Christenberry is Reward School

Betty BeanOur Town Youth

There was confetti and celebration at Christenberry Elementary Thursday when principal Melissa Johnson announced that Christenberry has been named a Reward School by the state Department of Education.

This is the top honor a school can earn in Tennessee. Reward Schools are those that distinguish themselves by improving overall academic achievement and growth for all students and student groups.

In 2018, 318 schools in the state’s 85 school districts, or about 20 percent of the schools in the state earned this status.

Johnson said 45 percent of the elementary school ranking is based on student achievement, 35 on student growth and 10 percent each on language proficiency for English language learners and reduction of chronic absenteeism.

Sixteen other Knox County schools earned the designation this year: Bearden Elementary, Blue Grass Elementary, Carter High, Farragut Intermediate, Farragut Middle School, Farragut High School, Gibbs Elementary, Halls Elementary, Hardin Valley Academy, Rocky Hill Elementary, Sequoyah Elementary, Shannondale Elementary, West Hills Elementary, West Valley Middle, L&N STEM Academy and Northshore Elementary.

Knox County Schools continued to show the highest level of growth while making gains in achievement, according to data released by the state DOE.

For the ninth consecutive year, the district received an overall Tennessee Value-Added composite score of 5, the highest level of growth a system can receive.

Superintendent Bob Thomas said he is very pleased with the results, and he commended the educators and students for their hard work. “While celebrating the strides we have made, we are already beginning the work at a district and school level to identify and address areas that need improvement.”

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