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Germantown district to submit TISA accountability plan Nov. 1 after staff say goals exceed state literacy target
Summary
The Germantown Municipal School District presented its annual TISA accountability report at the Oct. 21 work session and said the district will submit the plan to the Tennessee Department of Education by Nov. 1.
The Germantown Municipal School District presented its annual TISA (Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement) accountability report at the board work session on Oct. 21, saying the district will submit the report to the Tennessee Department of Education by Nov. 1.
The report is required by Tennessee Code Annotated 49-3-112 and must include district goals for student achievement, staff said. One statutory requirement is a specific target for third-grade literacy: the state set 70% of third-grade students to score proficient or above on the third-grade English language arts TCAP, and districts must document plans to meet that target. GMSD staff told the board the district has exceeded the 70% threshold and has set a local target of at least 75% for third-grade proficiency.
District staff summarized the TISA report's structure: district goal statements, reported performance, plans for continued improvement and stakeholder feedback. Staff described interventions and programs intended to sustain and raise outcomes, including tutoring, response-to-intervention (RTI), small-group math instruction and expanded EPSO (early postsecondary opportunity) and ACT preparation offerings.
Staff cautioned that official state rates lag by a year and that the figures in the district report reflect class-of-2024 data. The presentation distinguished several readiness measures that formerly coexisted in state and federal accountability frameworks: the Ready Graduate indicator, the TISA outcomes indicator and the college-and-career readiness indicator. The district said it has been tracking multiple measures but will focus on the college-and-career readiness indicator as the state streamlines metrics.
The college-and-career readiness indicator includes several ways a student can meet the threshold: an ACT composite score of 21 or higher; an ASVAB score at or above the department-specified benchmark; or completion of EPSOs/industry credentials. Staff noted that WorkKeys, a career-readiness assessment many districts administer for career-path students, is not automatically cross-walked to the ACT or other indicators; recognizing WorkKeys as equivalent would require legislative or department policy changes. Board members and staff discussed interest from some districts in having WorkKeys recognized as an option for students pursuing career or technical pathways.
Staff described outreach and feedback channels for the TISA plan: a district newsletter, online survey, the district's "Let's Talk" platform, posts on Facebook and administrator and PTO meetings. The district asked the public to submit feedback before the Nov. 1 submission deadline and said the board will formally review and is expected to vote to approve the plan during its business meeting schedule.
Next steps: staff will continue to collect stakeholder feedback through the advertised channels and finalize the TISA report for board review and approval by the Nov. 1 submission date.
