Posted in Data:

On December 19, the Tennessee Department of Education released the 2023-24 State Report Card with additional data, including school letter grades. The A-F school letter grades for Tennessee schools were implemented in 2023. School letter grades are calculated using several pieces of data, including student achievement and growth on standardized assessments, subgroup performance, and college and career readiness at the high school level. Since implementation, CMCSS has not had any schools rated at the lowest level, an F. CMCSS has continued this trend in 2023-24 and made significant improvements from 2022-23.

In CMCSS, 90% of schools received an average or better letter grade of an A, B, or C, an increase from 73% in 2022-2023. Nearly half of CMCSS schools performed in the top categories, earning an A or B, and the number of schools earning a D decreased by 64%. There were no F grades in CMCSS.

Over 30% of schools improved their letter grades from last year, including a significant 3-grade improvement at Northeast Elementary School from a D to an A, and 2-grade improvements at Montgomery Central Middle School (C to A) and Moore Magnet Elementary School (D to B).

Click here to review the Tennessee Department of Education’s School Letter Grade Dashboard. The TCAP Family Portal can be found here, and additional online education tools can be found here.

In 2022, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a new law to establish the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement funding formula, otherwise known as TISA. One of the requirements of this law is that districts will create accountability plans to ensure that planned expenditures with our funds align with our goals for improving student achievement as a District. Please click here to review the District’s plan and provide your feedback on this plan.

2021-2022 School Accountability Designations

In accordance with Tennessee’s accountability system, the Tennessee Department of Education names schools that are excelling, as well as those that need additional support. Late yesterday afternoon, TDOE released the 2021-2022 designations. As Dr. Luna-Vedder emphasized in July when the initial TCAP District scores were released:

“There are many bright spots in the data to celebrate as a result of the hard work of our educators and students! We will not rest on our laurels and will be having critical conversations over the coming days and weeks to develop strategic plans to address gaps and areas of concern. I look forward to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure CMCSS is one of the best school districts in the state of Tennessee.”

CMCSS is proud to have almost 30% of our schools recognized by the state as Reward schools! Schools receiving this designation typically demonstrate high levels of performance and/or growth across all indicators. Congratulations to the students, faculty, staff, and administrators at the following CMCSS Reward Schools:

Barksdale Elementary

Byrns Darden Elementary

Cumberland Heights Elementary

East Montgomery Elementary

Glenellen Elementary

Northeast Elementary

Rossview Elementary

Sango Elementary

West Creek Elementary

Woodlawn Elementary

Montgomery Central High

CMCSS has one Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) school. Schools with overall accountability scores in the bottom five percent statewide for the performance of a given student group are identified as Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) schools. Schools can be identified as TSI schools for any of the following given student groups when meeting the identification criteria: Black/Hispanic/Native American, Economically Disadvantaged, English Learners, Students with Disabilities, Hispanic/Latino, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Asian, and White. These schools are supported by the department and are eligible for additional funding. Kenwood High School has received the TSI designation for the Economically Disadvantaged and White subgroups. CMCSS is providing additional resources and supports to close the achievement gap at this school.

CMCSS has three Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) schools. Only schools identified as TSI based on the most recent TSI list will be eligible for ATSI identification. TSI schools whose student group success rates are less than or equal to the maximum success rate of any Priority school in their school pool will be identified as ATSI if they do not also have a score of 4 or 3 for each indicator for which that student group is eligible. Schools identified in 2021-22 will receive the designation for one year and can exit the designation in 2022-23 by meeting exit criteria. Kenwood Middle School, Montgomery Central Middle School, and West Creek Middle School have received the ATSI designation for the Students with Disabilities subgroup. CMCSS is providing additional resources and supports to close the achievement gaps at these schools.

As a District, CMCSS received the second highest designation – Advancing. Districts designated as advancing received an overall score equal to or greater than 2.1 but less than 3.1. Only 1% of Tennessee’s districts received the highest designation of Exemplary. CMCSS is focused on improving student achievement, especially in literacy and math, and Dr. Luna-Vedder has continued to emphasize that CMCSS can and will be one of the best districts in the state as we work together to be better than ever.

Calendar Reminders

Please note the upcoming items for September:

• Wednesday, September 14, 5-7 p.m. – Annual College Fair (click here for more info)
• Thursday, September 15, 4:30-7:30 p.m. – Elementary Parent-Teacher Conferences
• Monday, September 19 – Staff Development | Students Do Not Report
• Thursday, September 22, 4:30-7:30 p.m. – High School Parent-Teacher Conferences
• Thursday, September 29, 4:30-7:30 p.m. – Elementary Parent-Teacher Conferences

To view calendars, visit cmcss.net/calendars.

