee is in compliance with federal requirements and will continue to work with them on this issue.
TNReady, the state’s new assessment in math and English language arts in grades 3-11, was designed to be administered in two parts. Part I was given in late February and early March, and Part II was scheduled to begin on April 25.

Approximately 329 middle school and high school students from Upper Cumberland schools participated in the 60th Annual Tennessee Mathematics Teachers’ Association Mathematics Contest on the TTU Campus on April 12.
The following students placed for DeKalb County High School.
Hunter Robinson – 9th place in Calculus
Madi Cantrell – 1st place in Algebra 1
Louise Dillen – 3rd place in Calculus

Members have been appointed to the DeKalb County Equalization Board.
The county commission, during Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, reappointed Russell Watson, Carl Dwayne Webb, and Phillip Hendrix to serve on the five member board. Robert Robinson will be a new member.
County Mayor Tim Stribling said Ronald Ashburn and Bobby Reynolds, who were appointed to the board two years ago, no longer wished to serve.
One other position remains to be filled. Stribling said he will find a candidate and make the appointment by the next county commission meeting in May.
Until 2014, the equalization board was made up of seven members, one from each district of the county. But under state law, there can be no more than five members. According to Tennessee Code Annotated (state law) “The county legislative body of each county shall, at the April session of each even year, from the different sections of the county, elect, for a term of two (2) years, five (5) freeholders and taxpayers who shall constitute a county board of equalization.”
Based on population, the City of Smithville can have one member on the board. Russell Watson has been serving in that position. Stribling said Smithville Mayor Jimmy Poss told him he was okay with Watson being reappointed
According to state law, county equalization boards across the state are to meet each year on June 1 (or the next business day if the 1st falls on Saturday or Sunday). The county board is authorized by law to receive and hear appeals of current year property tax assessments as fixed by the county assessor of property. Generally an assessment must be appealed to the county board of equalization to preserve the taxpayer’s right to further appeal.
The DeKalb County Equalization Board will meet this year on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, June 1, 2, & 3 and Monday and Tuesday, June 6 & 7 at the county complex in the office of the Assessor of Property.

A Dowelltown man has been charged with child abuse for allegedly smacking and leaving a bruise on a four year old youngster.
27 year old Barrett Clay Tipton of Circle Drive, Dowelltown is under a $10,000 bond and he will make a court appearance on May 5.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Saturday, April 16 Tipton allegedly inflicted injury on a four year old at his residence on Circle Drive by smacking the child in the face with enough force to knock the youngster to the ground. A few days later during an interview, officials of the Department of Children Services noticed bruising on the left side of the child’s face. When they asked the youngster what happened to cause the bruising, the four year old said Barrett did it. The alleged assault was also captured on video.
34 year old Willie Ray Murphy of West Bryant Street, Smithville is charged with resisting stop, frisk, halt, arrest or search. Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, April 2 a deputy went to Walmart to arrest Murphy on a Smith County warrant for violation of probation. As the officer placed Murphy under arrest, he tensed and tried to pull away from the deputy. He was taken into custody and transported to the jail.
21 year old James Nathaniel Pettit of Locust Street, Alexandria is charged with domestic assault. His bond is $2,500 and he will make a court appearance on May 5. Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, April 23 a deputy responded to a residence on Locust Street due to a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival the officer spoke with Pettit and his wife. Pettit was determined to have been the primary aggressor in that he laid on the woman, restricting her movements and then kicked her out of bed. He also allegedly broke the door to a closet where she had been hiding when calling 911.
32 year old Veronica Lucille St. Hilaire of Dry Creek Road, Smithville is charged with a second offense of driving under the influence and driving on a suspended or revoked license. She was further cited for no insurance, violation of the implied consent law, violation of the open container law, for her automobile lacking a vehicle identification (VIN) number, and for criminal impersonation. She is under a $5,000 bond and her court date is May 5. Sheriff Ray said that on Sunday, April 24 a deputy responded to Highway 70 at the old Spinners Diner location where someone was found slumped over the steering wheel of her vehicle in the roadway. Upon arrival the officer found that EMS personnel had already arrived and were talking to St. Hilaire. Her speech was slurred and she was unaware of her whereabouts. Inside her vehicle, the deputy found an open bottle of vodka in a cup holder next to the driver’s seat. An empty vodka bottle was found in the back seat. St. Hilaire did not have a valid driver license. A computer check confirmed that her license were revoked for a previous driving under the influence offense. St. Hilaire refused to submit to a blood test. Her vehicle did not have a VIN number plate on the dashboard showing proper registration. She also falsely identified herself to the officer as Monica Gonzales.
27 year old Les Paul Miller of Barnes Mill Road is charged with being a fugitive from justice. His bond is $500,000. He will make a court appearance on April 28. Sheriff Ray said that on Sunday, April 24 a check of warrants revealed that Miller is wanted in Michigan on an outstanding warrant for being a parole absconder. Miller was placed under arrest.

A Lebanon man who claimed to have a t-shirt printing business and swindled hundreds of dollars from five local businesses and a member of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department has been charged with six counts of theft.
59 year old Greg Keith Oxendine was arrested on Wednesday, April 20 and he will make a court appearance on May 5. Oxendine was brought here after being incarcerated in another jail for similar offenses.
According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, Oxendine’s crime spree locally took place in October, November, and December 2014 when he went to B&G Supply, Sue’s Taxidermy, Center Hill Nursery, Turtle’s Bar & Grill, AEI Recycling, and a member of the DeKalb County Fire Department and collectively swindled a total of $1,723.90 from them.
In each case, Oxendine purported to have a printing business and took orders and down payments for caps, t-shirts, and hoodies but he never produced the merchandise and wouldn’t answer calls when the victims tried to contact him by phone.

