Bradford director briefs board on test scores

By Crystal Burns

Bradford Special School District Director of Schools Dan Black briefed the board on 2017 End of Course test scores at the system’s September 25 meeting.

“We’re very proud of what our high school students did,” Black said.

Bradford students again topped the state in Algebra I and II in terms of the average number of students testing On Track and Mastered and performed above the state average in all areas.

Algebra I – state average 15.1%

Bradford 56.8%, 1^st in state

Algebra II – state average 23.5%

Bradford 66.7%, 1^st in state

Geometry – state average 25.8%

Bradford 30.8%

High School Math – state average 21.5%

Bradford 50%, 3^rd in state

English I – state average 29.5%

Bradford 41.2%, 10^th in state

English II – state average 39.2%

Bradford 63.4%, 4^th in state

English III – state average 34.4%

Bradford 46.9%, 20^th in state

High School English – state average 34.3%

Bradford 50.9%, 7^th in state

Biology – state average 59.3%

Bradford 70.7%

Chemistry – 41.2% state average

Bradford 46.9%

High School Science – 51%

Bradford 58.5%

U.S. History – state average 30.8%

Bradford 41.9%, 19^th in state

Black said ACT scores were “pretty good,” but he did not provide them to the board because he said they were incomplete.

The state has not released TNReady achievement scores for grades 3-8 yet. Of the scores the state has provided individual districts, it gives local leaders the option of sharing the results with students and parents or waiting until full report cards are released later this fall.

TVAAS

The state uses the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) to measure the impact schools and teachers have on their students’ academic progress. TVAAS measures student growth, not whether the student is proficient on the state assessment, on a 1-5 scale with one being the lowest.

The Bradford school district scored 3 in Literacy, 3 in Numeracy, 3 in Literacy and Numeracy, 3 in Social Studies, and 1 in Science for an overall score of 2.

“I don’t think any of us are satisfied with where we are overall,” Black said.

Board elections – The board re-elected Don Lannom, who was absent, to serve as chairman and Dr. Kelvin Moore as vice chair. The board elected Rich Cunningham as its Tennessee Legislative Network representative and Dr. Dale Denning as Cunningham’s alternate.

Truck bid approved – The board approved a bid of $22,219 for a 2018 Ford pickup truck from Steve Marsh Ford in Milan. The maintenance department will use the vehicle.

Policy agreement – The board also approved a three-year, $6000 contract with the Tennessee School Boards Association to maintain the district’s policy manual.