The ECF School Performance Charts

"And, even in a sea of discussions and forums on education, parents are often hungry for one piece of information above all else: data that helps them select a school for their children."

- Katherine Boehret, Wall Street Journal
"Grading Neighborhood Schools," February 20, 2008

The Tennessee Department of Education has given the public access to the school-level results of the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS), which indicates how effective a school is at helping its students learn. However, it is not easy to understand the raw numbers provided by the state, and it is almost impossible to compare the performance of schools and districts across the state. The Education Consumers Foundation has solved this challenge by creating its School Performance Charts, allowing the public to easily compare the performance of schools and districts in Tennessee through an intuitive and easy-to-use chart.

To see how your child's school is performing:

• Visit the 2008 Elementary School Performance Chart
• Visit the 2008 K-8/Middle School Performance Chart

To see if your school has improved its effectiveness in lifting student achieve over the past few years, view our 2006 and 2007 school performance charts:

• 2007 elementary and middle
• 2006 elementary and middle

The average amount of achievement gain made by Tennessee students in 1998 is the benchmark or standard against which school effectiveness is currently judged.  That standard, also called the Tennessee "Growth Standard," is denoted by the horizontal line that runs across the middle of our charts. 

Since 1998, the effectiveness of Tennessee's schools has improved.  Most schools are now producing individual student achievement gains in excess of the 1998 average. Despite the higher state average, the letter grade scale used to denote levels of school effectiveness has remained anchored to 1998 average; thus many of the schools now earning an "A" for raising student achievement are, in fact, performing below the current state average. 

In order to show users the letter grades that would be assigned if the Tennessee Department of Education's grade scale had continued to track the state average, ECF has created alternative versions of its 2008 elementary and middle showing the corrected letter grades.

Extensive information about each school may be accessed through the Tennessee Department of Education's website. You can also review Frequenty Asked Questions about the charts, or go to the Value-Added Achievement Awards home page for more information.

The School Performance Charts show which schools are best as seen on a level playing field.  The Growth Standard line crossing the chart represents average annual growth in student achievement in 1998. The bars that deflect downward from the Growth Standard line represent schools that are failing to meet the expected minimum. Bars that deflect upward represent schools that are exceeding the minimum standard. The gap between the 1998 Growth Standard and the current state average reflects the progress in annual student achievement gain made by Tennessee schools since 1998. Follow the instructions at the bottom of the chart to highlight individual schools and school systems.

If you're having trouble opening the charts, make sure you have the latest version of Flash by going here.