'Success is contagious': How Knox County Schools dramatically improved its standing
Priorities and partnerships are the driving force behind Knox County Schools' notable improvement in state ratings released this week, Superintendent Jon Rysewyk said Feb. 22 at a gathering of administrators called to celebrate the success.
KCS landed 24 schools in the reward schools category, the top rating conferred by the Tennessee Department of Education in its latest iteration of measuring education success. The district came within shouting distance of tripling the number of schools that earned the reward schools designation – it had nine in 2022.
The district as a whole achieved a "satisfactory" rating, up two categories from the previous rating of "in need of improvement," the lowest rating given to the bottom 5% of Tennessee schools.
"We all know that success is contagious. By working together and focusing on excellence in foundational skills, we are making progress," Rysewyk said, standing with administrators at Ritta Elementary School. "We have 24 reward schools this year, and I want the list to be even longer next year. There's no doubt in my mind that we can get there."
The improvement is significant and it follows Rysewyk's public promises to make progress after the district landed among the lowest-rated in Tennessee in 2022. Districts are designated as exemplary, advancing, satisfactory, marginal or in need of improvement.
Since Rysewyk became superintendent June 2022 and rolled out four priorities to guide improvement, the district made progress in some areas while it missed the mark on math and English language goals for some of the county's most challenged student populations.
"As a district, we know that our four priorities are working. We have made gains this year in every subject area," Rysewyk said. "Last year alone we increased third grade reading by almost 5% to 43.5% proficiency, the highest that has been on record for Knox County Schools.
"Our four priorities – which are excellence in foundational skills; great educators in every classroom; career empowerment and preparation for students; and success for every student – aren't just words on a page for us. They're actually our roadmap for preparing to make sure that every student has success for the future."
Rysewyk thanked organizations including the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, United Way of Greater Knoxville and the YMCA for helping students to be prepared for the classroom, especially with tutoring services.
Ritta Elementary School Principal Shawnda Ernst credited dedicated administrators and staff members as a significant factor behind the new reward school designation, and went out of her way to praise the school's full-time counselor, saying "that is a really big part of what helps a school be successful. She can help our kids who are struggling who have had a hard time at home in the morning."
Bart McFadden, CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, said he's proud the nonprofit works with hundreds of Knox County students to offer tutoring services on top of emotional support and basic services like meals on days school is not in session.
The work goes hand in hand with what public schools can offer, McFadden said, and helps students arrive in their classrooms ready to learn.
What is a reward school?
Reward schools have a high federal accountability score between 3.1 and 4.0. The score is measured using four indicators for K-8 schools. The weights for each metric are:
Academic achievement - 45% of score
Growth measured by standardized test scores - 35% of score
Chronic absenteeism - 10% of score
English language proficiency - 10% of score
For high schools, six indicators are used:
Academic achievement - 30% of score
Growth measured by standardized test scores - 25% of score
Ready graduate rate - 20% of score
Chronic absenteeism - 10% of score
English language proficiency - 10% of score
Graduation rate - 5% of score
Knox County Schools overall showed improvement
Along with increasing the number of reward schools, the district was upgraded in 2023 to a rank of "satisfactory."
The designation is two steps up from the district's previous ranking of "in need of improvement" in 2022, meaning it was among the bottom 5% in Tennessee that year. Districts are designated as exemplary, advancing, satisfactory, marginal or in need of improvement.
In separate rankings, 19 Knox County Schools scored a perfect A in Tennessee's first-ever grading of each public school recently, while four received an F grade.
Which Knox County Schools are reward schools?
The 24 reward schools represent the diversity of schools in the Knox County school system, both in location and student body.
A.L. Lotts Elementary
Amherst Elementary School
Ball Camp Elementary
Bearden Elementary
Blue Grass Elementary
Bonny Kate Elementary
Career Magnet Academy
Christenberry Elementary
Copper Ridge Elementary
Farragut High School
Farragut Intermediate
Gap Creek Elementary
Gibbs Elementary
Hardin Valley Elementary
KCS Virtual Middle School
L&N STEM Academy
Mount Olive Elementary
New Hopewell Elementary
Northshore Elementary School
Ritta Elementary
Sequoyah Elementary
Shannondale Elementary
South Knox Elementary
West View Elementary
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.
Keenan Thomas is a higher education reporter. Email keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter @specialk2real.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Knox County Schools rose from the bottom 5% to 'satisfactory'
