November 12, 2004
By Beverly A. Carroll - Staff Writer
Chattanooga Times Free Press

The percentage of Hamilton County students scoring proficient or advanced on state reading/language and math tests increased from 2003 to 2004, according to an annual state report card available online today.

'This is the upward trend in academic achievement we have seen in the past several years,' Hamilton County Schools superintendent Jesse Register said. 'We’ve improved overall and in all the ethnic groups, which is what we were hoping to see.'

The report card, which tracks the state’s 136 school systems, focused on student performance in reading/language and math, the core subjects measured by the federal No Child Left Behind accountability act. The 2002 federal law requires schools to meet benchmarks in those categories and in attendance and graduation rates in each of eight subgroups.

In reading and language, 86 percent of Hamilton County’s kindergarten through eighth grade students scored proficient or advanced on standardized tests given last March, up from 82 percent in 2003. Eighty-two percent of students scored proficient or advanced on math tests in 2004 compared to 78 percent in 2003, records show.

Of the state’s five urban school systems, Hamilton County ranked second in increasing the percentage of students passing reading/language and math, the report card showed.

Memphis City Schools boosted its percentage of students passing reading/language by six points, from 72 percent in 2003 to 78 percent last year. Memphis City Schools also posted the most progress in math, increasing from 61 percent of students proficient or advanced in 2003 to 70 percent last year.

Among the five urban districts, Hamilton County had the second highest percentage of students proficient in reading and language and the third highest in math. At 92 percent in reading and language and 90 in math, Shelby County ranked first and surpassed the state average of 86 percent in reading and language and 83 percent in math. Knox County, with 83 percent of students scoring proficient or better, was second among the five urban districts, passing Hamilton County by one percentage point.

The number of proficient and advanced students is 'what the federal government is looking for,' said Ben Brown, state executive director of assessment and evaluation.

Hamilton County Board of Education member Debra Matthews said the report reflects the message Dr. Register and the board have been sending for several years.

'The test scores increased. They didn’t go down,' Ms. Matthews said. 'Some county commissioners owe the board and Dr. Register an apology, and they owe the students an apology.'

Several county commissioners, including Curtis Adams, Fred Skillern and Larry Henry, have criticized the school system’s performance and Dr. Register’s leadership.

Recently Mr. Adams compiled scores from the 2003 state report card to rank the state’s 136 school systems. His figures placed Hamilton County 108th, but state officials said Mr. Adams incorrectly computed the data.

Keith Brewer, Tennessee’s deputy education commissioner, said the state does not attempt to rank schools because of the variables that affect scores. The distribution of wealth, poverty, special education and English language-learning students all affect a system’s performance, he said.

The report card also showed that Hamilton County’s high school students improved academic achievement on Gateway tests and ACT scores. The Gateway tests, in English, math and science, are required to earn a diploma in Tennessee starting with this year’s graduating class. Also, the high school dropout rate improved from 14 percent in 2003 to 12 percent last year.

'For that I credit the high school reform effort provided by the Carnegie Initiative,' Dr. Register said.

E-mail Beverly A. Carroll at bcarroll@timesfreepress.com