State Senator Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville) Monday congratulated Ball Camp Elementary, Bearden High School, Farragut Intermediate, Farragut High School, Pleasant Ridge Elementary, Shannondale Elementary, and L&N Stem Academy for being named Reward Schools, which is the top distinction a school can earn in Tennessee.  These schools are improving in overall student academic achievement and student growth.

“This is a tremendous honor for these schools,” said Senator Briggs.  “I congratulate these hard working students, caring parents, inspiring teachers and great administrators for a job well done.”

Reward schools are identified annually, and this was the first year Tennessee implemented its new school accountability model, which was developed with educators and stakeholders across the state and looks at multiple measures of success. In 2018, 318 schools in 85 school districts – about 20 percent of schools in the state – earned Reward status.

The new accountability framework is based on principles that all schools can be successful and all Tennessee students must be served well. It includes a variety of measures, including chronic absenteeism and discipline, ACT performance, and TNReady scores, to make a determination. All schools are rated both on how they serve the full student population and how they are specifically serving student groups that have historically been underserved: students with disabilities, English learners, economically disadvantaged students, and black, Hispanic, and Native American students.

“These schools in my district are at the top of the pack in the state for excellence in education,” added Briggs. “The students at these schools will reap the benefits of a tremendous education for years to come. I look forward to seeing continued improvement and excellence.”