Jo Byrns High School, Robertson County

School Characteristics:

Principal: Joshua Mason
Grades Served: 7-12
Enrollment: 449
Economically Disadvantaged Rate: 43.0%

Overview:

Jo Byrns High School makes the most out of every instructional minute in the day. Every school day begins with 30 minutes that are set aside for intervention and tutoring (as determined by teachers each day) and enrichment opportunities, such as accelerated coursework or dance classes. Additionally, the school has allocated 100-minute blocks for reaching and math instruction every day to help their students make big gains. The school sets high expectations for its students, and makes high school graduation and postsecondary education and training part of their message for their middle school students. Data is used to make a lot of instructional decisions at the school level and figures prominently in teacher collaboration.

Attendance Rates:

2009: 94.6%
2010: 95.0%

TVAAS 3-Year Growth Standard T-Statistic (2011):

Math: 19.12
Reading: 5.68

TCAP Deciles (2010-2011) :

Math: 20th to 40th
Reading/Language Arts: 50th
Between 2010 and 2011, Jo Byrns High School narrowed its socioeconomic achievement gap by 1.45 points on the reading TCAP and by 1.85 points on the math TCAP among its middle school students.

South Cumberland Elementary, Cumberland County

School Characteristics:

Principal: Darryl Threet
Grades Served: PK-8
Enrollment: 662
Economically Disadvantaged Rate: 53.0%

Overview:

During his 12 years as principal at South Cumberland Elementary, Darryl Threet has established himself as a strong instructional leader. He analyzes student performance data for his teachers, teaches a daily algebra course for students in 4th through 8th grades, developed pacing guides that have been adopted by the district, and encourages teachers to calculate their own value added, including teachers in grades K-3. He has set uninterrupted instructional time as his number one priority, and the school has instituted two programs—Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) and Drop Everything and Math (DEAM)—so students have daily opportunities for remediation and acceleration. Additionally, the school helps each student fill out a high school plan, takes them on field trips to the local high schools, Roane State Community College, and the local technology center to help students chart their paths after middle school and beyond.

Attendance Rates:

2009: 95.5%
2010: 95.5%

TVAAS 3-Year Growth Standard T-Statistics (2011):

Math: 8.84
Reading/Language Arts: 5.81

TCAP Deciles (2010-2011) :

Math: 40th to 50th
Reading/Language Arts: 60th
Between 2010 and 2011, South Cumberland Elementary narrowed its achievement gap between economically disadvantaged and non-economically disadvantaged students by 1.41 points on the reading TCAP and by 2.78 points on the math TCAP.

Power Center Academy, Memphis City Schools

School Characteristics:

Chief Academic Officer: Yetta Lewis
Middle School Principal: Kimberly Clark
Grades Served: 6-9
Enrollment: 191
Economically Disadvantaged Rate: 85%

Overview:

Power Center Academy, a charter school that was founded in 2008, aims to prepare their students to succeed in college and the workforce and to be actively engaged citizens in their community. The schools sets extremely high expectations for their students and pushes them to think about their future career paths so they can determine what steps, academic and otherwise, they will need to take to achieve their goals. Data is integrated in everything that they do and is used to help students, teachers, and the school set goals, assess their progress, and determine when students and teachers need extra supports or opportunities for acceleration. There is a shared sense of accountability for results that is instilled in students, teachers, administrators, and the entire school community.

Attendance Rates:

2009: 96.4%
2010: 96.3%

TVAAS 3-Year Growth Standard T-Statistics (2011):

Math: 9.72
Reading/Language Arts: 6.93

TCAP Deciles (2010-2011) :

Math: 20th to 30th
Reading/Language Arts: 50th
Between 2010 and 2011, Power Center Academy narrowed its achievement gap between economically disadvantaged and non-economically disadvantaged students by 9.82 points on the reading exam and by 18.66 points on the math exam.

2011 Middle School Winner: Power Center Academy

2011 Middle School Nominees