State Releases TNReady School and District Level Results, DeKalb County Achieves Level 5

September 3, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County School District received high marks in terms of growth in the 2018 TNReady report released last month by State Education Commissioner Candice McQueen.

According to the report,  DeKalb County had an overall composite of Level 5 as a school district for grades 3-12 — the highest level of growth in literacy, science and social studies. Two schools in the district, DeKalb Middle and DeKalb West each attained an overall composite of Level 5 while Northside Elementary reached composite Level 4. The composites range from 1-5 with 5 being the highest.

DeKalb County ranked in the top 10 in the state for grades 6-8 in English Language Arts and also made the top 10 in high school math

“This is the result of a combination of hard work that is being put in between our teachers, students, administrators, and the supervisors at the central office. Today kids and teachers are asked to do more and we are meeting that challenge. We are improving our test scores each year and happy with the progress we are making but we still want to be number one in the state and we will keep pushing until we get to that point,” said Director of Schools Patrick Cripps.

According to Dr. Kathy Bryant, Supervisor of Instruction for grades 6-12, Northside Elementary measured significant growth this year while DeKalb Middle and DeKalb West maintained the same level of growth as last year

“Where we had a significant amount of growth was at Northside Elementary with grades 3-5 this year. DeKalb Middle School maintained the same status as they did last year. We are very proud of that because what happens is once you have reached that level 5 status maintaining that becomes even more difficult. Students and teachers have to work even harder. Same thing with DeKalb West. They maintained that same level as last year,” she said.

Dr. Bryant explained that growth is measured in how much progress students make from year to year.

“Students are evaluated on how much growth they make from one grade level to the next based on their testing history. Growth is very individual to the student. It is based on all the tests they have ever taken. We expect a certain amount growth each year from the students and we want to increase that growth every year with students and show that progress,” she continued.

Student achievement is determined by how well students perform on tests.

“The state has a category of mastery and on track. We basically count the number of students who are tested and determine the percentage of those who achieve on track or mastery status. For example, its like the kids who have mastered the test made 100 and those on track made anywhere from 85 to 90 but its not like our typical grades. Its a norm- referenced test. That’s achievement,” added Dr. Bryant.

“The data we get from the state includes a detailed list of every standard tested and it shows us how each student performs on each standard in each subject area and how the class as a whole performed and how the grade level as a whole performs. With this data we can analyze every standard to determine exactly where we have met expectations as a group or as an individual student or if that’s an area that we need to work on,” said Dr. Bryant.

New teaching strategies are already being implemented to enhance future student growth.

“We have a focus for next year for Reading and ELA. We are going to focus on text complexity which is analyzing what the students are reading. Is it complex enough to meet the standards and to meet the standards of the TNReady tests?. We are focusing district wide on text complexity and questioning in English Language Arts and for math we are focusing on math culture as well as math tasks and application meaning that we want to improve our students’ views and community views on math itself. Some students say I am not a math student. Some parents say I never did well in math. We want to change that view. Everybody has the potential to learn and to expand their knowledge,” said Dr. Bryant.

According to the state report, TNReady scores show 40 percent of Tennessee’s schools saw improvement across the majority of their grades and subjects in 2018. Of those nearly 700 schools, 210 saw improvement across all grades and subjects.

About 60 percent — 88 districts — “met or exceeded student expectations,” McQueen said.

Together, McQueen said, the state scores allow state and local education officials to see the bigger picture when it comes to overall student performance and academic growth. But McQueen said there’s still work to be done, as some districts across the state struggle in key areas.

“While we know we still have room to improve, we also want to celebrate the hundreds of schools in Tennessee that showed progress this past year,” McQueen said. “Students and teachers are making encouraging strides on both TNReady and in their overall growth, and today’s results point to bright spots across the state where students saw across-the-board success this past year on the state assessment. We want to learn from those places as we also continue to improve.”

The state’s students showed the most improvement in English Language Arts for grades 3-5, while 60 percent of schools improved achievement scores in this area. In most grades and subjects, around 30 to 50 percent of schools saw improvement in their achievement scores. In high school math, about 46 percent of schools improved.

