Story submitted by Elise Shelton, CMCSS

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) today announced the 12 finalists for the third annual SCORE Prize, with local school Norman Smith Elementary among the group. The prize recognizes the Tennessee elementary, middle, and high schools and school district that have most dramatically improved student achievement.

The 2013 SCORE Prize elementary finalists are:
• McPheeter’s Bend Elementary, Hawkins County Schools.
• Mt. Carmel Elementary, Hawkins County Schools.
• Norman Smith Elementary, Clarksville-Montgomery County School District.

“This recognition is huge and certainly confirms that hard work and dedication pays off,” said Smith principal Beth Unfried. “But greater than the recognition is that we are doing what is right for our children. They deserve the best education possible because we can truly shape their futures and the future of our community.”

Chief Academic Officer Sean Impeartrice noted: “Norman Smith represents the CMCSS focus that high expectations with a well-defined plan can dramatically impact student achievement. The school has been dedicated to continuous improvement around educational best practices where everyone is held accountable to teaching and learning on a daily basis. We are very proud of the dedicated leadership, faculty, staff, and parents and their accomplishments.”

Finalists for other grade levels and districts include:

Middle
• Frank P. Brown Elementary, Cumberland County Schools.
• Freedom Preparatory Academy, Memphis City Schools.
• Rose Park Math and Science Middle Magnet, Metro Nashville Public Schools.
High
• Covington High School, Tipton County Schools.
• Maryville High School, Maryville City Schools.
• Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge City Schools.
District
• Greeneville City Schools.
• Kingsport City Schools.
• Trousdale County Schools.

“The SCORE Prize recognizes public schools and school systems that exemplify how to improve academic performance even as we raise academic expectations in our state,” said SCORE President and CEO Jamie Woodson. “Each of the 2013 SCORE Prize finalists is demonstrating remarkable success in preparing students for college and careers. We applaud them, their educators, their students, their parents, and their communities for leading the way in helping Tennessee toward its goal of demonstrating the fastest improvement in academic achievement in the nation.”

The SCORE Prize is the hallmark data-based effort in Tennessee to recognize schools and districts that are doing outstanding work to improve student achievement.

The SCORE Prize will award $10,000 to each elementary, middle, and high school winner and $25,000 to the district winner. Winners and finalists are also highlighted throughout the year as part of SCORE’s work to identify and share practices that improve student academic performance.

The SCORE Prize uses a two-step process to identify finalists and winners. In the first stage, finalists were identified through a weighted criteria selection process that took into account growth from the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) and performance on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP). College-readiness data, such as ACT and graduation rates, were considered for high schools and districts.