Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

TNReady

Tennessee
3 hours ago

Memphis schools in most need of growth see gains, but vast majority of students still not on grade level

Only three schools in the iZone have more than 20 percent of students reading on grade level.

Trending up

Tennessee
August 16, 2018

Most schools in Tennessee’s largest district show growth on state test

About half of schools in the Memphis district saw a bump in English scores, earning the district the state's highest rating of growth.

test scores

Tennessee
August 16, 2018

How did your school perform on TNReady tests? Search here for results

Nearly 700 schools – more than 40 percent of schools in Tennessee – improved in student performance across most grades and subjects, according…

TN scores dump

Tennessee
August 16, 2018

School-level test scores are in for the Achievement School District. And they’re bleak.

In English and math exams, not a single Achievement School District elementary, middle or high school had more than 18 percent of students scoring on grade level.

pushing back

Tennessee
August 13, 2018

McQueen calls superintendents’ request to pause state testing ‘illegal and inconsistent with our values’

“Pausing a state assessment would be both illegal and inconsistent with our values as a state,” Education Commissioner Candice McQueen wrote to the Nashville and Memphis leaders.

More backlash

Tennessee
August 9, 2018

Citing ‘multiple years of failure,’ Knoxville school leaders vote ‘no confidence’ in state

Board Chairwoman Patti Bounds says the Tennessee Department of Education “still takes no ownership” of its mistakes.

Interesting moment

Tennessee
August 8, 2018

Tennessee civil rights leaders push back at superintendents’ call to pause state testing

The Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition, formed in 2016 to advocate for students of color, says a moratorium on state testing is not the answer.

Taking aim

Tennessee
August 6, 2018

Declaring ‘no confidence’ in TNReady, Memphis and Nashville superintendents call for pause in state testing

The superintendents of Tennessee’s two largest school districts are asking outgoing Gov. Bill Haslam to pause state testing indefinitely.

Emerging differences

Tennessee
August 3, 2018

Here’s how Lee, Dean compare on education in the race to be Tennessee’s next governor

The state's next leader will set the course for school funding and shape education policy on everything from student testing to teacher evaluations.

Reinforcements

Tennessee
July 31, 2018

Here are the 37 Tennessee educators chosen to offer advice on TNReady testing

The first-ever advisers will help troubleshoot TNReady as Tennessee seeks to reestablish the credibility of its testing program.

exclusive

Tennessee
July 25, 2018

In his final months as Tennessee governor, Haslam reflects on his education legacy

In a wide-ranging interview, the outgoing Republican governor talks about achievement gains, TNReady disappointments, pre-K challenges, and what's next.

exclusive

Tennessee
July 24, 2018

Haslam worries TNReady testing troubles could unravel Tennessee education policy

Now in the homestretch of his administration, Gov. Bill Haslam makes his case for staying the course with the state's blueprint for student improvement.

Silver Lining Playbook

Tennessee
July 19, 2018

Memphis’ youngest students show reading gains on 2018 state tests — and that’s a big deal

Those working to improve early literacy rates in Shelby County Schools got a small morale boost from newly released TNReady scores.

Scores in

Tennessee
Updated July 19, 2018

After a wild testing year, Tennessee student scores mostly dip — but there are a few bright spots

Student test scores mostly decreased this year in Tennessee, especially in middle school where performance dipped in every subject, according to new statewide data.

Surprising report

Tennessee
July 18, 2018

EXCLUSIVE: Did online snafus skew Tennessee test scores? Analysts say not much

The independent analysis challenges popular opinion that scores were significantly tainted as a result of widespread technical problems this spring.

heads up

Tennessee
July 18, 2018

Tennessee will release TNReady test scores on Thursday. Here are five things to know.

This will be the biggest single-day release of state scores since the TNReady era began three years ago.

Tennessee Votes 2018

Tennessee
July 9, 2018

Here’s how Tennessee’s Republican candidates for governor answer the big questions on education

Chalkbeat asked Republican candidates about their own educational experiences, the future of TNReady testing, whether to offer private school vouchers, and more.

