Knox County Schools hits some self-imposed goals and looks to hit others next year

Areena Arora, Knoxville News Sentinel
·4 min read

Knox County Schools announced four priorities under Superintendent Jon Rysewyk's leadership in 2022. One year in, the district made progress in some areas even while it missed the mark on math and English language goals for some of the county's most challenged student populations.

In year two, the district is making additional tweaks, but the four priorities will still focus on student academic success as well as goals to improve the district overall.

"Sometimes goals can become tag lines and bumper stickers," Rysewyk said. "We spent a whole lot of first year vision casting for the year ahead. ... We've not shied away from tough conversations or tough decisions."

The goals set by Rysewyk are: excellence in foundational skills, particularly math and reading; providing great educators in every school; career empowerment for students, and success for every student.

Rysewyk and his team of administrators have taken steps to rethink Knox County Schools in the areas that can be improved. He reorganized the district's schools into a new regional structure to start to tackle problems one by one.

At a two-day retreat last week with the Knox County School Board, administrators shared their successes and explained what's planned for the year ahead.

Here are highlights of goals met and missed by the district under each priority in the 2022-23 school year:

Excellence in foundational skills

This goal focuses on ensuring students finishing third grade are proficient readers, and those graduating seventh grade are proficient in math.

  • The district increased its third-grade proficiency rates on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program by 4.9% and decreased the percentage of third graders performing below 40th percentile on the Aimsweb assessment. For the upcoming year, the target was increased by 1.9%.

  • Compared to other districts in the state, Knox County schools performed better in third grade English language assessment.

  • While Knox County Schools increased overall math proficiency for sixth through eighth graders by 4.4%, exceeding its target of 2.2%, it did not meet its target of increasing proficiency in algebra 1.

Great educators in every school

This priority is designed to ensure every school is staffed with qualified teachers and support staff, and that the district is able to retain them from year to year.

  • The district exceeded its goal by increasing enrollment in its Education Prep Provider program and the grow-your-own initiative to develop teachers. Both programs are aimed at helping potential educators get their required certifications.

  • The district did not meet its 5% target of increasing the percentage of teachers of color in schools. The district has 3.4% Black teachers and 1.4% Hispanic teachers, according to the latest available data from the Tennessee Department of Education.

Career empowerment and preparation

With the launch of 865 Academies, the district announced it was reimagining the high school experience to put more focus on preparing graduates for life after high school.

  • The district increased the number of high schools engaged in its career preparedness program called 865 Academies, which launched in 2022. Despite the success of the initiative, the district missed the mark on its goal of increasing students who receive industry certifications by 2.8%. These certifications are state-approved credentials seen as a measure of workforce readiness.

  • It missed its goal of a percentage of students who completed aptitude assessments in seventh and ninth grades.

Success for every student

When Rysewyk announced this priority, he said while it might seem obvious, the district leadership wants the message to be clear: leaders are intentionally focusing on helping every student succeed. In that direction, the district announced several reforms in special education following months of discussions on the need for change.

  • While the district improved overall, it did not meet its goal of increasing achievement in math and English language skills for students of color, economically disadvantaged students and students in special education. The district did see gains from 2022, but did not meet its targets in both areas.

  • The district met its goal of decreasing chronic absenteeism by 2.1%, but attendance has not yet reached prepandemic levels. Chronic absenteeism is a measure of the number of students who miss 10% or more days of a school year, which is about 18 days. These include both excused and unexcused absences. Prepandemic, the county's chronic absenteeism level was at 16% and reached its peak at 27% in the 2021-22 school year.

  • The district also missed the mark with both English language and math skills in Region 5 schools.

Rysewyk reflects back on the last year

In his remarks to the school board Sept. 21, Rysewyk reflected on his first year as he set the tone for what's to come.

The district also launched a new selection process for school principals this year, Rysewyk told the board, as he highlighted initiatives planned for this coming school year.

Here's a look at some of those initiatives:

  • The district will conduct a "literacy landscape analysis" to assess how schools perform over time and guide decisions.

  • A salary study with an independent contractor will review the district's current pay structure and use that to make budget recommendations for the 2025 budget.

  • Rysewyk wants to improve communication for the district's employees and with parents through a website redesign.

Areena Arora, data and investigative reporter for Knox News, can be reached by email at areena.arora@knoxnews.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @AreenaArora.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County Schools hits some of its self-imposed academic goals