The first Metro Nashville Public School Board of Education meeting of September had a celebratory tone as the board welcomed new student member Christine Tran and celebrated growth within the district. The board also celebrated the fact that Alex Green Elementary was recognized as a national Blue Ribbon School this year.
The board voted on chair placements for the coming year. District 2 representative Rachael Anne Elrod will continue serving as chair of the board, and District 7 representative Freda Player will continue as vice chair. District 5 representative Christiane Buggs will be the board's legislative representative.
The Tennessee Value Added Assessment System is a state mechanism used to determine the academic growth year over year. The highest score possible is a 5, which indicates growth that significantly exceeds expectations, while the lowest score (1) indicates significantly less growth than expected. This year, for the second year in a row, MNPS received a level 5 overall composite TVAAS score.
District-wide English Language Arts scores for fourth through eighth grades were all 5s with the exception of fifth grade, which received a 1 — the same is true for fourth through eighth grades' math scores. Fifth through eighth grades received 5s in science. Sixth and seventh grades received 5s in social studies; eighth grade received a 1 in this category. ACT Value Added scores received 5s across all subjects. The presentation did not include the scores for end-of-course Algebra I and II, English I and II, Biology, Geometry and U.S. History, and MNPS was not immediately able to send the scores to the Scene.
As of this writing, 2023’s TVAAS scores were not available on the state website, but you can see previous years’ district- and school-specific scores. Those wanting to learn more about this year’s TVAAS scores can watch the MNPS presentation here.
Christine Tran, a junior at James Lawson High School, was sworn in as the new student board member on Tuesday. Tran will replace former student board member Abenezer Haile and join Alayna Mitchell, a senior at Hillsboro High School, as a student representative.
“I'm super excited to be here,” said Tran.