Please see below for several reopening updates for all students with sections below for CMCSS K-12 Virtual and traditional-specific updates.

Updates for ALL students:

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Laptops for K-12

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System will provide all K-12 students, both traditional and virtual, with a laptop for the 2020-21 academic year. CMCSS district leaders are committed to providing all students access to instruction no matter the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CMCSS Technology Department reallocated resources making it possible for kindergarten and first-grade students who chose the traditional model to now be assigned a device.

In the event that a school may move to the remote learning model under the Continuum of Learning, traditional kindergarten and first-grade students will now be able to access online learning platforms from their school assigned laptops. 

Technology Distribution Days

Families can pick up devices during specified Technology Distribution Days, beginning on August 20. CMCSS parents and guardians will receive electronic communication, to include the Technology Usage Agreement and Protection Plan, in the coming days. These documents must be reviewed, signed, and returned electronically prior to the student receiving his/her laptop. 

Technology distribution will occur at your student’s enrolled school. All traditional and CMCSS K-12 Virtual students can pick up their device on the following days: 

August 20, 21, 24 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. 

August 25 from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. 

Parents should have a photo ID and their child(ren)’s name(s) and grade level(s). Students who still have textbooks, library books, or a technology device that CMCSS has indicated must be returned should bring all items to the Technology Distribution Day. Laptops will not be distributed to students who have not returned necessary items. 

Students who already have a district-issued laptop and have not been instructed to return the device do not need to attend the Technology Distribution Days. 

CMCSS K-12 Virtual students who already have a laptop MAY still need to report to school on those days to get textbooks or other materials. More information to come.

Free and Reduced Lunch 

Parents/guardians who feel their household may be eligible for free or reduced meal benefits should apply online at SchoolCafé. The online application allows for a contact-free, secure application environment. Free and reduced meals are available for eligible students choosing either traditional or CMCSS K-12 Virtual.

Even if families do not intend for their child(ren) to receive school meals, parents/guardians should complete the free/reduced meal application if they feel their household may be eligible as the information is used for other important applications.  

Updates for CMCSS K-12 Virtual students only:

Adults serving as Learning Mentors for students in CMCSS K-12 Virtual are required to complete training. This pre-recorded training will be available online from Mon., Aug. 24 through Tue., Sep. 1. Learning Mentors will be able to complete this training at their convenience during that timeframe. More information will be sent directly to Learning Mentors in the coming days and weeks.

Updates for Traditional students only:

Walking Children to Class on the First Half Day

Out of an abundance of caution and due to current health and safety protocols, parents/guardians will not be permitted to walk students to their classrooms on the first half day of school. 

The district especially understands that parents/guardians of kindergarten students experience a mix of emotions as their children begin school. Schools will reach out to families to provide more information about how faculty, staff, and administrators will make this transition as smooth as possible during the pandemic. Please click here for a video the district has developed to serve as an online 2020 Kindergarten Kickoff.

REMINDER: Continuum of Learning – Moving from Traditional to Remote

At any point during the academic year, CMCSS may need to switch the entire district, or individual schools, into or out of traditional (in-school) and remote (out-of-school) models based on the current conditions surrounding the pandemic. Due to the ever-changing circumstances of the pandemic, parents and guardians should make preparations throughout the year in the event that school buildings are closed and remote learning must take place.

CMCSS and the Montgomery County Health Department on a daily basis are reviewing the following metrics in Montgomery County: 

• Total positive cases out of total tested
• Number of new positives out of the number of new tests
• New active cases per population (per 100,000 and per 50,000)
• Percent of COVID-19 spread in the community following the Tennessee Department of Health guidance for Low Spread, Medium Spread, and High Spread and a common scale of interpretation:
  • Normal Operations: 0 positive COVID-19 cases in Montgomery County
  • Low Spread: less than 0.5% positive COVID-19 active cases in Montgomery County
  • Medium Spread: 0.5% to 1% positive COVID-19 active cases in Montgomery County
  • High Spread: Greater than 1% positive COVID-19 active cases in Montgomery County

While all metrics will be considered throughout the academic year, if Montgomery County reaches medium COVID-19 spread in the community, CMCSS and MCHD will consider additional health and safety protocols for the traditional model or consider transitioning all students to remote learning as deemed necessary. If Montgomery County reaches high COVID-19 spread, CMCSS and MCHD will transition all students to remote learning.

Click here for the current COVID-19 local data that is reviewed by CMCSS and MCHD on a daily basis. This data is provided by the Tennessee Department of Health.