Acting on complaints of illegal Sunday sales of beer, the Sheriff’s Department cited an employee of Maggie’s Landing Sunday, April 24 after she sold an alcoholic beverage to someone working undercover.
50 year old Lisa Sowell Dulley of Hurricane Ridge Road, Smithville was issued a citation for unlawful sale of alcoholic beverages.
According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, the undercover operative entered Maggies Landing Sunday where Dulley allegedly sold him an alcoholic beverage. After making the purchase, he left the business with the beverage.
Dulley’s court date is May 26th.

The death of a 20 month old boy is under investigation by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the District Attorney General’s Office.
The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and EMS responded to a stranded motorist on Highway 70 Saturday evening where they found an unresponsive child in the vehicle.
The child, Mason Snyder, was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death.
The case remains under investigation and no arrests have been made.
27 year old Les Miller, the boyfriend of the child’s mother, was taken into custody on Sunday on unrelated charges of being a fugitive from justice out of the state of Michigan. He is under a $500,000 bond.

Contributing to a national celebration of small businesses, DeKalb County Mayor Tim Stribling has signed a proclamation declaring Small Business Week in DeKalb County to be May 1 through May 7, 2016.
Communities all across the nation and the Upper Cumberland are joining together to celebrate the wonderful contributions made by small businesses to their communities. Suzanne Williams, Executive Director of the Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce, was on-hand to witness the signing. Williams stated “Small businesses are the life-blood of our community and the chamber makes every effort possible to assist them in succeeding.”
Williams and Stribling recently started a partnership with the Tennessee Small Business Development Center at Tennessee Tech University to encourage growth and development of the DeKalb county business community. John Woodard, Assistant Director of the center stated, “We are so excited to be working in DeKalb County! Our center believes we can bring a lot to the table to assist the local community and provide guidance to small business owners.”
Woodard and his team are organizing the first annual Upper Cumberland Small Business Week, which is offering several events for small business owners throughout the Upper Cumberland and encouraging communities to shop local for Mother’s Day, graduations, etc. Mayor Stribling commented, “It is really great to see programs like these that are willing to support our communities and encourage growth of our local economies. I am really excited to see what all the TSBDC can offer our community in the future.”
Individuals wishing to find out more information about and register for the events are encouraged to explore the event website: www.tsbdc.org/ucbizweek or contact the TSBDC’s TTU Center at 931-372-3648.

From its remarkable yet humble beginnings, the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life has grown into a national, even international, phenomenon. Starting in 1985 with only one event, today more than 4 million people in over 20 countries raise much needed funds and awareness to save lives from cancer through the Relay For Life movement.
At Relay for Life, you can find healing, comfort, and support from others who have faced cancer or who have lost a loved one to the disease. You have a chance to meet people in the community who are equally as passionate about finding an end to cancer in our lifetime.
This year’s theme is ““Paint Your World Purple”
Come share the Relay experience at Green Brook Park on Friday, May 6 and take pride in knowing that you are working to create a world where this disease will no longer threaten the lives of our loved ones or claim another year of anyone’s life.
The 19th annual Relay for Life begins with musical entertainment at 5:00 p.m. followed by the opening ceremony at 6:00 p.m. featuring personal testimonies from cancer survivors and then a Survivors’ Lap, during which those who have survived the struggle circle the track together to help everyone celebrate what has been achieved against cancer.
As the sun sets, Luminaria bags lining the track illuminate the night and then a hush falls over the event as Relay participants, survivors and caregivers gather together for a Luminaria Ceremony at 9:00 p.m. to remember loved ones lost to cancer and to honor those who have battled the disease.
As participants walk the track lined with Luminaria bags in reflection, a caregiver who has lost a loved one may find comfort from a fellow caregiver who has faced a similar loss.
Meanwhile, a survivor gains hope and strength from others who have followed the same journey and survived. All resolve to keep fighting to save more lives so no more Luminaria bear the names of those lost to the disease.
Teams take turns doing laps, but there must be one member from each team on the track at any given time during the relay event. There is a lot of fundraising as well, through concessions, games, and other activities.
As volunteers and donors, your efforts support research, education, advocacy, and services that allow the American Cancer Society to offer help and hope to people across the country when they need it most. By joining together at Relay, we celebrate life, friendship, and an opportunity to work to defeat cancer for future generations.
For more information, please contact Marlene at 931-235-6286 or visit www.relayforlife.org/dekalbtn.

Sober Living Services in collaboration with the DeKalb Prevention Coalition will host speaker Rodney Williams Monday, April 25 at 6:00 p.m. in the History Room of the DeKalb Community Center. This a free event and open
to the public.
Williams is an ordained pastor, author of the book, Club Meth to Christ, and founder of Club Meth to Christ Ministries. His goal is to help those who struggle with the devastating bondage of addiction experience lasting freedom. Rodney lived as a drug addict and alcoholic for over twenty years of his life but that all changed the night he was set on fire in a crystal meth lab explosion. That night he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ and from that point on Rodney began following Jesus. Rodney entered the Home of Grace drug rehabilitation program after months of skin grafts and burn treatments then wrote the book Club Meth to Christ. He then obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies from the University of Mobile. Rodney was pastor to a small congregation in South Mississippi for eight years before entering full time evangelism. Rodney’s story has been featured on the 700 Club, Pacific Garden Mission’s radio drama, Unshackled, and American Family Radio. He has spoken at countless evangelical and secular events using his story to warn audiences about the danger of drugs and give hope to those trapped in the bonds of addiction. Rodney and his wife, Jennifer, live in South Mississippi with their four children.

Visit http://www.clubmethtochrist.com for more information.