A Failing Department of Education Seeks to Shift Blame, Assign Letter Grades to School Districts

Tennessee is on the verge of unveiling "A" to "F" school report card

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

The Department of Education in a state that consistently ranks near the bottom in investment in and support for public education is now seeking to create a system that would assign A-F letter grades to individual schools across the state.

WBBJ-TV in Jackson reports on the cool reception the school grading scheme received at a West Tennessee “listening” meeting.

“My biggest concern is that we’re eroding trust in public education. When we look at the unknown, and the things that change, I don’t know how you’re going to pull this off and not erode trust,” said Jonathan Criswell, Director of Schools for Milan Special School District.

The concerns being expressed about this grading system now echo those that were outlined back in 2017 when a legislative initiative originally introduced the idea.

Here’s an excerpt from a Knox County Schools resolution opposing the measure:

WHEREAS, a rating system utilizing A through F grades for schools, and districts creates a false impression about students, ignores the unique strengths of each school, and unfairly reduces each student’s worth to the school’s assigned grade; and

WHEREAS, at least 16 states have implemented a similar rating system utilizing A through F grades for schools and districts and, to date, there is no definitive research that suggests these ratings have improved student or school performance;

A number of districts across the state passed similar resolutions, and plans to utilize the rating system were delayed and then delayed again as a result of COVID-19.

Now, though, the state is back with a vengeance, attempting to create a scoring system for schools just as Tennessee’s school voucher scheme is also ramping up.

Of course, this is the same Department of Education of a state that consistently ranks in the bottom five in the nation in school funding. A state where teacher pay is in the bottom 10 in the nation and, in fact, is among the lowest rates of pay in the Southeast.

Even our neighbors in Alabama and Kentucky have teacher pay investments that are higher than Tennessee’s.

It seems the TN DOE needs to take its own inventory.

One wonders how Tennessee school districts and individual schools would fare if the state actually invested in schools instead of allowing a $1.7 billion shortfall to fester.