Sumner County presents accountability data, stresses literacy and math as priorities
Summary
District instructional leaders told the school board Nov. 18 that federal and state accountability both center on achievement and growth, highlighted recent gains and literacy initiatives, and outlined next steps as state and federal designations are released.
At the Sumner County Board of Education meeting on Nov. 18, district instructional leaders laid out how federal and state accountability systems will shape local priorities, emphasizing literacy and mathematics as the district’s top targets.
“Fifty-one point four percent of those students met and exceeded expectations,” Anna Connor, assessment and accountability supervisor, said while reviewing the district’s elementary and middle-school snapshot. She described two parallel accountability systems: federal (under ESSA), which focuses mainly on ELA and math and designations such as reward and targeted support, and state accountability, which produces letter grades and includes all subjects.
Why it matters: The metrics determine where the district targets support and which schools receive interventions. District staff walked the board through heat maps that identify subgroup weaknesses and highlighted that Sumner County has had multiple targeted support (TSI/ATSI) schools in recent years but has not had a comprehensive support and improvement (CSI) designation.
Details and evidence: Presenters said the district’s packet charts represent roughly 18,000–20,000 students across tested grades. Staff described the TCAP testing program (elementary and middle grades) and the ACT’s role in high-school readiness. The presentation highlighted modest multi-year gains and cited specific figures to show trends in achievement and growth.
Elementary literacy initiatives were a central focus. Connor described a district push since January 2025 to put more books in classrooms — “300-plus classrooms in kindergarten through third grade” — and introduced the Sumner Reads family engagement materials that align home reading with classroom foundations. A sample decodable book shown to the board was labeled about 95.9% decodable for a targeted unit, demonstrating the district’s emphasis on matching texts to taught skills.
Instructional supports: District staff reported intensive professional development and coaching activity since August (57 professional-development sessions and 47 leadership sessions), targeted interventions for subgroups, and classroom modeling that district leaders said helped some schools exit TSI lists after one year of focused work. Middle- and high-school presenters described tiered supports, collaborative planning, and ACT-focused strategies such as boot camps and crosswalks to ReadyGrad metrics.
Board response and next steps: Board members asked how the district could raise proficiency above the 50% mark and pressed staff to identify precise, actionable steps. District staff said federal accountability results were embargoed but expected to be released within about a week; they told the board they would share those designations and follow up with recognition for reward schools and targeted supports for others.
The presentation concluded with staff reiterating the district mission — “to develop better people for a better world” — and opened for board questions and public comment.