Tennessee Votes 2018

Tennessee
July 9, 2018

Here’s where Tennessee’s Democratic candidates for governor stand on education

Chalkbeat asked the candidates about their own educational experiences, how they'd address TNReady testing challenges, pre-K expansion, and more.

Q&A

Tennessee
June 27, 2018

Tennessee teachers have a new voice. Meet the next leader of the state’s largest teacher group

When Beth Brown takes office July 1 as the new president of the Tennessee Education Association, she’ll become the youngest elected leader of…

What went down

Tennessee
June 20, 2018

‘There was no cyber attack,’ investigator says of Tennessee’s online testing shutdown

Early findings of an internal review and external probe trace the bulk of this year's TNReady miscues to decisions by Questar, the state's testing company.

help wanted

Tennessee
June 14, 2018

Will third time be a charm? Tennessee searches again for online testing company

After another bumpy year, the state will seek proposals from one or more companies to take over TNReady testing in the 2019-20 school year.

change of plans

Tennessee
June 11, 2018

With A-F grades off the table, Tennessee gets creative about rating its schools under federal law

Days of online testing problems this spring forced officials to toss out a new A-F grading system to rate the state's 1,700-plus public schools.

Splitting duties

Tennessee
May 30, 2018

Tennessee lawmakers OK shifting $12.5 million in TNReady testing work from Questar to ETS

Tennessee is banking that two companies are better than one when it comes to fixing the state’s troubled standardized testing program.

Payment dispute

Tennessee
May 23, 2018

Disputes with Tennessee testmakers aren’t new. Here’s an update on the state’s lawsuit with Measurement Inc.

The testing company fired by Tennessee’s education department two years ago will likely wait until 2019 to settle the case, according to documents recently obtained by Chalkbeat.

New research

Tennessee
May 22, 2018

From an ‘F’ to an ‘A’, Tennessee now sets high expectations for students, says Harvard study

Tennessee stands out in a new national report examining how the exodus from Common Core has changed states' expectations for their students.

COUNTING TNREADY

Tennessee
May 21, 2018

School boards across Tennessee scrap TNReady scores from students’ grades

One by one, a growing number of Tennessee districts are opting not to count TNReady scores against students whenever the results are released.

Regrouping

Tennessee
May 17, 2018

After another bumpy testing year, Tennessee likely will slow its switch to online exams

Education Commissioner Candice McQueen is looking at three options as the state seeks to regroup on TNReady.

All in the family

Tennessee
May 15, 2018

TNReady’s new testing company also owns the old one

Tennessee is turning to the new owner of current vendor Questar to work through headaches with the state's problem-plagued TNReady assessment.

Another pause

Tennessee
Updated May 15, 2018

It’s official! Results from Tennessee’s ugly testing year won’t count for much of anything

Tennessee teachers and school districts can decide how to use this year’s standardized test results and won’t suffer consequences if the scores aren't good.

Taking a hit

Tennessee
May 14, 2018

By getting testing wrong again, Tennessee could undo what it may be getting right

Many stakeholders worry that public outcry over this year’s sloppy TNReady testing will unravel years of carefully crafted accountability systems.

It's done

Tennessee
May 9, 2018

Tennessee’s messy testing season is finished, but how much the scores will matter is up in the air

Students turned in their last standardized exams on Wednesday, capping more than three weeks of on-again, off-again computerized testing for TNReady.

MIA

Tennessee
May 9, 2018

Some Tennessee students lost their TNReady test answers despite state’s reassurance they wouldn’t

When tests didn’t submit properly, most students were able to later. But in an unknown number of cases statewide, students lost test answers.

survey says

Tennessee
May 7, 2018

How did Tennessee testing go this year? An investigator is about to ask 64,000 educators

The state comptroller will email surveys this week asking for information on the administration of this year's TNReady exam.

