Williamson County School District pushes “rigor, relevance and relationships.”

-- Chase Malone | The Ledger

A SCORE Prize finalist three years ago, Williamson County Schools is making another strong push for the top district in Tennessee for student learning, based in part on data compiled by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education [SCORE].

The system pushes “rigor, relevance and relationships.”

One of the unique things about the district is that it’s able to “build enough synergy to affect so many schools and so many students,” Williamson County Schools Director Mike Looney says.

Looney says the system makes a concerted effort to give teachers the tools to help students succeed.

“We’re blessed with amazing teachers. We’ve assembled a cadre of teachers that are second to none,” Looney adds.

Consequently, the system is up for a $25,000 prize from SCORE, joining Maryville City Schools and Kingsport City Schools as a finalist. Winners are to be announced 6 p.m. Oct. 27 during an event at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville.

SCORE is a nonprofit, non-partisan advocacy and research institution founded by former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist that supports the state’s efforts to prepare students for college and the workforce.

SCORE determines finalists based on performance in the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program and growth in the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System. For high schools and school district, data for college preparation such as ACT scores, graduation rates and the number of college-bound students was considered as well.

With 35,000 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, Williamson County Schools saw “notable growth” in math for grades 3-8 and Algebra I and II during the last three years, SCORE noted in its assessment.

The system has shown strong growth and performance over the last three years on the ACT as well, and its three-year composite score of 23.1 is among the highest in the state.

“Each of the 2014 SCORE Prize finalists is demonstrating remarkable success in preparing students for college and careers,” SCORE President and CEO Jamie Woodson says on the organization’s website. “We applaud them, their educators, their students, their parents and their communities for leading the way in ensuring that every Tennessee student graduates prepared for college and the workforce.”

Williamson County’s Hillsboro Elementary/Middle School and Ravenwood High School made SCORE’s list of finalists in their own categories.

With more than 300 students in grades 6-8, in addition to preK-5 students, Hillsboro Middle has shown strong growth among middle school students in math and science and has three-year TCAP proficiency rates much higher than the state average, according to SCORE.

Ravenwood High, which has nearly 1,900 students in grades 9-12, showed strong growth in Algebra I and II, and in almost all subjects, the school posted three-year TCAP proficiency rate near or above 90 percent.

The high school was a SCORE Prize finalist in 2012 and showed strong ACT improvement and has a nearly 80 percent passing rate on Advanced Placement exams.

“The selection committee members who visited the district were impressed by the strategic vision and the clarity in communicating that vision as ‘rigor, relevance, relationships, relentlessness,’ The selection team also saw how leadership at all levels is working together to carry out the vision,” explains Teresa Wasson, SCORE communications director.

It’s true that Williamson County is an affluent community, Looney says it’s more diverse than people might think. Ten percent of Williamson’s students are subsidized on the free and reduced-price meal program, according to the system.

The district’s philosophy is based on differentiating instruction and teaching students at their level so they can improve rapidly.

“Whether they’re ahead or behind, we’ve got a plan,” Looney notes.

Every staff member plays a part in putting students first in the education effort, including Looney, who has become a “role model” for a young student who has no male role model at home and is having a difficult time at school.

“I’ve taken on that role in serving him in his time of need,” Looney says. “You can see that in our system, from board member to cafeteria worker.”

In technology, Williamson County does BYOD, Bring Your Own Device.

With a per-pupil expenditure of $8,400, $600 less than the state average, it can’t afford to purchase a laptop for every student. Those who can bring their own laptop, iPad or SmartPhone are allowed to, and those who don’t have them are provided with a laptop, according to Looney.

“A majority of our students use technological devices in the classroom every day,” Looney says.

The director doesn’t know where the debate over Common Core is headed. Rather, he prefers to say it’s a state-level issue that will require a decision by the Legislature.

“In Williamson County, regardless of what the state standards are, we’re always going to set our standards higher,” he adds. “We look at the state standards as the floor and that includes Common Core.”