'Moving in the right direction': Rutherford Co. test results show pre-COVID gains
Rutherford County Schools students showed proficiency gains on 2022 standardized tests for math and English, the district announced Wednesday.
District leaders will use the data released by the Tennessee Department of Education for improvement initiatives as Rutherford County's 50 schools prepare for the upcoming year, new Schools Director James Sullivan said in a press release from James Evans.
“Despite the challenges that last year presented, we are very proud of the work of our teachers, students and families,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan had served as the district's assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction before the Rutherford County Board of Education promoted him in late May to replace former Director Bill Spurlock.
The district saw performance above pre-pandemic levels in English Language Arts, Sullivan said. Student scores improved from about 36% proficiency in 2021 to 43% proficiency in 2022.
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"While we celebrate these gains, we have much work to do to ensure that students reach proficiency on grade-level standards," Sullivan said.
Math proficiency climbs by 5%
In math, the district had previously followed the national and state trend in seeing more learning loss compared to other subjects, according to the press release.
“While we are not yet meeting pre-pandemic levels, RCS is celebrating an increase of 5% in proficiency growth in math from 32% in 2021 to 37% proficiency in 2022,” Sullivan said.
“These data sets are just an initial snapshot," said Sullivan, who thanked the hard work and dedication of teachers, staff, parents and students.
"We look forward to the full release of data, so we can celebrate our successes and look to improve areas that need targeted attention."
Board member says district has more work to do
Board member Tammy Sharp was pleased to hear about the favorable results on the standardized tests during a phone interview with The Daily News Journal.
"We're moving in the right direction, but we have more work to do," said Sharp, unopposed Republican candidate seeking another four-year term in Aug. 4 election. "I'm confident that our teachers and our administrators are going to get us where we need to be."
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The state is expected to announced additional performance data, including school level results and student academic growth information, in the coming weeks, according to the press release.
Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@dnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottBroden.
Standardized test results
The following shows standardized testing proficiency percentages for Rutherford County Schools students:
English language arts in 2021: 36%
English language arts in 2022: 43%
Math in 2021: 32%
Math in 2022: 37%
Source: Rutherford County Schools
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Rutherford County Schools touts standardized testing results