In talks

Tennessee
May 4, 2018

Does Tennessee’s emergency response to testing problems conflict with federal ed law? Stay tuned.

While legislation to address TNReady woes has eased concerns in school communities, it's raised a flurry of new questions about Tennessee’s plan under ESSA.

conflicting reports

Tennessee
May 3, 2018

Did Tennessee offload too much blame for TNReady testing woes onto a dump truck?

The troubles that at least two school districts had connecting to Tennessee’s online testing system were not related to a slashed cable, the internet provider says.

Rounding a corner

Tennessee
May 2, 2018

After two rocky weeks, Tennessee testing settles down for the homestretch

Students tackling online state exams relish a stretch of normalcy this week after days of technical problems with TNReady.

testing testing

Tennessee
May 2, 2018

Inside a Memphis school dealing with the fallout of TNReady problems

Student anxiety, last-minute schedule changes, and hour-long holds with customer service hotline were common.

new plan

Tennessee
May 1, 2018

All Memphis teachers could get a raise now that TNReady scores won’t affect their pay

Shelby County Schools had originally planned to give raises to teachers with high evaluation scores, but TNReady issues sent district leaders back to the drawing board.

TNReady timeline

Tennessee
May 1, 2018

Here’s a list of everything that’s gone wrong with Tennessee’s 2018 testing

Tennessee was optimistic that this year would be different when students began taking the state’s standardized test known as TNReady. But it quickly…

comic relief

Tennessee
May 1, 2018

Tennessee’s TNReady testing troubles, as told in your gifs and memes

How teachers, students, and parents were able to laugh to keep from crying about TNReady.

First Person

Tennessee
April 30, 2018

My students were ready. Tennessee’s tests weren’t.

I do not want to wonder why the screen says “0 questions answered of 0 possible questions.” What does that even mean?

More headaches

Tennessee
Updated April 30, 2018

Tennessee online testing problems persist for third straight week

Issues included difficulties logging in, screens going blank, students getting booted off the online system, and trouble submitting their exams.

message to educators

Tennessee
April 27, 2018

Tennessee lawmaker urges teachers to make students “winners” not “whiners” about TNReady

Rep. Sabi Kumar sent an email to Robertson County educators after several urged him to advocate for this year’s state test results not counting on their evaluations.

TNReady trouble

Tennessee
April 27, 2018

About 1,400 TNReady tests invalidated after students take wrong test for their grade

Nearly 500 instances involved students in Anderson County near Knoxville who took science or social studies tests that were below their grade level.

Interrupted

Tennessee
April 26, 2018

Dump truck blamed for fiber optic line cut that disrupted TNReady testing

Online testing for Tennessee students was disrupted again on Thursday, this time due to the severing of a main fiber cable between Nashville and Atlanta.

Nail biter

Tennessee
Updated April 26, 2018

Tennessee lawmakers take another whack at shielding teachers from TNReady test flubs

The legislature orders that "no adverse action" may be taken over this year's TNReady scores out of concern that the test results will be flawed.

not so fast

Tennessee
April 23, 2018

Why Tennessee legislators share blame, too, for TNReady testing headaches

In 2014, the legislature voted to pull out abruptly from a multi-state testing partnership, which set the stage for TNReady.

Malicious disruptions

Tennessee
April 23, 2018

Tennessee says its online testing was hacked. And it has happened in other states, too.

Attacks on online testing systems and on school networks, in general, are relatively common, said Doug Levin, president of EdTech Strategies.

new rules

Tennessee
April 20, 2018

Now that TNReady scores will count less for students, will they even try?

In sum, one Memphis sophomore asked, “Why are we doing this anymore when know it won’t count?”

Chalkbeat explains

Tennessee
April 20, 2018

Four reasons Tennessee likely won’t go back to paper testing

In short, reverting to pencil-and-paper tests would be akin to ordering iPhone users to go back to flip phones. It almost certainly won’t happen.
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