Oak Ridge High School and Willow Brook Elementary earned “A” letter grades for the second consecutive year, while all seven Oak Ridge Schools earned the highest possible score for student achievement, according to Tennessee Department of Education’s latest “Report Card” on education within the state.
Additionally, Woodland Elementary increased their score from a “C” in 2023, to a “B” based on the most recent data released by the state education department.
“Letter grades are one of many tools we use to help identify areas to get better,” Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers stated in a news release. “Analyzing the components of our letter grade score helps us pinpoint opportunities for improvement so we can make informed decisions when designing and delivering instruction to our students. It is normal to see fluctuations in letter grades from year-to-year as we adjust our instructional practices to meet the changing needs of our students, and we welcome the opportunity to use this data point among many others to continue to improve.”
During spring testing, Oak Ridge Schools outperformed the state average, collectively, by more than 10 percentage points. In the letter grade calculation, according to the city schools’ news release, student achievement is weighted almost equally to student growth and is largely what caused four schools in the district to earn letter grades that were lower than what they received in 2023. At the middle schools, both Robertsville and Jefferson saw an increase in their student achievement scores this year, but ultimately earned “C” letter grades due to a decrease in their student growth scores.
“I am extremely proud of Oak Ridge High School and Willow Brook Elementary for maintaining an ‘A’ letter grades for the second consecutive year,” Borchers stated. “The staff and students in those buildings have worked incredibly hard to build a culture that is centered around student achievement and this designation is a testament to that work. As with any assessment, we will use these letter grades as an opportunity to celebrate the good work happening in our schools and identify areas where we can continue to improve and positively impact our students. While our student achievement numbers remain ahead of the state averages, we will continue to use data from our predictive assessments throughout the year to implement strategies targeting student growth and remain diligent in doing what’s best for our students.”
Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers at a League of Women Voters meeting in early 2020.
Scores are calculated based on a school’s achievement – determined by Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) test results, growth – determined by Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) test results, and in the case of high school, college and career readiness. Each of these areas is weighted to determine its contribution towards the overall letter. Additionally, growth is represented in two ways – Growth achieved by the overall student population, and Growth25, the growth achieved the lowest 25% of performers.
School letter grades are available via a public dashboard here. Additional information and resources about letter grades are available here.
Oak Ridge Preschool is not eligible for a school letter grade because they do not serve students in grades that participate in state assessments.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Report card: Oak Ridge High, Willow Brook get an ‘A’ again
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