In 2009, approximately 7,000 Tennessee students with the academic preparation necessary to pass Advanced Placement (AP) exams entered high school. Four years later, only half of those students had succeeded on an AP exam, and the rates were even lower for economically disadvantaged students. Why? AP courses are one of several early postsecondary opportunities through…
Tennessee teachers have been offered an extraordinary opportunity. With implementation of the Common Core State Standards, we can redesign the way we teach to better prepare our students for an unknown future. The Internet provides an abundance of resources that promise “Common Core aligned lessons” that allow students to apply knowledge. Apps and web tools allow…
It seems like every day there’s another article about the horrors of standardized testing. Just this week comedian Louis CK raised the issue to seemingly new heights when he first took to the Twittersphere to rail against testing and then followed up with an appearance on Letterman. His daughter took New York’s state tests last…
As an organization, The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) collaboratively supports Tennessee’s work to prepare students for college and the workforce. We work toward the goal of all Tennessee students graduating from high school prepared for college and a career. More than 180 pieces of education legislation were put before the Tennessee General Assembly in…
SCORE’s work is built around four research-based levers to improve student achievement, with great teaching being one. Excellent teacher preparation programs, effective recruitment strategies, and high-quality support and evaluation systems for existing teachers cultivate effective teachers and strong leadership in Tennessee’s schools. In the second part of this legislative series, I provide a synopsis of…