After lower than expected test results in reading and language arts across the districts in Hamilton County last year, administrators are taking a hard look at remediating issues in the county’s education system.
In grades three through eight, 44.8 percent of Hamilton County students tested as proficient or advanced, which is below the state standard of 48.4 percent.
Those results persisted in high school as well with students in English I, II, and III testing below the state average.
Those results stoked an ongoing conversation among members of the school board and prompted a slight restructuring in teacher support in an effort to address what seem to be systemic problems.
In a work session on Thursday, Director of K-12 Literacy Becky Coleman presented some solutions which she and the board hope will help the county gain some ground.
The primary change is a refocused effort on K-2 literacy instruction in schools that need help, which will hopefully build the foundation for enhanced performance throughout grade school.
Previously, more attention had been paid to upper elementary grades since they were tested more rigorously, but educators argue that the problems start in those earliest years.
Ms. Coleman said that she currently has 20 coaches which provide support for county teachers and now their primary focus will be on those youngest children.
She said that the services of those coaches have been spread out between the 43 schools in Hamilton County resulting in a “popcorn effect” — higher performance in classrooms only during and immediately after a coach was there to support the teachers.
These coaches and additional support staff, which is available to help wherever they are needed as principals request their assistance, will help develop instruction and testing methods with a greater emphasis on complex reading and testing.
The hope is that putting a more concentrated effort into pushing students to handle texts on the upper end of their curriculum will help solidify necessary language skills.
However, some school board members expressed frustration at the state Hamilton County public education is in.
Rhonda Thurman said, “We have had every kind of coach, we have every kind of teacher on special assignment, we have had every kind of everything I know. The English language has never changed, but our literacy scores have dropped.”
She also said that she blames administrators, not the teachers or principals. She went on to say, “This is totally unacceptable. If it doesn’t work, someone needs to be held accountable. Someone needs to lose their job or be demoted.”
Dr. Greg Martin agreed saying the problems are greater than a slight dip in recent years.
He said, “The reality is that at the end of the day, the gaps didn’t just grow over the last two years. When you look at everything across the state, we went down.”
He then addressed Superintendent Rick Smith saying, “One of the things I would love to see you lead us in is how we can get parents involved. I am convinced there are thousands in this community who just need to be led, who just need some direction.”
David Testerman pointed to persistent reform being handed down as a serious impediment to educators on the front lines. The county is taking serious steps to come into compliance this year with the state’s new education initiative, TNReady.
He said, “I am tired of educators being told what to do by politicians that have no idea what education is like. We have got to realize that this continuous reform is not helping, it’s hurting.”