To learn more, visit www.tn.gov/education.

September 2, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

Losing a child is unspeakably painful and perhaps the most devastating ordeal a parent could have to encounter.

Tyler and Jessica Cripps of Alexandria know what that’s like. Their daughter Paislee Cheyanne Cripps was stillborn on May 3, 2013. Their hearts were broken. Their world was shattered.

But during their grief they received the love and support of family, friends, church, and the community in such a way that it inspired Tyler and Jessica to help other parents mourning infant loss. As a result, Paislee’s Foundation was formed by the Cripps’ along with their friend Wesley McCubbin.

Paislee’s Foundation is a 501c 3 non-profit organization. Its purpose is to support those whose lives have been touched tragically within the past six months due to stillbirth, infant loss, or child loss up to three years old. Through the foundation, families can receive funds to assist them with funeral costs or other expenses. Many families have been served since the foundation was established in October, 2013.

One of the annual fundraisers held to support the foundation is set for next month, the Paislee’s Foundation Craft & Home Show. This 5th annual event will take place on Saturday, October 13 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. inside the Kenneth Sandlin Building at the DeKalb County Fairgrounds in Alexandria.

Admission is free and there will be plenty of free parking. Donations will be accepted for the foundation.

If you would like to set up an inside booth as a craft vendor the cost is $25.00 for a 10’x8’ space. Outside space is also available. Demonstrations are welcome.

All proceeds fund Paislee’s Foundation. No one associated with the foundation gets paid. All funds collected go to support those grieving from still birth and infant loss.

For more information call or text Darcie Cripps at 615-464-5139 or email paisleesfoundation@gmail.com

September 2, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb County’s unemployment rate for July was 4.9%, down from 5% in June and the same as July, 2017.

The local labor force for July was 7,960. A total of 7,570 were employed and 390 were unemployed.

Jobless rates for June among the fourteen counties in the Upper Cumberland region were as follows from highest to lowest:

Van Buren: 5.7%
Jackson: 5.4%
Clay: 5.2%
Fentress: 4.9%
DeKalb: 4.9
Warren: 4.8%

Overton: 4.6%
Cumberland: 4.5%

Pickett: 4.5%
White: 4.3%
Putnam: 4.2%
Macon: 4.2%
Cannon: 3.8%
Smith: 3.4%

The unemployment rate in 57 Tennessee counties improved in July 2018, according to statistics released today by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD).

The unemployment rate remained the same in 19 counties when compared to June and the number of unemployed Tennesseans increased in 19 counties.

“The summer months significantly impact the unemployment situation across the state,” said TDLWD Commissioner Burns Phillips. “People are not working seasonal jobs, they’re out of town and not able to work, or they’ve just graduated and are looking for work. There are many factors that play a role in summer unemployment figures.”

Sixty-two counties had unemployment rates below 5.0 percent in July, while 33 counties had a rate of 5.0 percent or greater.

Once again, Williamson County had the lowest unemployment rate in Tennessee. The county’s July rate of 2.9 percent was down 0.1 of a percentage point when compared to the previous month. The county’s unemployment rate was also 2.9 percent in July 2017.

Davidson County had the state’s second-lowest unemployment rate during July; it decreased by 0.1 of a percentage point and came in at 3.0 percent. The top ten counties with the lowest unemployment each had a rate of 3.5 percent on less.

Weakly County experienced a significant jump in unemployment in July. Its rate of 7.6 percent was a 2.6 percent increase compared to June. In a year-to-year comparison, the July 2018 figure was just 0.5 of a percentage point higher than it was in 2017.

Last month, Lauderdale County had the highest rate of unemployment in the state. During July the county experienced a slight decrease in its jobless rate; the figure dropped 0.1 percentage point to 6.9 percent.

Eight of the top ten Tennessee counties with the lowest unemployment surround Davidson County, while Knox and Sevier Counties round out the list. Seven of the state’s counties with the highest unemployment rate is located in West Tennessee, with the remaining three in East Tennessee.

Tennesseans who are searching for employment may find a variety of valuable resources on the state’s workforce website.

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