State recognizes 14 Metro schools with 'reward' label

Fourteen Metro schools have received the state’s top recognition — earning the label “reward schools” — Gov. Bill Haslam and the Tennessee Department of Education announced Monday as part of the state’s new accountability system.

Reward schools are the 169 schools statewide either among the top 5 percent in highest TCAP and other end-of-year tests, or the top 5 percent of schools in year-over-year progress as measured by value-added data. Figures are according to achievement results from the 2011-12 school year.

Memphis City Schools led the way with 20 reward schools, while Metro Nashville Public Schools finished second with 14. The two schools districts are Tennessee’s largest.

“This is a great accomplishment for our schools,” Director of Schools Jesse Register said.

In Metro, four schools earned the “reward” label because of test performances alone: Lockeland Elementary Design Center, Hume-Fogg High Academic Magnet, Nashville School of the Arts and Percy Priest Elementary.

Five schools are reward schools because of the progress they demonstrated from the previous year: Bellshire Elementary Design Center, Cotton Elementary, DuPont Elementary, McGavock Elementary and New Vision Academy, a charter school.

Five reward schools demonstrated high marks in both performance and year-to-year gains. Glendale Spanish Immersion Elementary, Head Middle Mathematics/Science Magnet, Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet School, Meigs Middle Magnet School and Rose Park Math/Science Middle Magnet.

Earlier this month, the state announced six struggling Metro schools are priority schools [1], and therefore in line for potential state intervention. Under state metrics, another 13 are “focus schools” for having large achievement gaps between demographics.

Haslam, Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman and others announced the state’s reward schools at a Monday media event at Kenrose Elementary School in Brentwood.